• Composites Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.44-51
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• 2010

Recently, to solve the problems associated with the neutralization and corrosion of reinforced concrete compression members, the structural configurations such as CFFT (Concrete Filled GFRP Tube) and RCFFT (Reinforced Concrete Filled GFRR Tube) have been developed and applied to main members of civil engineering structure. These members can increase structural performance in terms of structural stability, ductility as well as chemical resistance compared with conventional concrete structural members. Many researches in numerous institutions to predict the load carrying capacity of the concrete compression member strengthened with FRP materials have been conducted and they have been suggested an equation for the prediction of the load carrying capacity of the members. Through the review of the research results, it was found that their results are similar each other. Moreover, it was also found that the results are not directly applicable to our specimens since the results are largely depended upon the member configurations. Also, since the accurate design criteria for the RC members strengthened with FRP such as RCFFT have not been established properly, relevant theoretical and experimental investigations must be conducted for the application to the practical structures. In this study, structural behavior of RCFFT was evaluated through compressive and quasi-static flexural tests in order to formulate design criteria for the structural design. In addition, the RCFFT members were also investigated to examine their confinement effect and the equations capable of estimating the compressive ultimate strength and flexural stiffness of the RCFFT members were proposed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.27-44
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• 2023

The current study targets to apply the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for the estimation of the shear resistance offered by the externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (EB-FRP) U-jackets. A total of 202 groups of data cumulated from previous investigations, were employed for the development and evaluation of the ANFIS model. A relative appraisal between the ANFIS predictions and the results of experiments has shown that the assessments by current ANFIS model are in good concurrence with the latter. In addition, assessment of the accuracy of the ANFIS model was done by relating the ANFIS predictions with the forecasts of eight extensively used design guidelines. Based on the examination of various performance measures, it has been derived that the adequacy of the ANFIS model is better than the available guidelines. A parametric investigation has additionally been done to reconnoiter the influence of individual parameters as well as their combined effects on the shear contribution of EB-FRP. Based on the observations made from the parametric study, it has been witnessed that the ANFIS model has incorporated the effect of different parameters more competently than the considered design guidelines.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.277-299
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• 2008

High quality and expedient processing repair methods are necessary to enhance the service life of bridge structures. Deterioration of concrete can occur as a result of structural cracks, corrosion of reinforcement, and freeze.thaw cycles. Cost effective methods with potential for field implementation are necessary to address the issue of the vulnerability of bridge structures and how to repair them. Most infrastructure related applications of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs) use traditional hand lay-up technology. The hand lay-up is tedious, labor-intensive and relies upon personnel skill level. An alternative to traditional hand lay-up of FRP for infrastructure applications is Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM). VARTM uses single sided molding technology to infuse resin over fabrics wrapping large structures, such as bridge girders and columns. There is no work currently available in understanding the interface developed, when VARTM processing is adopted to wrap fibers such as carbon and/or glass over concrete structures. This paper investigates the interface formed by carbon fiber processed on to a concrete surface using the VARTM technique. Various surface treatments, including sandblasting, were performed to study the pull-off tensile test to find a potential prepared surface. A single-lap shear test was used to study the bond strength of CFRP fabric/epoxy composite adhered to concrete. Carbon fiber wraps incorporating Sikadur HEX 103C and low viscosity epoxy resin Sikadur 300 were considered in VARTM processing of concrete specimens.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.391-403
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• 2014

In this study an innovative method of earthquake-resistant strengthening of reinforced concrete structures is presented for the first time. Strengthening according to this new method consists of the construction of steel fiber high-strength concrete jackets without conventional reinforcement which is usually applied in the construction of conventional reinforced concrete jackets (i.e., longitudinal reinforcement, stirrups, hoops). The proposed in this study innovative steel fiber high-strength or ultra high-strength concrete jackets were proved to be much more effective than the reinforced concrete jackets and the FRP-jackets when used for the earthquake-resistant strengthening of reinforced concrete structural members.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.199-207
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• 2012

Concrete is an economical construction material and for that reason it is widely used in buildings and infrastructures. The use of deicing salts, expansion joint failure, and freeze-thaw cycles have led to concrete bridge girders experiencing corrosion of steel reinforcement and becoming unsafe for driving. The goal of this research is to assess the effectiveness of current and possible repair techniques for the end region of damaged prestressed concrete girders. To do this, three American Association of State Highway and Transportation prestressed concrete girders were tested to failure, repaired, and retested. Three different repair materials were tested including carbon fiber, glass fiber, and surface mounted rods. Each different repair material was also tested with and without injected epoxy. Comparisons were then made to determine if injecting epoxy had a positive effect on stiffness and strength recovery as well as which repair type regained the largest percentage of original strength.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.683-692
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• 2011

In piloti-type low-rise RC residential buildings, severe damages have been usually concentrated at piloti stories under the earthquake. In this study, a piloti story was retrofitted by installation of buckling-restrained braces (BRB's) to increase strength and stiffness of piloti story and by application of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheet on columns to avoid the brittle shear and axial failure of columns. To verify this retrofit performance, reversed cyclic lateral load tests were performed on 1:5 scale bare and retrofitted frames. The test results showed that yield strength (43.2 kN) appeared to be significantly larger than design value (30 kN) due to the increase of strength in the compression side, but the stiffness value (11.6 kN/mm) turned out to be approximately one-half of the design value (24.2 kN/mm). The reasons for this difference in stiffness were due to slippage at joint between the frame and the BRB's, displacement and rotation at footing. The energy absorption capacity of the retrofitted frame was 7.5 times larger than that of the bare frame. The change of the number of load cells under the footing from 2 to 1 reduced lateral stiffness from 11.6 kN/mm to 6 kN/mm, which was only three times larger than that of the bare frame (2.1 kN/mm).

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.511-520
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• 2007

There is a concern with worldwide deterioration of highway bridges, particularly reinforced concrete. The advantages of fibre reinforced plastic(FRP) composites over conventional materials motivate their use in highway bridges for replacement of structures. Recently, an FRP deck has been installed on a state highway, located in New York State, as an experimental project. In this paper, a systematic approach for analysis of this FRP deck bridge is presented. Multi-step linear numerical analyses have been performed using the finite element method to study the structural behavior and the possible failure mechanism of the FRP deck-superstructure system. Deck's self-weight and ply orientations at the interface between steel girders and FRP deck are considered in this study. From this research, the results of the numerical analyses were corroborated with field test results. Analytical results reveal several potential failure mechanism for the FRP deck and truss bridge system. The results presented in this study may be used to propose engineering design guideline for new and replacement FRP bridge deck structure.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.42-45
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• 2008

It has been reported that FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) can be recycled by separating into layers instead of crushing into powder. F-fiber obtained from roving layer separated from FRP, has bigger tensile strength than the bundle of glass fibers of which FRP was made (more than 90%). SEM image of F-fiber shows the presence of some resin. Under the proposition of usage of F-fiber in the concrete material, tensile strength is examined after soaking in a basic solution (NaOH+KOH). The reaction mechanism of strength loss may be considered as an attack of hydroxide ion ($OH^-$) on a chemical bond of Si-O-Si of glass fiber. The simulation graph of the strength loss data implies certain reaction mechanism. While in the early stage kinetically controlled reaction results in a fast drop of tensile strength, after 30 days dispersion rate of hydroxide ion plays a major role in strength loss. This result is similar to the one for the AR glass. An extrapolation of the graph would make an assumption about the lift time of F-fiber possible.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.189-192
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• 2005

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars gain increasingly more attention as a reinforcing option for concrete because of their corrosion resistance and non-magnetism. GFRP reinforcement for concrete does not have the same shape as steel reinforcement. Therefore, the bond performance of FRP bars, unlike that of steel, is dependent on their design, manufacture and mechanical properties. This paper studied the effect of high strength concrete on the bond strength of GFRP bars. Twenty-nine specimens having different compressive strength of concrete were tested in order to examine the bond behavior of GFRP bars.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.323-338
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• 2014

In this study a new innovative method of earthquake-resistant strengthening of reinforced concrete structures is presented for the first time. Strengthening according to this new method consists of the construction of steel fiber ultra-high-strength concrete jackets without conventional reinforcement which is usually applied in the construction of conventional reinforced concrete jackets. An innovative solution is proposed also for the first time that ensures a satisfactory seismic performance of existing reinforced concrete structures, strengthened by using composite materials. The weak point of the use of such materials in repairing and strengthening of old R/C structures is the area of beam-column joints. According to the proposed solution, the joints can be strengthened with a steel fiber ultra-high-strength concrete jacket, while strengthening of columns can be achieved by using CFRPs. The experimental results showed that the performance of the subassemblage strengthened with the proposed mixed solution was much better than that of the subassemblage retrofitted completely with CFRPs.