• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.705-733
• /
• 2012

In this work, an experimental examination was carried out to study interfacial stresses developed at the junction zones between carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) fabrics (~1 mm thickness) and tensile concrete portion in CFRP retrofitted RC beams. In this respect, initially six similar RC beams of $150{\times}150{\times}1000mm$ dimensions were prepared. Three of which were strengthened with CFRP fabrics at the tensile side of the beams. Furthermore, a notch was cut at the center of the bottom surface for all of the studied beams. The notch was 15 mm deep and ran across the full width of tension side of the beams. The mentioned interfacial stresses could be calculated from strains measured using strain gauges mounted on the interface zone of the tensile concrete and the CFRP sheet. Based on the results obtained, it is shown that interfacial stresses developed between CFRP fabrics and RC beam had a noticeable effect on debonding failure mode of the latter. The load carrying capacity of CFRP strengthened RC specimens increased ~75% compared to that of the control RC beams. This was attributed to the enhancement of flexural mode of the former. Finally, finite element analysis was also utilized to verify the measured experimental results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.279-301
• /
• 2007

When coupling beams are proportioned appropriately in coupled core wall (CCW) systems, the input energy from ground motions is dissipated primarily through inelastic deformations in plastic hinge regions at the ends of the coupling beams. It is desirable that the plastic hinges form at the beam ends while the base wall piers remain elastic. The strength and stiffness of the coupling beams are, therefore, crucial if the desired global behavior of the CCW system is to be achieved. This paper presents the results of nonlinear response history analysis of two 20-story CCW buildings. Both buildings have the same geometric dimensions, and the components of the buildings are designed based on the equivalent lateral force procedure. However, one building is fitted with steel coupling beams while the other is fitted with diagonally reinforced concrete coupling beams. The force-deflection relationships of both beams are based on experimental data, while the moment-curvature and axial load-moment relationships of the wall piers are analytically generated from cross-sectional fiber analyses. Using the aforementioned beam and wall properties, nonlinear response history analyses are performed. Superiority of the steel coupling beams is demonstrated through detailed evaluations of local and global responses computed for a number of recorded and artificially generated ground motions.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.251-269
• /
• 2014

To investigate the seismic performance and to obtain quantitative parameters for the requirement of performance-based bridge seismic design approach, 12 reinforced concrete (RC) hollow rectangular bridge column specimens were tested under constant axial load and cyclic bending. Parametric study is carried out on axial load ratio, aspect ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and transverse reinforcement ratio. The damage states of these column specimens were related to engineering limit states to determine the quantitative criteria of performance-based bridge seismic design. The hysteretic behavior of bridge column specimens was simulated based on the fiber model in OpenSees program and the results of the force-displacement hysteretic curves were well agreed with the experimental results. The damage states of residual cracking, cover spalling, and core crushing could be well related to engineering limit states, such as longitudinal tensile strains of reinforcement or compressive strains of concrete, etc. using cumulative probability curves. The ductility coefficient varying from 3.71 to 8.29, and the equivalent viscous damping ratio varying from 0.19 to 0.31 could meet the requirements of seismic design.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.433-441
• /
• 2019

The aim of this research is reinforcing of concrete with variety of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) configurations and investigates the load capacity and ductility of these connections using an experimental investigation. Six scaled-down RC exterior joints were tested under moderately monotonic loads. The results show that, the shape of the FRP had a different effect on the joint capacity and the connection ductility coefficient. The greatest effect on increasing the ductility factor was seen in the sample where two reinforcement plates were used on both sides of the beam web (RCS5 sample). For the sample with the presence of FRP plates at the top and bottom of the beam (RCS3 sample), the ductility factor was reduced even the load capacity of this sample increased. Except for the RCS3 sample, the rest of the samples exhibited an increase in the ductility factor due to the FRP reinforcement.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.85 no.3
• /
• pp.315-335
• /
• 2023

Limited studies are available on the mathematical estimates of the compressive strength (CS) of glass fiber-embedded polymer (glass-FRP) compressive elements. The present study has endeavored to estimate the CS of glass-FRP normal strength concrete (NSTC) compression elements (glass-FRP-NSTC) employing two various methodologies; mathematical modeling and artificial neural networks (ANNs). The dataset of 288 glass-FRP-NSTC compression elements was constructed from the various testing investigations available in the literature. Diverse equations for CS of glass-FRP-NSTC compression elements suggested in the previous research studies were evaluated employing the constructed dataset to examine their correctness. A new mathematical equation for the CS of glass-FRP-NSTC compression elements was put forwarded employing the procedures of curve-fitting and general regression in MATLAB. The newly suggested ANN equation was calibrated for various hidden layers and neurons to secure the optimized estimates. The suggested equations reported a good correlation among themselves and presented precise estimates compared with the estimates of the equations available in the literature with R²= 0.769, and R² =0.9702 for the mathematical and ANN equations, respectively. The statistical comparison of diverse factors for the estimates of the projected equations also authenticated their high correctness for apprehending the CS of glass-FRP-NSTC compression elements. A broad parametric examination employing the projected ANN equation was also performed to examine the effect of diverse factors of the glass-FRP-NSTC compression elements.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.229-240
• /
• 2022

The main objective of this work is presenting a mathematical model for the concrete slab with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) layer under the impact load. Impacts are assumed to occur normally over the top slab and the interaction between the impactor and the structure is simulated using a new equivalent three-degree-of-freedom (TDOF) spring-mass-damper (SMD) model. The structure is assumed viscoelastic based on Kelvin-Voigt model. Based on the sinusoidal shear deformation theory (SSDT), energy method and Hamilton's principle, the motion equations are derived. Applying DQM, the dynamic deflection and contact force of the structure is calculated numerically so that the effects of mass, velocity and height of impactor, boundary conditions, FRP layer, structural damping and geometrical parameters of structure are shown on the dynamic deflection and contact force of system. Results show that considering structural damping leads to lower dynamic deflection and contact force. In addition, increasing the impact velocity of impactor yields to increases in the maximum contact force and deflection while the contact duration is decreased. The result shows that the contact force and the central deflection of the structure decreases and the contact time decreases with assuming FRP layer.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.399-414
• /
• 1997

This paper presents an investigation into the seismic response characteristics of a proposed ligh-weight pedestrian cable-stayed bridge made entirely from Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics(GFRP). The study employs three dimensional finite element models to study and compare the dynamic characteristics and the seismic response of the GFRP bridge to a conventional Steel-Concrete (SC) cable-stayed bridge alternative. The two bridges were subjected to three synthetic earthquakes that differ in the frequency content characteristics. The performance of the GFRP bridge was compared to that of the SC bridge by normalizing the live load and the seismic internal forces with respect to the dead load internal forces. The normalized seismically induced internal forces were compared to the normalized live load internal forces for each design alternative. The study shows that the design alternatives have different dynamic characteristics. The light GFRP alternative has more flexible deck motion in the lateral direction than the heavier SC alternative. While the SC alternative has more vertical deck modes than the GFRP alternative, it has less lateral deck modes than the GFRP alternative in the studied frequency range. The GFRP towers are more flexible in the lateral direction than the SC towers. The GFRP bridge tower attracted less normalized base shear force than the SC bridge towers. However, earthquakes, with peak acceleration of only 0.1 g, and with a variety of frequency content could induce high enough seismic internal forces at the tower bases of the GFRP cable-stayed bridge to govern the structural design of such bridge. Careful seismic analysis, design, and detailing of the tower connections are required to achieve satisfactory seismic performance of GFRP long span bridges.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.215-231
• /
• 2020

In a reinforced concrete building different shapes of column are adopted depending on the structural orientation and the architectural aspect. When there is an increase in loading due to changes in usage or revision in the design codes these columns need to be strengthened for enhanced performance during their service life. Strengthening materials such as carbon fiber and glass fiber polymer has been successfully used however, due to high cost application other alternative materials need to be explore. Galvanized steel wire mesh (GSWM) is one of the suitable materials locally available. High tensile strength, low weight, corrosion resistance, easy installation, minimum change in dimensions of the sections and cost effectives are the advantages of GSWM. Therefore, in this paper, four different shapes of column such as circular, square, rectangular and L were wrapped with different layers GSWM and jacketed with mortar. All the specimens were tested under axial compression. The objective of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of GSWM as a confining material for strengthening of column having varying shape. Test results shows that the axial strength enhanced with wrapping of GSWM jacket and a circular column presented the highest load carrying capacity and ductility as compared to the others. From the study of 22 column specimens, it is found that axial load is increased upto 20% and 19% when circular and square column are strengthened with one wrap of GSWM respectively, while a rectangular and L column required a wraps of two and three layers respectively in order to achieved the same load capacity as that of a circular column. Based on the present study, it is concluded that GSWM can be effectively used for strengthening of different shapes of concrete columns economically.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.727-736
• /
• 2017

The application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) in steel structures primarily includes two categories, i.e., the bond-critical application and the contact-critical application. Debonding failure and buckling failure are the main failure modes for these two applications. Conventional electrometric techniques may not provide precise results because of the limitations associated with single-point contact measurements. A nondestructive full-field measurement technique is a valuable alternative to conventional methods. In this study, the digital image correlation (DIC) technique was adopted to investigate the bond behavior and buckling behavior of CFRP-steel composite members. The CFRP-to-steel bonded joint and the CFRP-strengthened square hollow section (SHS) steel column were tested to verify the suitability of the DIC technique. The stereo-DIC technique was utilized to measure continuous deformation. The bond-slip relationship of the CFRP-to-steel interface was derived using the DIC data. Additionally, a multi-camera DIC system consisting of four stereo-DIC subsystems was proposed and applied to the compressive test of CFRP-strengthened SHS steel column. The precise buckling location and CFRP delamination of the CFRP-strengthened SHS steel column were identified. The experimental results confirm that the stereo-DIC technique can provide effective measurements for investigating the behaviors of CFRP-steel composite members.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.333-348
• /
• 2023

Fast infrastructure development boosts the demand for shotcrete. Despite sand and stone being the most common coarse and fine aggregates for shotcrete, excessive exploration of these materials challenges the ecological environment. This study utilized an industrial solid waste, high-titanium heavy slag, blended with steel fibers to form Wet Shotcrete of Steel Fiber-reinforced High-Titanium Heavy Slag (WSSFHTHS). It investigated its workability, shotcrete performance and mechanical properties under different water-to-cement ratios, fly ash content, superplasticizer dosage, and steel fiber content. The tunnel excavation and support were investigated by conducting finite element numerical simulation analysis and was used in 3 tunnel lining pipes in Zhonggouwan tailing pond. The major findings are as follows: (1) The water-to-cement ratio (w/c ratio) significantly impacted the compressive strength of WSSFHTHS. The highest 28-day compressive strength of 60 MPa was achieved when the w/c ratio was 0.38; (2) Adding fly ash improved the workability and shotcrete performance and strength development of WSSFHTHS. The best anti-permeability performance was achieved when the fly ash constituted 15%, with the lowest permeability coefficient of 4.596 × 10-11 cm/s; (3) The optimum superplasticizer dosage for WSSFHTHS is 0.8%. It provided the best workability and shotcrete performance. Excessive dosage resulted in water bleeding and poor aggregate encapsulation, while insufficient dosage decreased flowability and adversely affected shotcrete performance; (4) The dosage of steel fibers significantly impacted the flexural and tensile strength of WSSFHTHS. When the steel fiber dosage was 45 kg/m³, the 28-day flexural and tensile strengths were 8.95 MPa and 6.15 MPa, respectively; (5) By integrating existing shotcrete techniques, the optimal lining thickness was 80 mm for WSSFHTHS per simulation. The results revealed that after using WSSFHTHS, the displacement of the tunnel surrounding the rock significantly improved, with no cracks or hollows, similar to the simulation results.