• Composites Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.249-255
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• 2016

The fiber metal laminates have been widely used at aerospace industry due to outstanding fatigue characteristic, corrosion resistance and impact resistance and so forth. The objective of this research is to establish the proper manufacturing variables for enhancing the interfacial energy release rate of fiber metal laminates using Taguchi method. The major variables of the manufacturing process are surface treatment, pre-specified temperature holding time and additional pressure. In order to determine the interfacial adhesive strength, the double cantilever beam and end-notched flexure tests were conducted. Afterward, Mode I and II energy release rates at various conditions were introduced signal-to-noise ratio with respect to each condition. Finally, the most efficient manufacturing variables are recognized using larger-the-better characteristic.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.519-525
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• 2009

In this study a cohesive zone model was used to simulate the delamination phenomena which occurs by a successive crack initiation and propagation in composite laminates. The cohesive zone model was incorporated to the classical finite element method via cohesive element formulation and then implemented into the user-subroutine UEL of a commercial finite element program Abaqus. To validate the formulation and implementation of the cohesive element the finite element results were compared with the experimental data of double cantilever beam and end notched flexure tests. The numerical results well agree with the experimental load-displacement curves. Also the effect of the elastic stiffness and the size of the cohesive element on the global load-displacement curves were studied numerically. To minimize the mesh-dependency of the crack propagation path and eliminate the zig-zag patterns in the load-displacement curve, cohesive elements should be refined at the crack-tip.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.393-405
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• 2022

Lightweight concrete is a superior material due to its light weight and high strength. There however remain significant lacunae in engineering knowledge with regards to shear failure of lightweight fiber reinforced concrete beams. The main aim of the present study is to investigate the optimum usage of steel fibers in lightweight fiber reinforced concrete (LWFRC). Multi-scale finite element model calibrated with experimental results is developed to study the effect of steel fibers on the mechanical properties of LWFRC beams. To decrease the amount of steel fibers, it is preferred to reinforce only the middle section of the LWFRC beams, where the flexural stresses are higher. For numerical simulation, a multi-scale finite element model was developed. The cement matrix was modeled as homogeneous and uniform material and both steel fibers and lightweight coarse aggregates were randomly distributed within the matrix. Considering more realistic assumptions, the bonding between fibers and cement matrix was considered with the Cohesive Zone Model (CZM) and its parameters were determined using the model update method. Furthermore, conformity of Load-Crack Mouth Opening Displacement (CMOD) curves obtained from numerical modeling and experimental test results of notched beams under center-point loading tests were investigated. Validating the finite element model results with experimental tests, the effects of fibers' volume fraction, and the length of the reinforced middle section, on flexural and residual strengths of LWFRC, were studied. Results indicate that using steel fibers in a specified length of the concrete beam with high flexural stresses, and considerable savings can be achieved in using steel fibers. Reducing the length of the reinforced middle section from 50 to 30 cm in specimens containing 10 kg/m3 of steel fibers, resulting in a considerable decrease of the used steel fibers by four times, whereas only a 7% reduction in bearing capacity was observed. Therefore, determining an appropriate length of the reinforced middle section is an essential parameter in reducing fibers, usage leading to more affordable construction costs.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.129-139
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• 2014

In this study, the concrete fracture energy was obtained using the three point notched beam test method developed by Hillerborg et al. (Cem Concr Res 6(6):773-782, 1976). A total of 12 notched concrete beams were tested under two different loading conditions: constant stroke control and constant crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) control. Despite individual fracture energies obtained from the two different loading conditions showing some variation, the average fracture energy from both loading conditions was very similar. Furthermore, the results obtained support the idea that a far tail constant "A" could change the true fracture energy by up to 11 %, if it is calculated using CMOD instead of LVDT. The far tail constant "A" is determined using a least squares fit onto a straight line according to Elices et al. (Mater Struct 25(148):212-218, 1992) and RILEM report (2007). It was also observed that the selection of the end point can produce variations of the true fracture energy. The end point indicates the point in the experiment at which to stop. An end point of 2 mm has been recommended, however, in this study other end points were also considered. The final form of the bilinear softening curve was determined based on Elices and Guinea's methods (1992, 1994) and RILEM report (2007). This paper proposes a bilinear stress-crack opening displacement curve according to test results as well as the CEB-FIP model code.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.497-505
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• 2018

Three points bending flexural test was modeled numerically to study the crack propagation in the pre-cracked beams. The pre-existing edge cracks in the beam models were considered to investigate the crack propagation and coalescence paths within the modeled samples. The effects of particle size on the single edge-notched round bar in bending test were considered too. The results show that Failure pattern is constant by increasing the ball diameter. Tensile cracks are dominant mode of failure. These crack initiates from notch tip, propagate parallel to loading axis and coalescence with upper model boundary. Number of cracks increase by decreasing the ball diameter. Also, tensile fracture toughness was decreased with increasing the particle size. In the present study, the influences of particles sizes on the cracks propagations and coalescences in the brittle materials such as rocks and concretes are numerically analyzed by using a three dimensional particle flow code (PFC3D). These analyses improve the understanding of the stability of rocks and concretes structures such as rock slopes, tunnel constructions and underground openings.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.553-566
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• 2016

Fracture energy is one of the key parameters reveal cracking resistance and fracture toughness of concrete. The main purpose of this study is to determine fracture behavior, mechanical properties and microstructural analysis of high strength basalt fiber reinforced concrete (HSFRC). For this purpose, three-point bending tests were performed on notched beams produced using HSFRCs with 12 mm and 24mm fiber length and 1, 2 and $3kg/m^3$ fiber content in order to determine the value of fracture energy. Fracture energies of the notched beam specimens were calculated by analyzing load versus crack mouth opining displacement curves by the help of RILEM proposal. The results show that the effects of basalt fiber content and fiber length on fracture energy are very significant. The splitting tensile and flexural strength of HSFRC increased with increasing fiber content whereas a slight drop in flexural strength was observed for the mixture with 24mm fiber length and $3kg/m^3$ fiber content. On the other hand, there was no significant effect of fiber addition on the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of the mixtures. In addition, microstructural analysis of the three components; cement paste, aggregate and basalt fiber were performed based on the Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy examinations.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.261-284
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• 2004

Two enhancements to a recently developed plastic-damage-contact model for concrete are presented. The model itself, which uses planes of degradation that can undergo damage and separation but that can regain contact according to a contact law, is described. The first enhancement is a new damage evolution function which provides a completely smooth transition from the undamaged to the damaged state and from pre-peak to post-peak regions. The second is an improved contact function that governs the potential degree of contact with increasing opening on a crack plane. The use of a damage evolution function with a pre-peak has implications for the consistent tangent matrix/stress recovery algorithm developed for the model implementation, and amendments to this algorithm to accommodate the new function are described. A series of unpublished experimental tests on notched specimens undertaken in Cardiff in the mid 1990s are then described. These include notched beam tests as well as prismatic and cylindrical torsion tests. The tests are then considered in three dimensional finite element analyses using the modified Craft model implemented in the finite element program LUSAS. Comparisons between experimental and numerical data show reasonable agreement except that the numerical simulations do not fully describe the latter stages of the softening responses for the torsion examples. Finally, it is concluded that the torsion tests described provide useful benchmark examples for the validation of three-dimensional numerical models for concrete.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.83-100
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• 2007

Applying a direct formulation for the enrichment of the displacement field an extended finite element (XFEM) scheme for modeling of cohesive crack growth is developed. Only elements cut by the crack is enriched and the scheme fits within the framework of standard FEM code. The scheme is implemented for the 3-node constant strain triangle (CST) and the 6-node linear strain triangle (LST). Modeling of standard concrete test cases such as fracture in the notched three point beam bending test (TPBT) and in the four point shear beam test (FPSB) illustrates the performance. The XFEM results show good agreement with results obtained by applying standard interface elements in FEM and with experimental results. In conjunction with criteria for crack growth local versus nonlocal computation of the crack growth direction is discussed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.39-51
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• 2018

This study introduces a new algorithm to determine size independent values of fracture energy, fracture toughness, and fracture process zone length in three-point bending specimens with shallow to deep notches. By using the exact beam theory, a concept of equivalent notch length is introduced for specimens with no notches in order to predict the peak loads with acceptable precisions. Moreover, the method considers the variations of fracture process zone length and effects of higher order terms of stress field in each specimen size. In this paper, it was demonstrated that the use of some recently developed size effect laws raises some concerns due to the use of nonlinear regression analysis. By using a comprehensive fracture test data, provided by Hoover and Bazant, the algorithm has been assessed. It could be concluded that the proposed algorithm can facilitate a powerful tool for size effect study of three-point bending specimens with different notch lengths.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.527-546
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• 2014

Portland cement concrete, which has higher strength and stiffness than asphalt concrete, has been widely applied on pavements. However, the brittle fracture characteristic of cement concrete restricts its application in highway pavement construction. Since the polypropylene fiber can improve the fracture toughness of cement concrete, Polypropylene Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (PFRC) is attracting more and more attention in civil engineering. In order to study the effect of polypropylene fiber on the generation and evolution process of the local deformation band in concrete, a series of three-point bending tests were performed using the new technology of the digital speckle correlation method for FRC notched beams with different volumetric contents of polypropylene fiber. The modified Double-K model was utilized for the first time to calculate the stress intensity factors of instability and crack initiation of fiber-reinforced concrete beams. The results indicate that the polypropylene fiber can enhance the fracture toughness. Based on the modified Double-K fracture theory, the maximum fracture energy of concrete with 3.2% fiber (in volume) is 47 times higher than the plain concrete. No effort of fiber content on the strength of the concrete was found. Meanwhile to balance the strength and resistant fracture toughness, concrete with 1.6% fiber is recommended to be applied in pavement construction.