• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• 제50권3호
• /
• pp.383-401
• /
• 2014

Over the past years, hybrid building systems, consisting of reinforced concrete frames in bottom and steel frames in top are used as a cost-effective alternative to traditional structural steel or reinforced concrete constructions. Dynamic analysis of hybrid structures is usually a complex procedure due to various dynamic characteristics of each part, i.e. stiffness, mass and especially damping. In hybrid structures, one or more transitional stories with composite sections are used for better transition of lateral and gravity forces. The effect of transitional storey has been considered in no one of the studies in the field of hybrid structures damping. In this study, a method has been proposed to determining the equivalent modal damping ratios for hybrid steel-concrete buildings with transitional storey. In the proposed method, hybrid buildings are considered to have three structural systems, reinforced concrete, composite steel and concrete (transitional storey) and steel system. In this method, hybrid buildings are substituted appropriately with 3-DOF system.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제26권4호
• /
• pp.351-365
• /
• 2020

This work presents numerical and experimental analyses of the behavior of reinforced-concrete deep beams with unconventional geometries. The main goal here is to experimentally and numerically study these geometries to find possible new behaviors due to the material nonlinearity of reinforced concrete with complex geometries. Usually, unconventional geometries result from innovative designs; in general, studies of reinforced concrete structures are performed only on conventional members such as beams, columns, and labs. To achieve the goal, four reinforced-concrete deep beams with geometries not addressed in the literature were tested. The models were numerically analyzed with the Adaptive Micro Truss Model (AMTM), which is the proposed method, to address new geometries. This work also studied the main parameters of the constitutive model of concrete based on a statistical analysis of the finite element (FE) results. To estimate the ultimate loads, FE simulations were performed using the Monte Carlo method. Based on the obtained ultimate loads, a probabilistic distribution was created, and the final ultimate loads were computed.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• 제9권3호
• /
• pp.257-265
• /
• 2020

Many failures of concrete structures are related to steel corrosion. For this reason, it is important to recognize how the carbonation can affect the durability of reinforced concrete structures. The repeatability of the carbonation depth measure in a specimen of concrete sprayed with a phenolphthalein solution is consistently low whereby it is necessary to have an impartial method to measure the carbonation depth. This study presents two automatic algorithms to detect the non-carbonated zone in concrete specimens. The first algorithm is based solely on digital processing image (DPI), mainly morphological and threshold techniques. The second algorithm is based on artificial intelligence, more specifically on an array of Kohonen networks, but also using some DPI techniques to refine the results. Moreover, another algorithm was developed with the purpose of measure the carbonation depth from the image obtained previously.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제14권6호
• /
• pp.635-656
• /
• 2014

A rational estimation of moisture distribution in structural concrete is vital for predicting the possible extent and rate of progression of impending degradation processes. The paper proposes a numerical scheme for analysing the evolution of moisture distribution in concrete subjected to wetting-drying exposure caused by intermittent periods of rainfall. The proposed paradigm is based on the stage wise implementation of non-linear finite element (FE) analysis, with each stage representing a distinct phase of a typical wet-dry cycle. The associated boundary conditions have been constituted to realize the influence of various meteorological elements such as rain, wind, relative humidity and temperature on the exposed concrete surface. The reliability of the developed scheme has been demonstrated through its application for the simulation of experimentally recorded moisture profiles reported in published literature. A sensitivity analysis has also been carried out to study the influence of critical material properties on simulated results. The proposed scheme is vital to the service life modelling of concrete structures in tropical climates which largely remain exposed to the action of alternating rains.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제16권1호
• /
• pp.1-16
• /
• 2015

The proposed techniques to strengthen concrete members such as steel plates, polymers or concrete have important deficiencies in adherence and durability. The use of UHPFC plates can overtake effectively these problems. In this paper, the possibility of using UHPFC to strengthen RC beams under torsion is investigated. Four specimens of concrete beams reinforced with longitudinal bars only were tested under pure torsion. One of the beams was considered as the baseline specimen, while the others were strengthened by ultra-high-performance fiber concrete (UHPFC) on two, three, and four sides. Finite element analysis was conducted in tandem with experimental work. Results showed that UHPFC enhances the strength, ductility, and toughness of concrete beams under torsional load, and that finite element analysis is in good agreement with the experimental data.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제8권5호
• /
• pp.541-561
• /
• 2011

The Finite Element Method (FEM) was employed to demonstrate that accurate simulations of seismically repaired and retrofitted reinforced concrete shear walls can be achieved provided a good analysis program with comprehensive models for material and structural behaviour is used. Furthermore, the analysis tool should have the capability to retain residual damage experienced by the original structure and carry it forward in the repaired and retrofitted structure. The focus herein is to provide quick, simple, but reliable modelling procedures for repair and retrofitting strategies such as concrete replacement, addition of diagonal reinforcing bars, bolting of external steel plates, and bonding of external steel plates and fibre reinforced polymer sheets, thus illustrating versatility in the modelling. Slender, squat, and slender-squat shear walls were investigated. The modelling utilized simple rectangular membrane elements for the concrete, truss bar elements for the steel and FRP retrofitting materials, and bond-link elements for the bonding interface between steel or FRP to concrete. The analyses satisfactorily simulated seismic behaviour, including lateral load capacity, displacement capacity, energy dissipation, hysteretic response, and failure mode.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.51-61
• /
• 2012

According to the results of three-point bending tests of rubberized concrete and plain concrete, the parameters such as total fracture energy ($G_F$), initial fracture energy ($G_f$), and tensile strength ($f_t$) are obtained for concrete material. Using ABAQUS software and a bilinear softening fictitious crack model, the crack propagation process was simulated and compared to the experimental results. It is found that the increase of AE hit count has a similar trend with the increase of energy dissipation in FEM simulation. For two types of concretes, both experimental results and numerical simulation indicate that the rubberized concrete has a better fracture resistance.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제10권6호
• /
• pp.663-681
• /
• 2012

This paper presents a parametric study of the plastic hinge length of circular reinforced concrete columns using a three-dimensional finite element analysis method, and using the Taguchi robust design method to reduce computational cost. Parameters examined include the longitudinal reinforcing ratio, the shear span-to-depth ratio, the axial force ratio and the concrete compressive strength. The study considers longitudinal reinforcement with yield strengths of 414 MPa and 685 MPa, and proposes simplified formulas for the plastic hinge length of circular reinforced concrete columns, showing that increases in plastic hinge length correlate to increases in the axial load, longitudinal reinforcing and shear span-to-depth ratios. As concrete strength increases, the plastic hinge length decreases for the 414 MPa case but increases for the 685 MPa case.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제14권3호
• /
• pp.229-242
• /
• 2013

Corrosion is important reason for the deterioration of the bond between reinforcing steel and the surrounding concrete. Corrosion of the steel mainly depends on its microstructure. Smooth S220, ribbed S420 and S500 grade reinforcing steels were used in the experiments. Samples were subjected to accelerated corrosion. Pullout tests were carried out to evaluate the effects of corrosion on bond strength of the specimens. S500 grade steel which has tempered martensite microstructure showed lower corrosion rate in concrete than S220 and S420 steels which have ferrite+perlite microstructure. S500 grade steel showed highest bond strength among the other steel grades in concrete. Bond strength between reinforcing steel and concrete increased with increase in the strength of steel and concrete. It also depends on whether reinforcing bar is ribbed or not.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• 제1권2호
• /
• pp.187-200
• /
• 2013

The damage level in structures (global scale), elements (intermediate scale) and sections (local scale) can be evaluated using a single parameter called the "Damage Index". Part of the damage attributed to the local scale relates to the damage sustained by the materials of which the section is made. This study investigates the damage of concrete subjected to monotonic compressive loading using four different damage models - one proposed here for the first time and three other well-known models. The analytical results show that the proposed model is promising yet simple and effective for evaluating the damage of concrete. The proposed damage model of concrete with its promising characteristics indicated, appears to be a useful tool in the damage assessment of structures made of concrete.