• Computers and Concrete
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.67-82
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• 2007

The discrete crack-concept is applied to study the 3D propagation of tensile-dominated failure in plain concrete. To this end the Partition of Unity Finite Element Method (PUFEM) is utilized and the strong discontinuity approach is followed. A consistent linearized implementation of the PUFEM is combined with a predictor-corrector algorithm to track the crack path, which leads to a robust numerical description of concrete cracking. The proposed concept is applied to study concrete failure during the PCT3D test and the predicted numerical results are compared to experimental data. The proposed numerical concept provides a clear interface for constitutive models and allows an investigation of their impact on concrete cracking under 3D conditions, which is of significant scientific interests to interpret results from 3D experiments.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.73 no.4
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• pp.437-445
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• 2020

The microstructure and mechanical properties of concrete will degrade significantly at high temperatures, thus affecting the bond strength between reinforcing steel and surrounding concrete in reinforced concrete members. In this study, the effect of individual and hybrid fiber on the local bond-slip behavior of lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) after exposure to elevated temperatures was experimentally investigated. Tests were conducted on local pullout specimens (150 mm cubes) with a reinforcing bar embedded in the center section. The embedment lengths of the pullout specimens were 4.2 times the bar diameter. The parameters investigated included concrete type (control group: ordinary LWAC; experimental group: fiber reinforced LWAC), concrete strength, fiber type, and targeted temperature. The test results showed that for medium-strength LWACs exposed to high temperatures, the use of only steel fibers did not significantly increase the residual bond strength. Moreover, the addition of individual and hybrid fiber had little effect on the residual bond strength of the high-strength LWAC after exposure to a temperature of 800℃.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.295-302
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• 2019

Evolutionary algorithms based on conventional statistical methods such as regression and classification have been widely used in data mining applications. This work involves application of gene expression programming (GEP) for predicting compressive strength of fly ash geopolymer concrete, which is gaining increasing interest as an environmentally friendly alternative of Portland cement concrete. Based on 56 test results from the existing literature, a model was obtained relating the compressive strength of fly ash geopolymer concrete with the significantly influencing mix design parameters. The predictions of the model in training and validation were evaluated. The coefficient of determination ($R^2$), mean (${\mu}$) and standard deviation (${\sigma}$) were 0.89, 1.0 and 0.12 respectively, for the training set, and 0.89, 0.99 and 0.13 respectively, for the validation set. The error of prediction by the model was also evaluated and found to be very low. This indicates that the predictions of GEP model are in close agreement with the experimental results suggesting this as a promising method for compressive strength prediction of fly ash geopolymer concrete.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.165-180
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• 2000

An analytical model with tension softening for the prediction of the capacity of prestressed concrete beams under pure torsion and under torsion combined with shear and flexure is introduced. The proposed approach employs bilinear stress-strain relationship with post cracking tension softening branch for the concrete in tension and special failure criteria for biaxial stress states. Further, for the solution of the governing equations a special numerical scheme is adopted which can be applied to elements with practically any cross-section since it utilizes a numerical mapping. The proposed method is mainly applied to plain prestressed concrete elements, but is also applicable to prestressed concrete beams with light transverse reinforcement. The aim of the present work is twofold; first, the validation of the approach by comparison between experimental results and analytical predictions and second, a parametrical study of the influence of concentric and eccentric prestressing on the torsional capacity of concrete elements and the interaction between torsion and shear for various levels of prestressing. The results of this investigation presented in the form of interaction curves, are compared to experimental results and code provisions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.577-587
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• 2000

A 3D nonlinear finite element computation model is presented in order to analyze the concrete filled rectangular tubular (CFRT) composite structures. The concrete material model is based on a hypo-elastic orthotropic approach while the elasto-plastic hardening model is employed for steel element. The comparisons between experimental and analytical results show that the proposed model is a relatively simple and effective one. The analytical results show that the capacity of inner concrete of CFRT column mainly depends on the two diagonal zones, and the confining effect of CFRT section is mainly concentrated on the corner zones. At the ultimate state, the side concrete along the section cracks seriously, and the corner concrete softens with the increase of compressive strains until failure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.863-878
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• 2004

Steel corrosion in reinforced concrete structures leads to concrete cover cracking, reduction of bond strength, and reduction of steel cross section. Among theses consequences mentioned, reduction of bond strength between reinforcement and concrete is of great importance to study the behaviour of RC members with corroded reinforcement. In this paper, firstly, an analytical model based on smeared cracking and average stress-strain relationship of concrete in tension is proposed to evaluate the maximum bursting pressure development in the cover concrete for noncorroded bar. Secondly, the internal pressure caused by the expansion of the corrosion products is evaluated by treating the cracked concrete as an orthotropic material. Finally, bond strength for corroded reinforcing bar is calculated and compared with test results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.1099-1120
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• 2015

External prestressing has been applied to both new construction and retrofitting of existing reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Continuous beams are preferred to simply supported beams because of economy, fewer movement joints and possible benefits from moment redistribution. However, this paper argues that continuous prestressed concrete beams with external unbonded tendons demonstrate different full-range behaviour compared to reinforced concrete (RC) beams. Applying the same design approach for RC to external prestressing may lead to design with a lower safety margin. To better understand the behaviour of continuous prestressed concrete beams with unbonded tendons, an experimental investigation is performed in which nine such specimens are tested to failure. The full-range behaviour is investigated with reference to moment-curvature relationship and moment redistribution. The amounts of moment redistribution measured in the experiments are compared with those allowed by BS 8110, EC2 and ACI 318. Design equations are also proposed to estimate the curvature ductility index of unbonded prestressed concrete beams.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2016

The quantity of construction and demolition waste has been greatly increasing recently. It causes many problems to the environment. For this reason, demolition waste management becomes inevitable in order to overcome the environmental issues. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of using recycled coarse aggregate, which is generated from construction and demolition waste, on the properties of recycled aggregate concrete. An experimental investigation on the strength characteristics of concrete made with recycled coarse aggregate is presented and discussed in this paper. In this study, Portland Pozzolana Cement (fly ash based) is used instead of ordinary Portland cement. The results of this investigation show the possibility of the use of recycled coarse aggregates in the production of fresh concrete. Use of demolition waste as coarse aggregate will lead to a cleaner environment with a significant reduction of the consumption of natural resources. A comparative study on the strength characteristics of recycled aggregate concrete made with Ordinary Portland Cement and Portland Pozzolana Cement is presented and discussed in this paper.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.189-211
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• 2010

The behaviour of a reinforced concrete tension member is governed by the contribution of concrete between cracks, tension stiffening effect. Under highly repeated loading, this contribution is progressively reduced and the member response approximates that given by the fully cracked member. When focusing on the unloaded state, experiments show deformations larger than those of the naked reinforcement. This has been referred to as negative tension stiffening and is due to the fact that concrete carries compressive stresses along the crack spacing, even thought the tie is subjected to an external tensile force. In this paper a cycle-dependent approach is presented to reproduce the behaviour of the axially loaded tension member, paying attention to the negative tension stiffening contribution. The interaction of cyclic bond degradation and time-dependent effects of concrete is investigated. Finally, some practical diagrams are given to account for the negative tension stiffening effect in reinforced concrete elements.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-33
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• 2012

The performance of a concrete is significantly influenced by its mixture proportion and the coating thickness on aggregate surface. The concrete in this study is designed by estimating the blending ratio of aggregate using a densified mixture design algorithm (DMDA) based on an ideal grading curve and estimating the paste volume as the sum of the amount of paste needed to provide an assigned coating paste thickness. So as to obtain appropriate concrete amount, and thus can accurately estimate the property of concrete. Deduction of this mix design formula is simple and easy understanding, and meanwhile to obtain result is fast. This estimation model of mix design is expected to reward to industry and effectively upgrade concrete quality.