• Computers and Concrete
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.295-304
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• 2016

An experimental investigation on the behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with various reinforcement, including ordinary steel bars, CFRP bars and CFRP prestressed concrete prisms(PCP). The main variable in the test program was the level of prestress and the cross section of PCP.The modes of failure and the crack width were observed. The results of load-deflection and load-crack width characteristics were discussed. The results showed that the CFRP prestressed concrete prisms as flexural reinforcement of concrete beams could limit deflection and crack width under service load and PCP can overcome the serviceability problems associated with the low elastic modulus/strength ratio of CFRP.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.17-39
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• 2013

In the present paper, a coaxial rotating smeared crack model is proposed for mass concrete in three-dimensional space. The model is capable of applying both the constant and variable shear transfer coefficients in the cracking process. The model considers an advanced yield function for concrete failure under both static and dynamic loadings and calculates cracking or crushing of concrete taking into account the fracture energy effects. The model was utilized on Koyna Dam using finite element technique. Dam-water and dam-foundation interactions were considered in dynamic analysis. The behavior of dam was studied for different shear transfer coefficients considering/neglecting fracture energy effects. The results were extracted at crest displacement and crack profile within the dam body. The results show the importance of both shear transfer coefficient and the fracture energy in seismic analysis of concrete dams under high hydrostatic pressure.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.333-353
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• 2004

Strength of reinforced concrete beams can easily be increased by the use of externally bonded CFRP composites. However, the mode of failure of CFRP strengthened beam is usually brittle due to tension-shear failure in the concrete substrate or bond failure near the CFRP-Concrete interface. In order to improve the ductility of CFRP strengthened concrete beams, critical variables need to be investigated. This experimental and analytical research focused on a series of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with CFRP composites to enhance the flexural capacity and ductility. The main variables were the amount of CFRP composites, the amount of longitudinal and shear reinforcement, and the effect of CFRP end diagonal anchorage system. Sixteen full-scale beams were investigated. A new design guideline was proposed according to the effects of the above-mentioned variables. The experimental and analytical results were found to be in good agreement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1023-1044
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• 2015

Concrete-filled tubes (CFT), formed by an outer steel tube filled with plain or reinforced concrete inside, have been increasingly used these recent decades as columns or beam-columns, especially for tall buildings in seismic areas due to their excellent structural response. This improved behavior is derived from the effect of confinement provided by the tube, since the compressive strength of concrete increases when being subjected to hydrostatic pressure. In circular CFTs under compression, the whole tube is uniformly tensioned due to the radial expansion of concrete. Contrarily, in rectangular and square-shaped CFTs, the lateral flanges become subjected to in-plane bending derived from this volumetric expansion, and this fact implies a reduction of the confinement effect of the core. This study presents a numerical analysis of different configurations of CFT stub columns with inner stiffening plates, limited to the study of the influence of these plates on the compressive behavior without eccentricity. The final purpose is to evaluate the efficiency in terms of strength and ductility of introducing stiffeners into circular and square CFT sections under large deformation axial loading.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.375-386
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• 2018

This experimental work aims at developing and investigating a lightened concrete by the addition of treated straws. The used formulation is based on that of an ordinary concrete which is composed of sand and gravel as the main aggregates. The properties of the straws are improved by using one of two treatments before their use: the hot water and bitumen. Henceforth, the main objective of this study is to assess the mechanical characteristics of different formulations with different compositions and treatments on straws. The obtained results have shown that the addition of straws improves its lightness property. However, it decreases the compressive and flexural strengths as well as decreases the modulus of elasticity and increases the dimensional variations. Set into comparison to the concrete with untreated straws, the treatment of straws by hot water or by bitumen improves most of the characteristics.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.369-385
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• 2014

In the existing method for analyzing the liquid tightness of the outer concrete tank in an emergency LNG spillage, the temperature variation over time inside the tank, and the concrete properties dependent on temperature and internal moisture content, have not been taken into account. In this study, the analyses for a typical LNG concrete tank subjected to thermal load due to spillage were performed with three different cases: the existing method was adopted in the first case, the transient temperature variation was considered in the second, and the temperature-moisture content dependent concrete properties were taken into account as well as the transient states of temperature in the third. The analysis results for deformation, compressive zone size, cracking, and stress of reinforcements were compared, and a discussion on the difference between the results obtained from the different analysis cases was made.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.419-444
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• 2014

In this study experimental result of a total of eight SCC and FRSCC slabs with the same cross-section were monitored for up to 240 days to measure the time-dependent development of cracking and deformations under service loads are presented. For this purpose, four SCC mixes are considered in the test program. This study aimed to compare SCC and FRSCC experimental results with conventional concrete experimental results. The steel strains within the high moment regions, the concrete surface strains at the tensile steel level, deflection at the mid-span, crack widths and crack spacing were recorded throughout the testing period. Experimental results show that hybrid fibre reinforced SCC slabs demonstrated minimum instantaneous and time-dependent crack widths and steel fibre reinforced SCC slabs presented minimum final deflection.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.179-190
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• 2015

An experimental program has been carried out to investigate the effect of edge-slope on compressive strength of concrete specimens. In this study, effect of such slope was investigated by testing 100 standard cylinder specimens and 40 standard cubes. When molds are put on a slanted place, wet concrete starts to flow through the open end of mold. It keeps flowing until it reaches to a parallel surface with the place over which it was placed. That creates a sloped surface over the loading area. Experimental results revealed significant relationships between failure loads and slope of loading surface for cylinders. Angled cracks occurred in sloped cylinder specimens. Tension cracks occurred in cube specimens. Fracture mechanisms were also evaluated by using finite element analyses approach. Experiments yielded an exponential curve with bandwidth for cylinders. Average value of curve is $y={\frac{\pi}{2}}e^{-cf}$ between slope and compressive strength. Inclination is much effective parameter for cylinders than cubes.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.587-607
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• 2012

The purpose of this research is to propose a design technique of concrete mix proportions satisfying service life through genetic algorithm (GA) and neural network (NN). For this, thirty mix proportions and the related diffusion coefficients in high performance concrete are analyzed and fitness function for diffusion coefficient is obtained considering mix components like w/b (water to binder ratio), cement content, mineral admixture (slag, flay ash and silica fume) content, sand and coarse aggregate content. Through averaging the results of 10 times GA simulations, relative errors to the previous data decrease lower than 5.0% and the simulated mix proportions are verified with the experimental results. Assuming the durability design parameters, intended diffusion coefficient for intended service life is derived and mix proportions satisfying the service life are obtained. Among the mix proportions, the most optimized case which satisfies required concrete strength and the lowest cost is selected through GA algorithm. The proposed technique would be improved with the enhancement of comprehensive data set including wider the range of diffusion coefficients.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.575-586
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• 2012

In the present paper the problem of monotonically compressed concrete columns is studied numerically, accounting for transverse steel reinforcement and concrete cracking. The positive confinement effect of the ties on the core concrete is modeled explicitly and studied in the case of distributed or concentrated vertical load. The main aim is to investigate the influence of transverse reinforcement steel characteristics on the column load carrying capacity and ductility, in order to provide an evaluation about some standards requirements about the class and ductility of steel to be used for ties. The obtained results show that the influence of transverse reinforcement steel class of ductility is negligible both on the column load carrying capacity and on its ductility. Also the dissipated energy is basically unchanged. In view of these evidences, some standards requirements about the steel class of ductility to be used for ties appear to be rather questionable.