• Computers and Concrete
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• 제9권5호
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• pp.375-387
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• 2012

The objective of this investigation was to develop rules for automatic categorization of concrete quality using selected artificial intelligence methods based on machine learning. The range of tested materials included concrete containing a new waste material - solid residue from coal combustion in fluidized bed boilers (CFBC fly ash) used as additive. The rapid chloride permeability test - Nordtest Method BUILD 492 method was used for determining chloride ions penetration in concrete. Performed experimental tests on obtained chloride migration provided data for learning and testing of rules discovered by machine learning techniques. It has been found that machine learning is a tool which can be applied to determine concrete durability. The rules generated by computer programs AQ21 and WEKA using J48 algorithm provided means for adequate categorization of plain concrete and concrete modified with CFBC fly ash as materials of good and acceptable resistance to chloride penetration.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제6권6호
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• pp.491-503
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• 2009

This paper presents a design framework developed using axiomatic design (AD) theory that can be applied in the design process of porous concrete. The main contribution of this paper is the definition of an AD framework based on the needs and functional requirements of porous concrete. The framework shows how AD theory can be used to provide guidelines for proportioning and manufacturing porous concrete. The advantage of the AD approach is that it systemizes the way to decouple design parameters and makes designers to think rationally between what we want to achieve and how we propose to satisfy the functional requirements of porous concrete. In this paper, test results of laboratory-size porous concrete specimens under compression were analyzed to evaluate the performance of the porous concrete based on the desired functional requirements.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.819-829
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• 2013

The objective of this study is to determine whether or not the yield line theory, an effective method widely used for slabs made of ordinary concrete, can be used also for the reinforced concrete slabs made of high-strength concrete. Flexural behavior of simply supported slabs in three different sizes were investigated under concentrated load at mid-span. Additionally, behavior of high strength reinforced concrete slabs with 50 mm and 150 mm reinforcement spacings also studied. Failure loads, deflections, experimental and theoretical failure mechanisms were evaluated. The difference between the moments based on yield line theory and experimental moments varied between 1% to 3%. Experimental and analysis results revealed that yield line analysis could conveniently be employed in the analysis of high strength reinforced concrete slabs.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제3권6호
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• pp.423-437
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• 2006

Stress wave propagation through concrete is simulated by finite element analysis. The concrete medium is modeled as a homogeneous material with smeared properties to investigate and establish the suitable finite element analysis method (explicit versus implicit) and analysis parameters (element size, and solution time increment) also suitable for rigorous investigation. In the next step, finite element analysis model of the medium is developed using a digital image processing technique, which distinguishes the mortar and aggregate phases of concrete. The mortar and aggregate phase topologies are, then, directly mapped to the finite element mesh to form a heterogeneous concrete model. The heterogeneous concrete model is then used to simulate wave propagation. The veracity of the model is demonstrated by evaluating the intrinsic parameters of nondestructive ultrasonic pulse velocity testing of concrete. Quantitative relationships between aggregate size and testing frequency for nondestructive testing are presented.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.355-366
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• 2016

This paper reports the testing of concrete slabs reinforced with CFRP prestressed concrete prisms(PCP) on the flexural behavior. Four concrete slabs were tested, a reference slab reinforced with steel bars, and three slabs reinforced with CFRP prestressed concrete prisms (PCP). All slabs were made with dimensions of 600mm in width, 2200mm in length and 150 in depth. All concrete slabs reinforced with CFRP prestressed concrete prisms(PCP) exhibited CFRP bar rupture failure mode. It was shown that the application of the CFRP prestressed prisms can limit service load deflections and crack width, the increased level of prestress in the CFRP prestressed prism positively affected the maximum crack width. The deflection of concrete slabs reinforced with CFRP prestressed prisms decreased as prestress in the CFRP prestressed prism increased.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제17권5호
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• pp.597-612
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• 2016

The present work focuses on the use of coconut fiber in self compacting concrete. Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) is a highly flowable, stable concrete which flows readily into place, filling formwork without any consolidation and without undergoing any significant segregation. Use of fibers in SCC bridge the cracks and enhance the performance of concrete by not allowing cracks to propagate. They contribute to an increased energy absorption compared to plain concrete. Coconut fiber has the highest toughness among all natural fibers. It is known that structures in the seismic prone areas are always under the influence of cyclic loading. To justify the importance of strengthening SCC beams with coir fiber, the present work has been undertaken. A comparison is made between cyclic and static loading of coconut fiber reinforced self compacting concrete (FRSCC) members. Using the test data obtained from the experiment, hysteresis loops were drawn and comparison of envelope curve, energy dissipation, stiffness degradation were made and important conclusions were draw to justify the use of coconut fiber in SCC.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.109-129
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• 2013

This work presents an approach to model concrete shrinkage. The goal is to permit the concrete industry's experts to develop independent prediction models based on a reduced number of experimental data. The proposed approach combines fuzzy logic and genetic algorithm to optimize the fuzzy decision-making, thereby reducing data collection time. Such an approach was implemented for an experimental data set related to self-compacting concrete. The obtained prediction model was compared against published experimental data (not used in model development) and well-known shrinkage prediction models. The predicted results were verified by statistical analysis, which confirmed the reliability of the developed model. Although the range of application of the developed model is limited, the genetic-fuzzy approach introduced in this work proved suitable for adjusting the prediction model once additional training data are provided. This can be highly inviting for the concrete industry's experts, since they would be able to fine-tune their models depending on the boundary conditions of their production processes.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.317-330
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• 2007

Steel reinforced concrete is perhaps the most versatile and widely used construction material. The versatility is attributed to mouldability of concrete to any conceivable shape. The inherent property of cracking of concrete is the reason for its low tensile strength and hence the design approach of RCC sections in flexure adopts the cracked section theory where in concrete in tension zone is ignored. Means, modes and methods of exploitation of concrete strength by conceiving shapes other than rectangular whereby ineffective concrete in tension zone is reduced and incorporated in compression zone where it is effective needs consideration. Shape optimization of beams is attempted in this analytical investigation employing Sequential Unconstrained Minimization Technique (SUMT). The results clearly show that trapezoidal beams happen to be less costlier than their rectangular counterparts, their usage needs serious reconsideration by the designers.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.257-262
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• 2017

This study aims to develop a signal processing scheme to accurately predict the thickness of concrete slab using air-coupled impact-echo. Air-coupled impact-echo has been applied to concrete non-destructive tests (NDT); however, it is often difficult to obtain thickness mode frequency due to noise components. Furthermore, apparent velocity in concrete is a usually unknown parameter in the field and the thickness of the concrete slab often cannot be accurately measured. This study proposes a signal processing scheme using guided wave analysis, wherein dispersion curves are drawn in both frequency-wave number (f-k) and phase velocity-frequency ($V_{cp}-f$) domains. The theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that thickness mode frequency and apparent velocity in concrete are clearly obtained from the f-k and $V_{cp}-f$ domains, respectively. The proposed method has great potential with regard to the application of air-coupled impact-echo in the field.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제18권5호
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• pp.541-563
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• 2004

For reaching large inelastic deformations without a substantial loss in strength, the potential plastic hinge regions of the reinforced concrete structural members should be confined by adequate transverse reinforcement. Therefore, simple and realistic representation of confined concrete behaviour is needed for inelastic analysis of reinforced concrete structures. In this study, a trilinear stress-strain model is proposed for the axial behaviour of confined concrete. The model is based on experimental work that was carried out on nearly full size specimens. During the interpretation of experimental data, the buckling and strain hardening of the longitudinal reinforcement are also taken into account. The proposed model is used for predicting the stress-strain relationships of confined concrete specimens tested by other researchers. Although the proposed model is simpler than most of the available models, the comparisons between the predicted results and experimental data indicate that it can represent the stress-strain relationship of confined concrete quite realistically.