• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.329-342
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• 2008

The strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) columns by steel angles and strips (steel cage) is one of various techniques available to increase ultimate column load. Different authors have shown the influence of the beam-column joint on the behaviour of columns strengthened by steel cages. This paper presents an experimental study carried out at the Universidad Polit$\acute{e}$cnica de Valencia with the aim of analysing two different techniques to solve the strengthening close to the joint and the influence on the behaviour of RC columns strengthened steel cages. The ultimate loads obtained in the laboratory tests for these two techniques are compared to that specified by Eurocode 4.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.279-293
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• 2019

The overall seismic performance of existing pre 1960-70s reinforced concrete (RC) structures is significantly affected by the inadequate length of columns' lap-spliced reinforcement. Due to this crucial structural deficiency, the cyclic response is dominated by premature bond - slip failure, strength and stiffness degradation, poor energy dissipation capacity and low ductility. Recent earthquakes worldwide highlighted the importance of improving the load transfer mechanism between lap-spliced bars, while it was clearly demonstrated that the failure of lap splices may result in a devastating effect on structural integrity. Extensive experimental and analytical research was carried out herein, to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of strengthening techniques applied to RC columns with lap-spliced reinforcement and also accurately predict the columns' response during an earthquake. Ten large scale cantilever column subassemblages, representative of columns found in existing pre 1970s RC structures, were constructed and strengthened by steel or RC jacketing. The enhanced specimens were imposed to earthquake-type loading and their lateral response was evaluated with respect to the hysteresis of two original and two control subassemblages. The main variables examined were the lap splice length, the steel jacket width and the amount of additional confinement offered by the jackets. Moreover, an analytical formulation proposed by Tsonos (2007a, 2019) was modified appropriately and applied to the lap splice region, to calculate shear stress developed in the concrete and predict if yielding of reinforcement is achieved. The accuracy of the analytical method was checked against experimental results from both the literature and the experimental work included herein.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.219-235
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• 2022

Strengthening slender reinforced concrete (RC) columns is a challenge. They are susceptible to overall buckling that induces bending moment and axial compression. This study presents the precise three-dimensional finite element modeling of slender RC columns strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites sheets with various patterns under concentric or eccentric compression. The slenderness ratio λ (height/width ratio) of the studied columns ranged from 15 to 35. First, to determine the optimal modeling procedure, nine alternative nonlinear finite element models were presented to simulate the experimental behavior of seven FRP-strengthened slender RC columns under eccentric compression. The models simulated concrete behavior under compression and tension, FRP laminate sheets with different fiber orientations, crack propagation, FRP-concrete interface, and eccentric compression. Then, the validated modeling procedure was applied to simulate 58 FRP-strengthened slender RC columns under compression with minor eccentricity to represent the inevitable geometric imperfections. The simulated columns showed two cross sections (square and rectangular), variable λ values (15, 22, and 35), and four strengthening patterns for FRP sheet layers (hoop H, longitudinal L, partial longitudinal L_w, and longitudinal coupled with hoop LH). For λ=15-22, pattern L showed the highest strengthening effectiveness, pattern L_w showed brittle failure, steel reinforcement bars exhibited compressive yielding, ties exhibited tensile yielding, and concrete failed under compression. For λ>22, pattern L_w outperformed pattern L in terms of the strengthening effectiveness relative to equivalent weight of FRP layers, steel reinforcement bars exhibited crossover tensile strain, and concrete failed under tension. Patterns H and LH (compared with pattern L) showed minor strengthening effectiveness.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.4 s.50
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• pp.85-94
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• 2006

In the design of bridge piers in seismic area, the ductility requirement is the most important factor. In order to enhance the seismic performance of RC columns, it is necessary to make the ductility of columns larger by covering RC columns with steel tubes or confining RC columns by arranging transverse reinforcements such as hoop ties closely. Using core steel composite columns is useful as one of the reinforcing RC columns. In this paper, quasi-static tests on concrete encased composite columns with single core steel or multiple steel elements were performed to investigate the seismic performance of the composite columns. Eight concrete-encased composite specimens were fabricated. The cross-sections of these specimens are composed of concrete-encased H-shaped structural steel columns and a concrete-encased circular tube with partial in-filled concrete. Test parameters were the amount of the transverse reinforcements, type and number of encased steel member. Through the tests, it was evaluated the ductility of SRC composite specimens. It has become clear from the test results that encased steel elements makes the deformation capacity of the columns to be larger. The displacement ductility and lateral strength of specimen with concrete-encased circular tube were indicated the biggest value.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2019

Concrete reinforced with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars (FRP-RC) has attracted a significant amount of research attention in the last three decades. A limited number of studies, however, have investigated the effect of bond slip on the performance of FRP-RC columns under eccentric loading. Based on previous experimental study, a finite-element model of eccentrically loaded FRP-RC columns was established in this study. The bondslip behavior was modeled by inserting spring elements between FRP bars and concrete. The improved Bertero-Popov-Eligehausen (BPE) bond slip model with the results of existing FRP-RC pullout tests was introduced. The effect of bond slip on the entire compression-bending process of FRP-RC columns was investigated parametrically. The results show that the initial stiffness of bond slip is the most sensitive parameter affecting the compression-bending performance of columns. The peak bond stress and the corresponding peak slip produce a small effect on the maximum loading capacity of columns. The bondslip softening has little effect on the compression-bending performance of columns. The sectional analysis revealed that, as the load eccentricity and the FRP bar diameter increase, the reducing effect of bond slip on the flexural capacity becomes more obvious. With regard to bond slip, the axial-force-bending-moment (P-M) interaction diagrams of columns with different FRP bar diameters show consistent trends. It can be concluded from this study that for columns reinforced with large diameter FRP bars, the flexural capacity of columns at low axial load levels will be seriously overestimated if the bond slip is not considered.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.593-616
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• 2010

The seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge columns is a significant issue because the interaction of flexural ductility and shear capacity of such columns with varied amounts of lateral reinforcement is not well established. Several relationships between flexural ductility and shear capacity have been proposed by various researchers in the past. In this paper, a parametric study on RC bridge columns is conducted using a nonlinear finite element program, "Simulation of Concrete Structures (SCS)", developed at the University of Houston. SCS has been previously used to predict the seismic behavior of such columns. The predicted results were compared with the test results obtained from experiments available in literature. Based on the results of the parametric study performed in this paper, a set of new relationships between flexural ductility and shear capacity of RC columns is proposed for seismic design.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.25-36
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• 2019

In this paper, an algorithm is presented to simulate numerically the reinforced concrete (RC) columns having any geometric form of section, loaded eccentrically along one or two axes. To apply the algorithm, the columns are discretized into two macro-elements (MEs) globally and the critical sections of columns are discretized into fixed rectangular finite elements locally. A proposed triple simultaneous dichotomy convergence method is applied to find the equilibrium state in the critical section of the column considering the three strains at three corners of the critical section as the main characteristic variables. Based on the proposed algorithm a computer program has been developed for simulation of the nonlinear behavior of the eccentrically-loaded columns. A good agreement has been witnessed between the results obtained applying the proposed algorithm and the experimental test results. The simulated results indicate that the ultimate strength and stiffness of the RC columns increase with the increase in axial force value, but large axial loads reduce the ductility of the column, make it brittle, impose great loss of material, and cause early failure.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.389-408
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• 2022

Residual capacity is defined as the load carrying capacity of an RC column after undergoing severe damage. Evaluation of residual capacity of RC columns is necessary to avoid damage initiation in RC structures. The central aspect of the current research is to propose an empirical formula to estimate the residual capacity of RC columns after undergoing severe damage. This formula facilitates decision making of whether a replacement or a repair of the damaged column is adequate for further use. Available literature mainly focused on the simulation of explosion loads by using simplified pressure time histories to develop residual capacity of RC columns and rarely simulated the actual explosive. Therefore, there is a gap in the literature concerning general relation between blast damage of columns with different explosive loading conditions for a reliable and quick evaluation of column behavior subjected to blast loading. In this paper, the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) technique is implemented to simulate high fidelity blast pressure propagations. LS-DYNA software is utilized to solve the finite element (FE) model. The FE model is validated against the practical blast tests, and outcomes are in good agreement with test results. Multivariate linear regression (MLR) method is utilized to derive an analytical formula. The analytical formula predicts the residual capacity of RC columns as functions of structural element parameters. Based on intensive numerical simulation data, it is found that column depth, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, concrete strength and column width have significant effects on the residual axial load carrying capacity of reinforced concrete column under blast loads. Increasing column depth and longitudinal reinforcement ratio that provides better confinement to concrete are very effective in the residual capacity of RC column subjected to blast loads. Data obtained with this study can broaden the knowledge of structural response to blast and improve FE models to simulate the blast performance of concrete structures.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1997.04a
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• pp.182-190
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• 1997

A new method to prevent reinforced concrete columns from brittle failure. The method is called transversely reinforcing method in which only the critical regions are confined in steel tube. The steel tubes can change the failure mode of the latter columns from the shear to the flexure. The steel tubes also increase the compressive strength, shear strength and deformation capacity of the infilled concrete. The following conclusions are reached on bases of the study on the seismic performance of the high-strength RC rectangualr short columns confined in steel tube with shear span tho depth ratio of 2.0 The brittle shear failure of high-strength reinforced concrete short columns with large amount of longitudinal bars, which cannot prevented by using the maximum amount of welded hoops, can be prevented by using the steel tube which confines all the maximum amount of welded hoops, can be prevented by using the steel tube which confines all the concrete inclusive of cover concrete. High-strength RC short columns confined in rectangular steel tube provided excellent enhancement of seismic performance but, found that plastic buckling of the steel tube in the hinge regions tended to occur when the columns were subjected to large cyclic lateral displacements. In order to prevent the plastic buckling when the columns lies on large on cyclic lateral displacements, the steel ribs were used for columns. Tests have established that the columns provide excellent enhancement of seismic performance of inadequately confined columns.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.119-129
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• 2019

Many reinforced concrete (RC) buildings constructed prior to 1980's lack important features guaranteeing ductile response under earthquake excitation. Structural components in such buildings, especially columns, do not satisfy the reinforcement details demanded by current seismic design codes. Columns with deficient reinforcement details may suffer significant damage when subjected to cyclic lateral loads. They can also experience rapid lateral strength degradation induced by shear failure. The objective of this study is to accurately simulate the load-deformation response of RC columns experiencing shear failure. In order to do so, model parameters are calibrated to the load-deformation response of 40 RC column specimens failed in shear. Multivariate stepwise regression analyses are conducted to develop the relationship between the model parameters and physical parameters of RC column specimens. It is shown that the proposed predictive equations successfully estimated the model parameters of RC column specimens with great accuracy. The proposed equations also showed better accuracy than the existing ones.