• Computers and Concrete
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.159-172
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• 2019

This paper presents an investigation into the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams retrofitted by ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) layers. The experimental study has been conducted in two parts. In the first part, four methods of retrofitting with UHPFRC layers in both the up and down sides of the beams have been proposed and their efficiency in the bonding of the normal concrete and ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete has been discussed. The results showed that using the grooving method and the pre-casted UHPFRC layers in comparison with the sandblasting method and the cast-in-place UHPFRC layers leads to increase the load carrying capacity and the energy absorption capacity and causes high bond strength between two concretes. In the second part of the experimental study, the tests have been conducted on the beams with single UHPFRC layer in the down side and in the up side, using the effective retrofitting method chosen from the first part. The results are compared with those of non-retrofitted beam and the results of the first part of experimental study. The results showed that the retrofitted beam with two UHPFRC layers in the up and down sides has the highest energy absorption and load carrying capacity. A finite element analysis was applied to prediction the flexural behavior of the composite beams. A good agreement was achieved between the finite element and experimental results. Finally, a parametric study was carried out on full-scale retrofitted beams. The results indicated that in all retrofitted beams with UHPFRC in single and two sides, increasing of the UHPFRC layer thickness causes the load carrying capacity to be increased. Also, increases of the normal concrete compressive strength improved the cracking load of the beams.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.125-142
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• 2016

An overall review of the structural behaviors of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) elements subjected to various loading conditions needs to be conducted to prevent duplicate research and to promote its practical applications. Thus, in this study, the behavior of various UHPFRC structures under different loading conditions, such as flexure, shear, torsion, and high-rate loads (impacts and blasts), were synthetically reviewed. In addition, the bond performance between UHPFRC and reinforcements, which is fundamental information for the structural performance of reinforced concrete structures, was investigated. The most widely used international recommendations for structural design with UHPFRC throughout the world (AFGC-SETRA and JSCE) were specifically introduced in terms of material models and flexural and shear design. Lastly, examples of practical applications of UHPFRC for both architectural and civil structures were examined.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.711-719
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• 2017

This study investigates the effects of reinforcing bar diameter and cover depth on the shrinkage behavior of restrained ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) slabs. For this, twelve large-sized UHPFRC slabs with three different rebar diameters ($d_b=9.5$, 15.9, and 22.2 mm) and four different cover depths (h=5, 10, 20, and 30 mm) were fabricated. In addition, a large-sized UHPFRC slab without steel rebar was fabricated for evaluating degree of restraint. Test results revealed that the uses of steel rebar with a large diameter, leading to a larger reinforcement ratio, and a low cover depth are unfavorable regarding the restrained shrinkage performance of UHPFRC slabs, since a larger rebar diameter and a lower cover depth result in a higher degree of restraint. The shrinkage strain near the exposed surface was high because of water evaporation. However, below a depth of 18 mm, the shrinkage strain was seldom influenced by the cover depth; this was because of the very dense microstructure of UHPFRC. Finally, owing to their superior tensile strength, all UHPFRC slabs with steel rebars tested in this study showed no shrinkage cracks until 30 days.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.1
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• pp.19-32
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• 2020

Due to repetitive traffic loadings and environmental attacks, reinforced concrete (RC) bridge deck slabs are suffering from severe degradation, which makes structural repairing an urgency. In this study, the fatigue performance of an RC bridge deck repairing technique using ultra-high performance fiber reinforcement concrete (UHPFRC) overlay is assessed experimentally with a wheel-type loading set-up as well as analytically based on finite element method (FEM) using a crack bridging degradation concept. In both approaches, an original RC slab is firstly preloaded to achieve a partly damaged RC slab which is then repaired with UHPFRC overlay and reloaded. The results indicate that the developed analytical method can predict the experimental fatigue behaviors including displacement evolutions and crack patterns reasonably well. In addition, as the shear stress in the concrete/UHPFRC interface stays relatively low over the calculations, this interface can be simply simulated as perfect. Moreover, superior to the experiments, the numerical method provides fatigue behaviors of not only the repaired but also the unrepaired RC slabs. Due to the high strengths and cracking resistance of UHPFRC, the repaired slab exhibited a decelerated deterioration rate and an extended fatigue life compared with the unrepaired slab. Therefore, the proposed repairing scheme can afford significant strengthen effects and act as a reference for future practices and engineering applications.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2015

Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) has a outstanding tensile hardening behaviour after a crack develops, which gives ductility to structures. Existing shear strength model for fiber reinforced concrete is entirely based on crack opening behavior(mode I) which comes from flexural-shear failure, not considering shear-slip behavior(mode II). To find out the mode I and mode II behavior on a crack in UHPFRC simultaneously, maximum shear strength of cracked UHPFRC is investigated from twenty-four push-off test results. The shear stress on a crack is derived as variable of initial crack width and fiber volume ratio. Test results show that shear slippage is proportional to crack opening, which leads to relationship between shear transfer strength and crack width. Based on the test results a hypothesis is proposed for the physical mechanics of shear transfer in UHPFRC by tensile hardening behavior in stead of aggregate interlocking in reinforced concrete. Shear transfer strength based on tensile hardening behavior in UHPFRC is suggested and this suggestion was verified by comparing direct tensile test results and push-off test results.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.759-774
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• 2015

This study simulates the flexural behavior of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) beams reinforced with steel and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars. For this, micromechanics-based modeling was first carried out on the basis of single fiber pullout models considering inclination angle. Two different tension-softening curves (TSCs) with the assumptions of 2-dimensional (2-D) and 3-dimensional (3-D) random fiber orientations were obtained from the micromechanics-based modeling, and linear elastic compressive and tensile models before the occurrence of cracks were obtained from the mechanical tests and rule of mixture. Finite element analysis incorporating smeared crack model was used due to the multiple cracking behaviors of structural UHPFRC beams, and the characteristic length of two times the element width (or two times the average crack spacing at the peak load) was suggested as a result of parametric study. Analytical results showed that the assumption of 2-D random fiber orientation is appropriate to a non-reinforced UHPFRC beam, whereas the assumption of 3-D random fiber orientation is suitable for UHPFRC beams reinforced with steel and GFRP rebars due to disorder of fiber alignment from the internal reinforcements. The micromechanics-based finite element analysis also well predicted the serviceability deflections of UHPFRC beams with GFRP rebars and hybrid reinforcements.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.299-309
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• 2015

Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) is distinguished from the normal concrete by outstanding compressive and tensile strength. Cracked normal concrete resists shear by aggregate interlocking while clamped by transverse reinforcement, which is called as shear friction theory. Cracked UHPFRC is expected to have a different shear transfer mechanism due to rather smooth crack face and post-cracking behavior under tensile force. Twenty-four push-off specimens with transverse reinforcement are tested for four different fiber volume ratio and three different ratio of reinforcement along the shear plane. The shear friction strength for monolithic concrete are suggested by limit analysis of plasticity and verified by test results. Plastic analysis gives a conservative, but reasonable estimate. The suggested shear friction factor and effectiveness factor of UHPFRC can be applied for interface shear transfer design of high-strength concrete and fiber reinforced concrete with post-cracking tensile strength.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.45-55
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• 2022

In this article, the flexural and shear capacity of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete beams (UHPFRC) using two kinds of rebars, including GFRP and steel rebars, are experimentally investigated. For this purpose, six UHPFRC beams (250 × 300 × 1650 mm) with three reinforcement ratios (ρ) of 0.64, 1.05, and 1.45 were constructed using 2% steel fibers by volume. Half of the specimens were made of UHPFRC reinforced with GFRP rebars, while the other half were reinforced with conventional steel rebars. All specimens were tested to failure in four-point bending. Both the load-deformation at mid-span and the failure pattern were studied. The results showed that utilizing GFRP bars increases the flexural strength of UHPFRC beams in comparison to those made of steel bars, but at the same time, it reduces the post-cracking strain hardening. Furthermore, by increasing the percentage of longitudinal bars, both the post-cracking strain hardening and load-bearing capacity increase. Comparing the experiment results with some of the available equations and provisions cited in the valid design codes reveals that some of the equations to predict the flexural strength of UHPFRC beams reinforced with conventional steel and GFRP bars are reasonably conservative, while Khalil and Tayfur model is un-conservative. This issue makes it essential to modify the presented equations in this research for predicting the flexural strength of UHPFRC beams using GFRP bars.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.53-64
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• 2017

Ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is characterized by a post-cracking residual tensile strength with a large tensile strain as well as a high compressive strength. To determine a material tensile strength of UHPFRC, three-point loading test on notched prism and direct tensile test on doubly notched plate were compared and then the design tensile strength is decided. Shear tests on nine I-shaped beams with varied types of fiber volume ratio, shear span ratio and size effect were conducted to investigate shear behavior in web. From the test results, the stress redistribution ability represented as diagonal cracked zone was quantified by inclination of principal stress in web. The test results shows that the specimens were capable of resistance to shear loading without stirrup in a range of large deformation and the strength increase with post-cracking behavior is stable. However at the ultimate state all test specimens failed as a crack localization in the damaged zone and the shear strength of specimens is affected by shear span ratio and effective depth. Strength predictions show that the existing recommendations should be modified considering shear span ratio and effective depth as design parameters.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

This study intends to produce an ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) made with hybrid fibres (i.e., steel and polypropylene). Compressive and tensile strength characteristics of the hybrid fibres UHPFRC are considered. A total of 14 fibre-reinforced composites (FRCs) with different fibre contents or types of fibres were prepared and tested in order to determine a suitable hybrid fibre combination. The compressive and tensile strengths of each concrete at 7 days were determined. The results showed that a hybrid mix of micro-polypropylene and steel fibres exhibited good compromising performances and is the ideal reinforcement mixture in a strong, cost-effective UHPFRC. In addition, maximum compressive strength of 167 MPa was achieved for UHPFRC using 1.5% steel fibres blended with 0.5% macro-polypropylene fibres.