• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.697-714
• /
• 2011

Assessing the ductility of reinforced concrete sections and members has been a complex and intractable problem for many years. Given the complexity in estimating ductility, members are often designed specifically for strength whilst ductility is provided implicitly through the use of ductile steel reinforcing bars and by ensuring that concrete crushing provides the ultimate limit state. As such, the empirical hinge length and neutral axis depth approaches have been sufficient to estimate ductility and moment redistribution within the bounds of the test regimes from which they were derived. However, being empirical, these methods do not have a sound structural mechanics background and consequently have severe limitations when brittle materials are used and when concrete crushing may not occur. Structural mechanics based approaches to estimating rotational capacities and rotation requirements for given amounts of moment redistribution have shown that FRP plated reinforced concrete (RC) sections can have significant moment redistribution capacities. In this paper, the concept of moment redistribution in beams is explained and it is shown specifically how an existing RC member can be retrofitted with FRP plates for both strength and ductility requirements. Furthermore, it is also shown how ductility through moment redistribution can be used to maximise the increase in strength of a member. The concept of primary and secondary hinges is also introduced and it is shown how the response of the non-hinge region influences the redistribution capacity of the primary hinges, and that for maximum moment redistribution to occur the non-hinge region needs to remain elastic.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.303-312
• /
• 2007

Steel box girder bridges are being commonly designed for medium-span bridges of span length. Composite truss bridges with steel diagonals instead of concrete webs can be an excellent design alternative, because it can reduce the dead weight of superstructures. One of the key issues in the design of composite truss bridges is the joint structureconnecting the diagonal steel members with the upper and lower concrete slabs. Because the connection has to carry concentrated combined loads and the design provisions for the joint are not clear, it is necessary to investigate the load transfer mechanism and the design methods for each limit state. There are various connection details according to the types of diagonal members. In this paper, the joint structure with group stud connectors welded on a gusset plate is used. Push-out tests for the group stud connectors of were performed. The test results showed that the current design codes on the ultimate strength ofthe stud connection can be used when the required minimum spacing of stud connectors is satisfied. Flexure-shear tests were conducted to verify the applicability of the design provisions for combined load effects to the strength of joint structures. To increase the pullout strength of the connection, bent studs were proposed and utilized for the edge studs in the group arrangement of the joint. The results showed that the details of the joint structure were enhanced. Thereafter, design guidelines were proposed.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.39-46
• /
• 2022

As the limit state design method is applied as the design method of reinforced concrete structure, the ultimate state is considered when analyses or designing. In fact, when the reinforced concrete member is bent, there is a confining effect by stirrup, but the material curve of unconfined concretes applied when designing. In this study, to evaluate the suitability of the confined concrete model for flexural members, a 4-point bending test was conducted on RC simple beam with a double-reinforced rectangular cross-section, and the behavior of the member after yield was analyzed in detail using image processing method. For detailed analysis, the DIC method was adopted as an image analysis method, and the validity of DIC method was verified by comparing the measurement results with the LVDT. The distribution of the strain on the concrete surface calculated as a result of the DIC method could be obtained, and the average strain distribution of the cross-section was calculated. Using the average strain distribution, the stress distribution applied existing confined concrete model as a material curve could be derived. Through the comparison of the experimental results and the existing model application results, the suitability of the confined concrete model for RC flexural members having a rectangular cross-section was evaluated.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.211-218
• /
• 2014

In the design of reinforced rectangular concrete beam structure, the minimum amount of flexural reinforcement is required to avoid brittle failure. KCI code is based on concept of ultimate strength and usually used as a model code. But bridge design code enacted by Ministry of land, transportation and maritime affairs in 2012 is based on concept of limit state and similar to Euro code EN 1992-2. This means that the minimum reinforcement presented in both design codes has different origination and safety margin. When rectangular concrete beams with minimum reinforcement are designed according to EN and KCI codes, the amount of minimum reinforcement specified in EN code is only 76% of that in KCI code. This makes the design engineers to be confused. In this study, flexural tests were conducted on nine beams with the two different minimum reinforcement specified in KCI and EN design codes. In results, the measured ratios of nominal strength to crack strength from the test were about 25% greater than those evaluated from the equations presented in KCI and EN codes. The EN beams having only 76% of the minimum reinforcement for the KCI beams were fractured by rupture of steel reinforcement but in ductile manner. It is confirmed that the minimum reinforcement concrete beams designed according to both codes have enough safety margin in flexural capacity and moreover in ductility.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.337-353
• /
• 2018

The present study focuses on examining the structural behaviour of steel-fibre-reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams under high rates of loading largely associated with impact problems. Fibres are added to the concrete mix to enhance ductility and energy absorption, which is important for impact-resistant design. A simple, yet practical non-linear finite-element analysis (NLFEA) model was used in the present study. Experimental static and impact tests were also carried out on beams spanning 1.3 meter with weights dropped from heights of 1.5 m and 2.5 m, respectively. The numerical model realistically describes the fully-brittle tensile behaviour of plain concrete as well as the contribution of steel fibres to the post-cracking response (the latter was allowed for by conveniently adjusting the constitutive relations for plain concrete, mainly in uniaxial tension). Suitable material relations (describing compression, tension and shear) were selected for SFRC and incorporated into ABAQUS software Brittle Cracking concrete model. A more complex model (i.e., the Damaged Plasticity concrete model in ABAQUS) was also considered and it was found that the seemingly simple (but fundamental) Brittle Cracking model yielded reliable results. Published data obtained from drop-weight experimental tests on RC and SFRC beams indicates that there is an increase in the maximum load recorded (compared to the corresponding static one) and a reduction in the portion of the beam span reacting to the impact load. However, there is considerable scatter and the specimens were often tested to complete destruction and thus yielding post-failure characteristics of little design value and making it difficult to pinpoint the actual load-carrying capacity and identify the associated true ultimate limit state (ULS). To address this, dynamic NLFEA was employed and the impact load applied was reduced gradually and applied in pulses to pinpoint the actual failure point. Different case studies were considered covering impact loading responses at both the material and structural levels as well as comparisons between RC and SFRC specimens. Steel fibres were found to increase the load-carrying capacity and deformability by offering better control over the cracking process concrete undergoes and allowing the impact energy to be absorbed more effectively compared to conventional RC members. This is useful for impact-resistant design of SFRC beams.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.585-596
• /
• 2012

In this study, the flexural characteristics of reinforced polymer concrete T-beams strengthened with GFRP, typically used for bridges and parking structures, are investigated. A method to determine the flexural failure mode of reinforced polymer concrete T-beams comprised of compression failure (CF), tension failure (TF), and fiber sheet failure (FF) for different levels of GFRP strengthening is proposed. Moreover, the present study provides a formula to calculate the design flexural strength for each failure mode. In reinforced polymer concrete T-beams strengthened with GFRP, an ideal failure mode can be achieved when the failure occurs in the following order: 1) yield of steel reinforcement, 2) failure of GFRP, and 3) compression failure of concrete. In the case of FF mode, due to GFRP failure before the polymer concrete crushing in compression region, a concept of equivalent rectangular block based on the ultimate limit state of concrete should not be used. Thus, this study suggests an idealized stress-strain curve for polymer concrete and finds parameters for stress block, ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ based on the strain distribution in polymer concrete. Furthermore, the present study suggests an aspect ratio of 2.5 by examining the compressive stress distribution and design flexural strength characteristics for different aspect ratio of T-beams. This study also provides a design flexural strength formula, and validates its acceptability based on experiment and theoretical analysis.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.51 no.9
• /
• pp.827-837
• /
• 2018

The stabilities of sliding and overturning of caisson and bearing capacity of mound against eccentric and inclined loads, which possibly happen to a composite caisson breakwaters, have been analyzed by using the technique of multiple failure modes. In deterministic approach, mathematical functions have been first derived from the ultimate limit state equations. Using those functions, the minimum cross section of caisson can straightforwardly be evaluated. By taking a look into some various deterministic analyses, it has been found that the conflict between failure modes can be occurred, such that the stability of bearing capacity of mound decreased as the stability of sliding increased. Therefore, the multiple failure modes for the composite caisson breakwaters should be taken into account simultaneously even in the process of deterministically evaluating the design cross section of caisson. Meanwhile, the reliability analyses on multiple failure modes have been implemented to the cross section determined by the sliding failure mode. It has been shown that the system failure probabilities of the composite breakwater are very behaved differently according to the variation of incident waves. The failure probabilities of system tend also to increase as the crest freeboards of caisson are heightening. The similar behaviors are taken place in cases that the water depths above mound are deepening. Finally, the results of the first-order modal are quite coincided with those of the second-order modal in all conditions of numerical tests performed in this paper. However, the second-order modal have had higher accuracy than the first-order modal. This is mainly due to that some correlations between failure modes can be properly incorporated in the second-order modal. Nevertheless, the first-order modal can also be easily used only when one of failure probabilities among multiple failure modes is extremely larger than others.