• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1999

Since concrete is an inhomogeneous material consisting of larger aggregates and sand embedded in a cement paste matrix, it relatively shows a complex failure mechanism. In order to assure the reliability of concrete structure. microscopic fracture behavior and internal damage progress of concrete under the loading should be fully understood. In this study, an acoustic emission(AE) technique has been used to clarify microscopic failure mechanism and their corresponding AE signal characteristics of concrete under three-point bending test. In addition 2-dimensional AE source location has been performed to monitor the progress of an internal damage and the successive crack growth behavior during the loading. The relationship between AE signal characteristics and microscopic fracture mechanism is discussed.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-9
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• 2014

Improving the earthquake resistance of buildings through seismic retrofitting using steel braces can result in brittle failure at the connection between the brace and the building, as well as buckling failure of the braces. In this study, a non-compression cross-bracing system using the Carbon Fiber Composite Cable (CFCC), which consists of CFCC bracing and bolt connection was proposed to replace the conventional steel bracing. This paper presented the seismic resistance of a reinforced concrete frame strengthened using CFCC X-bracing. Cyclic loading tests were carried out, and the maximum load carrying capacity and ductility were investigated, together with hysteresis of the lateral load-drift relations. Test results revealed that the CFCC X-bracing system installed RC frames enhanced markedly the strength capacity and no buckling failure of the bracing was observed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.246-252
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• 2018

A series of simulated reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) tests on irradiated fully recrystallized boiling water reactor Zircaloy-2 cladding has been performed by means of the expansion-due-to-compression (EDC) test method. The EDC method reproduces fuel pellet-clad mechanical interaction (PCMI) conditions for the cladding during RIA transients with respect to temperature and loading rates by out-of-pile mechanical testing. The tested materials had a large variation in burnup and hydrogen content (up to 907 wppm). The results of the EDC tests showed variation in the PCMI resistance of claddings with similar burnup and hydrogen content, making it difficult to clearly identify ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures. The EDC-tested samples of the present and previous work were investigated by light optical and scanning electron microscopy to study the influence of factors such as azimuthal variation of the Zr-hydrides and the presence of hydride rims and radially oriented hydrides. Two main characteristics were identified in samples with low ductility with respect to hydrogen content and test temperature: hydride rims and radial hydrides at the cladding outer surface. Crack propagation and failure modes were also studied, showing two general modes of crack propagation depending on distribution and amount of radially oriented hydrides. It was concluded that the PCMI resistance of irradiated cladding under normal conditions with homogenously distributed circumferential hydrides is high, with good margin to the RIA failure limits. To further improve safety, focus should be on conditions causing nonfavorable hydride distribution, such as hydride reorientation and formation of hydride blisters at the cladding outer surface.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.615-627
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• 2019

This paper aims to study the compressive behavior of circular hollow and concrete-filled steel tubular stub columns under simulated marine atmospheric corrosion. The specimens after salt spray corrosion were tested under axial compressive load. Steel grade and corrosion level were mainly considered in the study. The mechanical behavior of circular CFST specimens is compared with that of the corresponding hollow ones. Design methods for circular hollow and concrete-filled steel tubular stub columns are modified to consider the effect of marine atmospheric corrosion. The results show that linear fitting curves could be used to present the relationship between corrosion rate and the mechanical properties of steel after simulated marine atmospheric corrosion. The ultimate strength of hollow steel tubular and CFST columns decrease with the increase of corrosion rate while the ultimate displacement of those are hardly affected by corrosion rate. Increasing corrosion rate would change the failure of CFST stub column from ductile failure to brittle failure. Corrosion rate would decrease the ductility indexes of CFST columns, rather than those of hollow steel tubular columns. The confinement factor ${\xi}$ of CFST columns decreases with the increase of corrosion rate while the ratio between test value and nominal value shows an opposite trend. With considering marine atmospheric corrosion, the predicted axial strength of hollow steel tubular and CFST columns by Chinese standard agree well with the tested values while the predictions by Japanese standard seem conservative.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2019

The biaxial failure mechanism of transversally bedding concrete layers was numerically simulated using a sophisticated two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) implemented in the particle flow code (PFC2D). This numerical modelling code was first calibrated by uniaxial compression and Brazilian testing results to ensure the conformity of the simulated numerical model's response. Secondly, 21 rectangular models with dimension of $54mm{\times}108mm$ were built. Each model contains two transversely bedding layers. The first bedding layer has low mechanical properties, less than mechanical properties of intact material, and second bedding layer has high mechanical properties, more than mechanical properties of intact material. The angle of first bedding layer, with weak mechanical properties, related to loading direction was $0^{\circ}$, $15^{\circ}$, $30^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$, $60^{\circ}$, $75^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$ while the angle of second layer, with high mechanical properties, related to loading direction was $90^{\circ}$, $105^{\circ}$, $120^{\circ}$, $135^{\circ}$, $150^{\circ}$, $160^{\circ}$ and $180^{\circ}$. Is to be note that the angle between bedding layer was $90^{\circ}$ in all bedding configurations. Also, three different pairs of the thickness were chosen in models, i.e., 5 mm/10 mm, 10 mm/10 mm and 20 mm/10 mm. The result shows that in all configurations, shear cracks develop between the weaker bedding layers. Shear cracks angel related to normal load change from $0^{\circ}$ to $90^{\circ}$ with increment of $15^{\circ}$. Numbers of shear cracks are constant by increasing the bedding thickness. It's to be noted that in some configuration, tensile cracks develop through the intact area of material model. There is not any failure in direction of bedding plane interface with higher strength.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.613-625
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• 2021

Non-seismically designed eccentric reinforced concrete beam-column joints were extensively used in existing reinforced concrete frame buildings, which were found to be vulnerable to seismic action in many incidences. To provide a fundamental understanding of the seismic performance and failure mechanism of the joints, three 2/3-scale exterior beam-column joints with non-seismically designed details were cast and tested under reversed cyclic loads simulating earthquake excitation. In this investigation, particular emphasis was given on the effects of the eccentricity between the centerlines of the beam and the column. It is shown that the eccentricity had significant effects on the damage characteristics, shear strength, and displacement ductility of the specimens. In addition, shear deformation and the strain of joint hoops were found to concentrate on the eccentric face of the joint. The results demonstrated that the specimen with an eccentricity of 1/4 column width failed in a brittle manner with premature joint shear failure, while the other specimens with less or no eccentricity failed in a ductile manner with joint shear failure after beam flexural yielding. Test results are compared with those predicted by three seismic design codes and two non-seismic design codes. In general, the codes do not accurately predict the shear strength of the eccentric joints with non-seismic details.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.785-796
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• 2022

Concrete-encased steel (CES) beam, in which structural steel is encased in a reinforced concrete (RC) section, is widely applied in high-rise buildings as transfer beams due to its high load-carrying capacity, great stiffness, and good durability. However, these CES beams are prone to shear failure because of the low shear span-to-depth ratio and the heavy load. Due to the high load-carrying capacity and the brittle failure process of the shear failure, the accurate strength prediction of CES beams significantly influences the assessment of structural safety. In current design codes, design formulas for predicting the shear strength of CES beams are based on the so-called "superposition method". This method indicates that the shear strength of CES beams can be obtained by superposing the shear strengths of the RC part and the steel shape. Nevertheless, in some cases, this method yields errors on the unsafe side because the shear strengths of these two parts cannot be achieved simultaneously. This paper clarifies the conditions at which the superposition method does not hold true, and the shear strength of CES beams is investigated using a compatible truss-arch model. Considering the deformation compatibility between the steel shape and the RC part, the method to obtain the shear strength of CES beams is proposed. Finally, the proposed model is compared with other calculation methods from codes AISC 360 (USA, North America), Eurocode 4 (Europe), YB 9082 (China, Asia), JGJ 138 (China, Asia), and AS/NZS 2327 (Australia/New Zealand, Oceania) using the available test data consisting of 45 CES beams. The results indicate that the proposed model can predict the shear strength of CES beams with sufficient accuracy and safety. Without considering the deformation compatibility, the calculation methods from the codes AISC 360, Eurocode 4, YB 9082, JGJ 138, and AS/NZS 2327 lead to excessively conservative or unsafe predictions.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.181-195
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• 2022

Roughness and joint inclination angle are the important factors that affect the strength and deformation characteristics of jointed rock mass. In this paper, 3D printer has been employed to make molds firstly, and casting the jointed specimens with different joint roughness coefficient (JRC), and different joint inclination angle (α). Conventional triaxial compression tests were carried out on the jointed specimens, and the influence of JRC on the strength and deformation parameters was analyzed. At the same time, acoustic emission (AE) testing system has been adopted to reveal the AE characteristic of the jointed specimens in the process of triaxial compression. Finally, the morphological of the joint surface was observed by digital three-dimensional video microscopy system, and the relationship between the peak strength and JRC under different confining pressures has been discussed. The results indicate that the existence of joint results in a significant reduction in the strength of the joint specimen, JRC also has great influence on the morphology, quantity and spatial distribution characteristics of cracks. With the increase of JRC, the triaxial compressive strength increase, and the specimen will change from brittle failure to ductile failure.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.165-182
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• 2024

Grouted sleeve splice (GSS) is an effective type of connection applied in the precast concrete structures as it has the advantages of rapidly assembly and reliable strength. To decrease the weight and cost of vertical rebar connection in precast shear walls, a light-weight sleeve is designed according to the thick-cylinder theory. Mechanical behaviour of the light-weighted GSS is investigated through experimental analysis. Two failure modes, such as rebar fracture failure and rebar pull-out failure, are found. The load-displacement curves exhibit four different stages: elastic stage, yield stage, strengthening stage, and necking stage. The bond strength between the rebar and the grout increases gradually from outer position to inner position of the sleeve, and it reaches the maximum value at the centre of the anchorage length. A finite element model predicting the mechanical properties of the light-weighted GSS is developed based on the Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model and the Brittle Cracking (BC) model. The effect of the rebar anchorage length is significant, while the increase of the thickness of sleeve and the grout strength are not very effective. A model for estimating ultimate load, including factors of inner diameter of sleeves, anchorage length, and rebar diameter, is proposed. The proposed model shows good agreement with various test data.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.273-284
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• 2018

A detailed understanding of the mechanical behaviors for crushed coal rocks after grouting is a key for construction in the broken zones of mining engineering. In this research, experiments of grouting into the crushed coal rock using independently developed test equipment for solving the problem of sampling of crushed coal rocks have been carried out. The application of uniaxial compression was used to approximately simulate the ground stress in real engineering. In combination with the analysis of crack evolution and failure modes for the grouted specimens, the influences of different crushed degrees of coal rock (CDCR) and solidified grout strength (SGS) on the mechanical behavior of grouted specimens under uniaxial compression were investigated. The research demonstrated that first, the UCS of grouted specimens decreased with the decrease in the CDCR at constant SGS (except for the SGS of 12.3 MPa). However, the UCS of grouted specimens for constant CDCR increased when the SGS increased; optimum solidification strengths for grouts between 19.3 and 23.0 MPa were obtained. The elastic moduli of the grouted specimens with different CDCR generally increased with increasing SGS, and the peak axial strain showed a slightly nonlinear decrease with increasing SGS. The supporting effect of the skeleton structure produced by the solidified grouts was increasingly obvious with increasing CDCR and SGS. The possible evolution of internal cracks for the grouted specimens was classified into three stages: (1) cracks initiating along the interfaces between the coal blocks and solidified grouts; (2) cracks initiating and propagating in coal blocks; and (3) cracks continually propagating successively in the interfaces, the coal blocks, and the solidified grouts near the coal blocks. Finally, after the propagation and coalescence of internal cracks through the entire specimens, there were two main failure modes for the failed grouted specimens. These modes included the inclined shear failure occurring in the more crushed coal rock and the splitting failure occurring in the less crushed coal rock. Both modes were different from the single failure mode along the fissure for the fractured coal rock after grouting solidification. However, compared to the brittle failure of intact coal rock, grouting into the different crushed degree coal rocks resulted in ductile deformation after the peak strength for the grouted specimens was attained.