• Computers and Concrete
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.499-518
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• 2013

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets have been widely used as an effective tool for the strengthening and rehabilitation of concrete structures, especially damaged concrete columns. Therefore, a clear understanding of the compressive behavior of FRP-confined concrete is essential. The objective of this paper is to develop a simple efficient method for predicting the compressive strength, the axial strain at the peak stress, and the stress-strain relationship of FRP-confined concrete. In this method, a compressive strength model is established based on Jefferson's failure surface. With the proposed strength model, the strength of FRP-confined concrete can be estimated more precisely. The axial strain at the peak stress is then evaluated using a damage-based formula. Finally, a modified stress-strain relationship is derived based on Lam and Teng's model. The validity of the proposed compressive strength and strain models and the modified stress-strain relationship is verified with a wide range of experimental results collected from the research literature and obtained from the self-conducted test. It can be concluded that, as a competitive alternative, the proposed method can be used to predict the compressive behavior of FRP-confined concrete with reasonable accuracy.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.167-194
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• 2004

In this paper axial loading tests on low strength concrete members, which were confined with various thickness of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite sheets are described. Totally 46 specimens with circular, square and rectangular cross-sections with unconfined concrete compressive strengths between 6 and 10 MPa were included in the test program. During the tests, a photogrammetrical deformation measurement technique was also used, as well as conventional measurement techniques. The contribution of external confinement with CFRP composite sheets to the compressive behavior of the specimens with low strength concrete is evaluated quantitatively, in terms of strength, longitudinal and lateral deformability and energy dissipation. The effects of width/depth ratios and the corner radius of the specimens with rectangular cross-section on the axial behavior were also examined. It was seen that the effectiveness of the external confinement with CFRP composite sheets is much more pronounced, when the unconfined concrete compressive strength is relatively lower. It was also found that the available analytical expressions proposed for normal or high strength concrete confined by CFRP sheets could not predict the strength and deformability of CFRP confined low strength concrete accurately. New expressions are proposed for the compressive strength and the ultimate axial strain of CFRP confined low strength concrete.

• Macromolecular Research
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.181-186
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• 2009

We fabricated ordered micro/nano patterns induced by controlled dewetting on the topographically patterned PS/P4VP bilayer thin film. The method is based on utilizing microimprinting lithography to induce a topographically heterogeneous bilayer film that allows the controlled dewetting upon subsequent thermal annealing. The dewetting that was initiated strictly at the boundary of the thicker and thinner regions was guided by the presence of the topographic structure. The dewetting front velocity of the microdomains in the confined regions was linearly proportional to the measurement time, which enabled us to control the size of the dewet domain with annealing time. In particular, the submicron sized dot arrays between lines were generated with ease when the dewetting was confined into geometry with a few microns in size. The kinetically driven, non-lithographical pattern structures accompanied the pattern reduction to 400%. The pattern arrays on a transparent glass substrate were especially useful for non-circular microlens arrays where the focal length of the lens was easily tunable by controlling the thermal annealing.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전산유체공학회 2010년 춘계학술대회논문집
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• pp.575-580
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• 2010

In this work, the electrophoretic motion of dsDNA molecule represented by a polymer through an artificial nano-pore in a membrane is simulated using the numerical method combining the lattice Boltzmann and Langevin molecular dynamic method. The polymer motion is represented by Langevin molecular dynamics technique while the fluid flow is taken into account by fluctuating lattice-Boltzmann method. The hydrodynamic interactions between the polymer and solvent in a confined space with a membrane having a hole are considered explicitly through the frictional and the random forces. The electric field intensity over the space is obtained from a finite difference method. Initially, the polymer is placed at one side of the space, and an electric field is applied to drive the polymer to the other side of the space through the nano-pore. In future, we plan to study the effect of the polymer size and the electric field on the electrophoretic velocity.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.257-270
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• 2022

Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is rarely used in load-carrying structural members. To widen its structural application, the compressive behavior of a promising type of composite column, steel-fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) double-tube confined RAC column, has been experimentally and analytically investigated in this study. The objectives are the different performance of such columns from their counterparts using natural aggregate concrete (NAC) and the different mechanisms of the double-tube and single-tube confined concrete. The single-tube confined concrete refers to that in concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns and concrete-filled FRP tubular (CFFT) columns. The test results showed that the use of recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) affected the axial load-strain response in terms of deformation capacity but such effect could be eliminated with the increasing confinement. The composite effect can be triggered by the double confinement of the steel and carbon FRP (CFRP) tubes but not by the steel and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) FRP tubes. The proposed analysis-oriented stress-strain model is capable to capture the load-deformation history of such steel-FRP double-tube confined concrete columns under axial compression.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제23권5호
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• pp.431-444
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• 2022

The unique thermomechanical properties of shape memory alloys (SMAs) make it a versatile material for strengthening and repairing structures. In particular, several research studies have already demonstrated the effectiveness of using the heat activated shape memory effect of nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) based SMAs to actively confine concrete members. Despite the proven effectiveness and wide commercial availability of Ni-Ti SMAs, however, their high cost remains a major obstacle for applications in real structural engineering projects. In this study, the shape memory effect of a new, much more economical iron-based SMA (Fe-SMA) is characterized and the compressive behavior of concrete confined with Fe-SMA strips is investigated. Tests showed the Fe-SMA strips used in this study are capable of developing high levels of recovery stress and can be easily formed into hoops to provide effective active and passive confining pressure to concrete members. Compared to concrete cylinders confined with conventional carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, Fe-SMA confinement yielded significantly higher compressive deformation capacity and residual strength. Overall, the compressive behavior of Fe-SMA confined concrete was comparable to that of Ni-Ti SMA confined concrete. This study clearly shows the potential for Fe-SMA as a robust and cost-effective strengthening solution for concrete structures and opens possibilities for more practical applications.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.245-268
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• 2009

Recent developments in dilute polymer solution rheology are reviewed, and placed within the context of the general goals of predicting the complex flow of complex fluids. In particular, the interplay between the use of polymer kinetic theory and continuum mechanics to advance the microscopic and the macroscopic description, respectively, of dilute polymer solution rheology is delineated. The insight that can be gained into the origins of the high Weissenberg number problem through an analysis of the configurational changes undergone by a single molecule at various locations in the flow domain is discussed in the context of flow around a cylinder confined between flat plates. The significant role played by hydrodynamic interactions as the source of much of the richness of the observed rheological behaviour of dilute polymer solutions is highlighted, and the methods by which this phenomenon can be incorporated into a macroscopic description through the use of closure approximations and multi scale simulations is discussed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제8권5호
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• pp.1171-1190
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• 2015

Enhancement of strength and ductility is the main reason for the extensive use of FRP jackets to provide external confinement to reinforced concrete columns especially in seismic areas. Therefore, numerous researches have been carried out in order to provide a better description of the behavior of FRP-confined concrete for practical design purposes. This study presents a new approach to obtain strength enhancement of CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) confined concrete cylinders by applying artificial neural networks (ANNs). The proposed ANN model is based on experimental results collected from literature. It represents the ultimate strength of concrete cylinders after CFRP confinement which is also given in explicit form in terms of geometrical and mechanical parameters. The accuracy of the proposed ANN model is quite satisfactory when compared to experimental results. Moreover, the results of the proposed ANN model are compared with five important theoretical models proposed by researchers so far and considered to be in good agreement.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.307-317
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• 2018

The current study explores the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect on the potential seismic damage of mid-rise non-seismically designed reinforced concrete frames retrofitted by Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP). An 8-storey reinforced concrete frame poorly-confined due to transverse reinforcement deficiency is selected and then retrofitted by FRP wraps to provide external confinement. The poorly-confined and FRP retrofitted frames with/without SSI are modelled using hysteretic nonlinear elements. Inelastic time history and damage analyses are performed for these frames subjected to different seismic intensities. The results show that the FRP confinement significantly reduces one or two damage levels for the poorly-confined frame. More importantly, the SSI effect is found to increase the potential seismic damage of the retrofitted frame, reducing the effectiveness of FRP retrofitting. This finding, which is contrary to the conventionally beneficial concept of SSI governing for decades in structural and earthquake engineering, is worth taking into account in designing and evaluating retrofitted structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.325-340
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• 2011

Based on the experimental data presented in part I of these companion papers, a semi-empirical model is proposed for axial stress-strain curves of reinforced high-strength concrete square columns confined by aramid fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets. Additionally, a three-dimensional finite element model is developed to simulate the mechanical behaviors of the columns. In the finite element model, both material nonlinear and contact nonlinear are taken into account. Moreover, the influence of contact nonlinear (i.e., the end friction on the contact surface between test machines and specimens) is investigated deeply. Predictions from both the semi-empirical model and the finite element model agree with the experimental results, and it is also demonstrated that the friction coefficient of end friction notably affect the properties of columns when it ranges from 0.00 to 0.25.