• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.475-481
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• 2017

An overhead travelling crane structure of two doubly symmetric welded box beams is designed for minimum cost. The rails are placed over the inner webs of box beams. The following design constraints are considered: local buckling of web and flange plates, fatigue of the butt K weld under rail and fatigue of fillet welds joining the transverse diaphragms to the box beams, fatigue of CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastic) laminate, deflection constraint. For the formulation of constraints the relatively new standard for cranes EN 13001-3-1 (2010) is used. To fulfill the deflection constraint CFRP strengthening should be used. The application of CFRP materials in strengthening of steel and concrete structures are widely used in civil engineering applications due to their unique advantages. In our study, we wanted to show how the mechanical properties of traditional materials can be improved by the application of composite materials and how advanced materials and new production technologies can be applied. In the optimization the following cost parts are considered: material, assembly and welding of the steel structure, material and fabrication cost of CFRP strengthening. The optimization is performed by systematic search using a MathCAD program.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.303-310
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• 2020

In this research, a hybrid mathematical model is derived using the higher-order polynomial kinematic model in association with soft computing technique for the prediction of best fiber volume fractions and the minimal mass of the layered composite structure. The optimal values are predicted further by taking the frequency parameter as the constraint and the projected values utilized for the computation of the eigenvalue and deflections. The optimal mass of the total layered composite and the corresponding optimal volume fractions are evaluated using the particle swarm optimization by constraining the arbitrary frequency value as mass/volume minimization functions. The degree of accuracy of the optimal model has been proven through the comparison study with published well-known research data. Further, the predicted values of volume fractions are incurred for the evaluation of the eigenvalue and the deflection data of the composite structure. To obtain the structural responses i.e. vibrational frequency and the central deflections the proposed higher-order polynomial FE model adopted. Finally, a series of numerical experimentations are carried out using the optimal fibre volume fraction for the prediction of the optimal frequencies and deflections including associated structural parameter.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.397-408
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• 2018

In a recent tragic fire incident, the Plasco Tower collapsed after an intense outburst of fire lasting for three and a half hours and claiming the lives of 16 firefighters and 6 civilians. This paper will present continuing collaborative work between Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Queen's University in Canada to model the progressive collapse of the tower. The fire started at the 10th floor and was observed to have travelled along the floor horizontally and through the staircase and windows vertically. Plasco Tower was steel structure and all the steel sections were fabricated by welding standard European channel or angle profiles and no fire protection was applied. Four internal columns carried the loads transferred by the primary beams, and box columns were constructed along the perimeter of the building as a braced tube for resisting seismic loading. OpenSees fibre-based sections and displacement-based beam-column elements are used to model the frames, while shell elements are used for the reinforced concrete floor slabs. The thermal properties and elevated temperature mechanical properties are as recommended in the Eurocodes. The results in this preliminarily analysis are based on rough estimations of the structure's configuration. The ongoing work looks at modeling the Plasco Tower based on the most accurate findings from reviewing many photographs and collected data.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.253-268
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• 2021

The present paper treats the free vibration problem of the masonry wall strengthened with thin composite plate by viscoelastic adhesive layer. For this goal two steps are considered in the analytical solution. In the first one, an efficient homogenisation procedure is given to provide the anisotropic properties of the masonry wall. The second one is dedicated to purpose simplified mathematical models related to both in-plane and out-of-plane vibration problems. In these models, the higher order shear theories (HSDT's) are employed for a more rigours description of the shear deformation trough the masonry wall and the composite sheet. Ritz's method is deployed as solution strategy in order to get the natural frequencies and their corresponding loss factors. The obtained results are validated with the finite element method (FEM) and then, a parametric study is undertaken for different kinds of masonry walls strengthened with composite sheets.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.49-61
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• 2022

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the effectiveness of using carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and steel plates to repair damaged reinforced concrete (RC) beams with circular web openings at shear zones. It highlights the effectiveness of externally bonded CFRP and steel plates in repairing damaged RC beams by analysing the repaired beams'load capacity, deflection, strain, and failure mode. For the experiment, a total of five beams were used, with one solid beam as a control beam and the other four beams having an opening near the shear zone. Two beams with openings were repaired using inclined and vertical configuration CFRP plates, and the other two were repaired using inclined and vertical configuration steel plates. The results confirm the effectiveness of CFRP and steel plates for repairing damaged RC beams with circular openings. The CFRP and steel plates significantly increase ultimate capacity and reduce deflection under the openings. The inclined configuration of both CFRP and steel plates was more effective than the vertical configuration. Using an inclined configuration not only increases the ultimate capacity of the beams but also changes the mode of failure from shear to flexural.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.171-183
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• 2020

The main objective of this study is the assessment of the ability of limestone mortars to resist to different chemical attacks. The ability of polypropylene (PP) fibres waste used as reinforcement of these concrete materials to enhance their durability is also studied. Crushed sand 0/2 mm which is a fine limestone residue obtained by the crushing of natural rocks in aggregates industry is used for the fabrication of the mortar. The fibres used, which are obtained from the waste of domestic plastic sweeps' fabrication, have a length of 20 mm and a diameter ranging between 0.38 and 0.51 mm. Two weight fibres contents are used, 0.5 and 1%. The durability tests carried out in this investigation included the water absorption by capillarity, the mass variation, the flexural and the compressive strengths of the mortar specimens immersed for 366 days in 5% sodium chloride, 5% magnesium sulphate and 5% sulphuric acid solutions. A mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a visual inspection are used for a better examination of the quality of tested mortars and for better interpretation of their behaviour in different solutions. The results indicate that the reinforcement of limestone mortar by PP fibres waste is an excellent solution to improve its chemical resistance and durability. Moreover, the presence of PP fibres waste does not affect significantly the water absorption by capillarity of mortar nether its mass variation, when exposed to chloride and sulphate solutions. While in sulphuric acid, the mass loss is higher with the presence of PP fibres waste, especially after an exposure of 180 days. The results reveal that these fibres have a considerable effect of the flexural and the compressive behaviour of mortar especially in acid solution, where a reduction of strength loss is observed. The mineralogical analysis confirms the good behaviour of mortar immersed in sulphate and chloride solutions; and shows that more gypsum is formed in mortar exposed to acid environment causing its rapid degradation. The visual observation reveals that only samples exposed to acid attack during 366 days have showed a surface damage extending over a depth of approximately 300 ㎛.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.13-19
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• 2006

In this paper, parametric study was carried out to design sandwich structures for EDM machines controlling stacking sequence, stacking thickness of composites and rib configuration. Sandwich structures which are dealt with in this paper are composed of fibre reinforced composite for skin material and foam or resin concrete for core materials. The sandwich column has cruciform rib to enhance bending stiffness of the structure and the bed has several vertical ribs to resist the normal forces and vibration. The design parameters such as rib thickness and stacking sequence were controlled to enhance the system robustness. Finite element analysis was also carried out to verify the variation of static and dynamic stiffness of the structures according to the variation of the parameters. Vibration tests were performed to verify the natural frequencies and damping ratios of the manufactured composite structures. The appropriate shape and configuration conditions for micro-EDM machine structures are proposed.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.333-348
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• 2023

Fast infrastructure development boosts the demand for shotcrete. Despite sand and stone being the most common coarse and fine aggregates for shotcrete, excessive exploration of these materials challenges the ecological environment. This study utilized an industrial solid waste, high-titanium heavy slag, blended with steel fibers to form Wet Shotcrete of Steel Fiber-reinforced High-Titanium Heavy Slag (WSSFHTHS). It investigated its workability, shotcrete performance and mechanical properties under different water-to-cement ratios, fly ash content, superplasticizer dosage, and steel fiber content. The tunnel excavation and support were investigated by conducting finite element numerical simulation analysis and was used in 3 tunnel lining pipes in Zhonggouwan tailing pond. The major findings are as follows: (1) The water-to-cement ratio (w/c ratio) significantly impacted the compressive strength of WSSFHTHS. The highest 28-day compressive strength of 60 MPa was achieved when the w/c ratio was 0.38; (2) Adding fly ash improved the workability and shotcrete performance and strength development of WSSFHTHS. The best anti-permeability performance was achieved when the fly ash constituted 15%, with the lowest permeability coefficient of 4.596 × 10-11 cm/s; (3) The optimum superplasticizer dosage for WSSFHTHS is 0.8%. It provided the best workability and shotcrete performance. Excessive dosage resulted in water bleeding and poor aggregate encapsulation, while insufficient dosage decreased flowability and adversely affected shotcrete performance; (4) The dosage of steel fibers significantly impacted the flexural and tensile strength of WSSFHTHS. When the steel fiber dosage was 45 kg/m³, the 28-day flexural and tensile strengths were 8.95 MPa and 6.15 MPa, respectively; (5) By integrating existing shotcrete techniques, the optimal lining thickness was 80 mm for WSSFHTHS per simulation. The results revealed that after using WSSFHTHS, the displacement of the tunnel surrounding the rock significantly improved, with no cracks or hollows, similar to the simulation results.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.6A
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• pp.1033-1039
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• 2006

The purpose of this study are to evaluated bond, flexural properties and control of plastic shrinkage cracking of crimped type synthetic fiber with amplitude 6 mm and height 1.8 mm reinforced cement based composites. Bond and flexural test were conducted in accordance with the JCI-SF 8 and JCI SF-4 standard, respectively. The plastic shrinkage cracking test was conducted for evaluating the effect of fiber in reducing shrinkage cracking in cement based composites. Test results indicated that the crimped typel synthetic fibers performed significantly better than the straight type fiber in terms of interface toughness and pullout load and the crimped type synthetic fibers improved the flexural toughness of concrete. Also, the increasing the crimped type synthetic fiber volume fraction from 0.00% to 1.00% improved the plastic shrinkage cracking resistance. Specially, the effect of control of plastic shrinkage cracking is excellent at the more than 0.5% fibre volume fraction.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.171-180
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• 2008

The aim of this paper is to clarify the structural performance of RC beams strengthened with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer(CFRP) plates using channel-type anchorage system. Twelve RC beams were specifically designed without and with a channel-type anchorage system, which was carefully detailed to enhance the benefits of the strengthening plates. All the twelve beams were identical in terms of their geometry but varied in their internal reinforcement, concrete strength. All the beams were tested under four point bending and extensively instrumented to monitor strains, cracking, load capacity and failure modes. The structural response of all the twelve beams is then critically analyzed in terms of deformability, strength and failure processes. It is shown that with a channel-type anchorage system, a brittle debonding failure of a strengthened beam can be transformed to an almost ductile failure with well-defined enhancement of structural performance in terms of both deformation and strength.