• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.267-282
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• 2013

This paper presents the behavior and design of axially loaded normal and steel fiber reinforced concrete in-filled steel tube (SFRCFT) columns, to examine the contribution of steel fibers on the compressive strength of the composite columns. Non-linear finite element analysis model (FEA) using ANSYS software has been developed and used in the analysis. The confinement effect provided by the steel tube is considered in the analysis. Comparisons of the analytical model results, along with other available experimental outputs from literature have been done to verify the structural model. The compressive strength and stiffness of SFRC composite columns were discussed, and the interpretation of the FEA model results has indicated that, the use of SFRC as infill material has a considerable effect on the strength and stiffness of the composite column. The analytical model results were compared with the existing design methods of composite columns - (EC4, AISC/LRFD and the Egyptian code of Practice for Steel Construction, ECPSC/LRFD). The comparison indicated that, the results of the FEA model were evaluated to an acceptable limit of accuracy. The code design equations were modified to introduce the steel fiber effect and compared with the results of the FEA model for verification.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.135-156
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• 2007

Three 3D nonlinear finite-element models are developed to study the behavior of concrete beams and plates with and without external reinforcement by fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP). All three models are formulated based upon the 3D theory of elasticity. The stress model is modified from the element developed by Ramtekkar, et al. (2002) to incorporate material nonlinearity in the formulation. Both transverse stress and displacement components are used as nodal degrees-of-freedom to ensure the continuity of both stress and displacement components between the elements. The displacement model uses only displacement components as nodal degrees-of-freedom. The transition model has both stress and displacement components as nodal degrees-of-freedom on one surface, and only displacement components as nodal degrees-of-freedom on the opposite surface. The transition model serves as a connector between the stress and the displacement models. The developed models are validated by comparing the results of the analyses with an existing experimental result. Parametric studies of the effects of the externally reinforced FRP on the load capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams and concrete plates are performed to demonstrate the practicality and the efficiency of the proposed models.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.579-588
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• 2017

Creep and shrinkage are the main types of volume change with time in concrete. These changes cause deflection, cracking and stresses that affect durability, serviceability, long-term reliability and structural integrity of civil engineering infrastructure. Although laboratory test may be undertaken to determine the deformation properties of concrete, these are time-consuming, often expensive and generally not a practical option. Therefore, relatively simple empirically design code models are relied to predict the creep strain. This paper reviews the accuracy of creep and shrinkage predictions of reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls structures strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates, which is characterized by a widthwise varying fibre volume fraction. This review is yielded by three commonly used international "code type" models. The assessed are the: CEB-FIP MC 90 model, ACI 209 model and Bazant & Baweja (B3) model. The time-dependent behavior was investigated to analyze their seismic behavior. In the numerical formulation, the adherents and the adhesives are all modelled as shear wall elements, using the mixed finite element method. Several tests were used to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method. Numerical results from the present analysis are presented to illustrate the significance of the time-dependency of the lateral displacements and eigenfrequencies modes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.125-133
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• 2010

Researches and studies which have been conducted so far on external confinement of long span concrete columns have mainly concentrated on concentric loading. But, long span bridge concrete columns over the sea are mainly subjected to concentrated axial load, and at the same time lange amount of moment by eccentric load. This paper experimentally investigates the performance of externally confined high-strength concrete columns subjected to loading mechanism and evaluates the effectiveness of two confinement materials carbon fibre and high performance glass fibre. Twelve short columns with the same dimensions were cast and tested Six columns were reinforced with hoop bars, the remaining six columns were reinforced with spiral bars and wrapped with three layers of carbon failure and high performance glass FRP sheets. Test variables considered were the shape of internal reinforcement and strengthening materials according to loading location. The experimental results showed that eccentric load could obviously lower down the maximum failure load of FRP-confined concrete columns, compared with the columns under concentric load. And compared with the carbon FRP-confined reinforced concrete columns, high performance glass FRP-confined columns displayed a higher load capacity and ductility, when tested both concentrically and eccentrically.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.499-505
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• 2021

Geopolymer binders fascinate the attention of researchers as a replacement to cement binder in conventional concrete. One-ton production of cement releases one ton of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. In the replacement of cement by geopolymer material, there are two advantages: one is the reduction of CO₂ in the atmosphere, second is the utilization of Fly ash and Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) are by-products from coal and steel industries. This paper focuses on the mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete. The framework considered in this research work is geopolymer source (Fly ash, GGBFS and crimped steel fibre) and alkaline activator which consists of NaOH and Na₂SiO₃ of molarity 8M. Here the Na₂SiO₃ / NaOH ratio was taken as 2.5. The variables considered in this experimental work include Binder content (360,420 and 450 kg/m³), the proportion of Fly ash and GGBS (70-30, 60-40 and 50-50) for three different grades of Geopolymer concrete (GPC) GPC 20, GPC 40 and GPC 60. The percentage of crimped steel fibres was varied as 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5%. Generally, the inclusion of steel fibres increases the flexural and split tensile strength of Geopolymer concrete. The optimum dosage of steel fibres was found to be 0.4% (by volume fraction).

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.69-84
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• 2017

This paper presents results of an experimental investigation on the behaviour of bond between external glass fibre reinforced polymer reinforcement and concrete exposed to three different environmental conditions, namely, temperature cycles, wet-dry cycles and outdoor environment separately for extended durations. Single shear tests (pull-out test) were conducted to investigate bond strengths (pull-out strengths) of control (unexposed) and exposed specimens. Effect of the exposure conditions on the compressive strength of concrete were also investigated separately to understand the effect of changing concrete compressive strength on the pull-out strength. Based on the comparison of experimental results of exposed specimens to control specimens in terms of bond strengths, failure modes and strain profiles, the most significant degradation of pull-out strength was observed in specimens exposed to outdoor environment, whereas temperature cycles did not cause any deterioration of strength.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.29-42
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• 2022

In mountainous areas of China, concrete poles with connectors are widely employed in power transmission due to its convenience of manufacture and transportation. The bearing capacity of the poles must have degenerated over time, and most of the steel connectors have been corroded. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) offers a durable, light-weight alternative in strengthening those poles that have served for many years. In this paper, the bearing capacity and failure mechanism of CFRP sheet strengthened existing reinforced concrete poles with corrosion steel connectors were investigated. Four poles were selected to conduct flexural capacity test. Two poles were strengthened by single-layer longitudinal CFRP sheet, one pole was strengthened by double-layer longitudinal CFRP sheets and the last specimen was not strengthened. Results indicate that the failure is mainly bond failure between concrete and the external CFRP sheet, and the specimens fail in a brittle pattern. The cross-sectional strains of specimens approximately follow the plane section assumption in the early stage of loading, but the strain in the tensile zone no longer conforms to this assumption when the load approaches the failure load. Also, bearing capacity and stiffness of the strengthened specimens are much larger than those without CFRP sheet. The bearing capacity, initial stiffness and elastic-plastic stiffness of specimen strengthened by double-layer CFRP are larger than those strengthened by single-layer CFRP. Weighting the cost-effective effect, it is more economical and reasonable to strengthen with single-layer CFRP sheet. The results can provide a reference to the same type of poles for strengthening design.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.135-143
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• 2017

To upgrade shear performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, and particularly of the segments under negative moment within continuous T-section beams, a series of original schemes has been proposed using carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) U-shaped strips for shear-strengthening. The current work focuses on one of them, in which CFRP U-strips are wound around steel bars against the top of the flange of a T-beam and then spliced on its bottom face in addition to being bonded onto its sides. The test results showed that the proposed scheme successfully provided reliable anchorage for U-strips and prevented premature onset of shear failure due to FRP debonding. The governing shear mode of failure changed from peeling of CFRP to its fracture or crushing of concrete. The strengthened specimens displayed an average increase of about 60% in shear capacity over the unstrengthened control one. The specimen with a relatively high ratio and uniform distribution of CFRP reinforcement had a maximum increase of nearly 75% in strength as well as significantly improved ductility. The formulas by various codes or guidelines exhibited different accuracy in estimating FRP contribution to shear resistance of the segments that are subjected to negative moment and strengthened with well-anchored FRP U-strips within continuous T-beams. Further investigation is necessary to find a suitable approach to predicting load-carrying capacity of continuous beams shear strengthened in this way.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.5
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• pp.687-704
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• 2023

This study aims to examine the structural response of glass fibre-reinforced polymer (Glass-FRP) reinforced geopolymer electronic waste aggregate concrete (GEWC) compression elements under axial compression for sustainable development. The research includes the fabrication of nine GEWC circular compression elements with different reinforcement ratios and a 3-D nonlinear finite element model using ABAQUS. The study involves a detailed parametric analysis to examine the impact of various parameters on the behavior of GEWC compression elements. The results indicate that reducing the vertical distance of glass-FRP ties improves the ductility of GEWC compression elements, and those with eight longitudinal rebars have higher axial load-carrying capacities. The finite element predictions were in good agreement with the testing results, and the put forwarded empirical model shows higher accuracy than previous models by involving the confinement effect of lateral glass-FRP ties on the axial strength of GEWC compression elements. This research work contributes to minimizing the carbon footprint of cement manufacturing and electronic waste materials for sustainable development.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.557-566
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• 2017

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets are the most efficient structural materials in terms of strength to weight ratio and its application in strengthening and retrofitting of a structure or structural elements are inevitable. The performance enhancement of structural elements without increasing the cross sectional area and flexible nature are the major advantages of FRP in retrofitting/strengthening work. This research article presents a detailed study on the inelastic response of conventional and retrofitted Reinforced Concrete (RC) frames using Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) subjected to quasi-static loading. The hysteretic behaviour, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation and damage index are the parameters employed to analyse the efficacy of FRP strengthening of brick in-filled RC frames. Repair and retrofitting of brick infilled RC frame shows an improved load carrying and damage tolerance capacity than control frame.