• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.301-308
• /
• 2018

Properties of AFS vary with the changes in the face-sheet materials. Hence, the performance of AFS can be optimized by selecting face-sheet materials. In this work, three types of face-sheet materials representing elastic-perfectly plastic, elastic-plastic strain hardening and purely elastic materials were employed to study their effects on the flexural behavior and failure mechanism of AFS systematically. Result showed face-sheet materials affected the failure mechanism and energy absorption ability of AFS significantly. When the foam cores were sandwiched by aluminum alloy 6061, the AFS failed by face-sheet yielding and crack without collapse of the foam core, there was no clear plastic platform in the Load-Displacement curve. When the foam cores were sandwiched by stainless steel 304 and carbon fiber fabric, there were no face-sheet crack and the sandwich structure failed by core shear and collapse, plastic platform appeared. Energy absorption abilities of steel and carbon fiber reinforced AFS were much higher than aluminum alloy reinforced one. Carbon fiber was suggested as the best choice for AFS for its light weight and high performance. The versus strength ratio of face sheet to core was suggested to be a significant value for AFS structure design which may determine the failure mechanism of a certain AFS structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.72 no.5
• /
• pp.631-642
• /
• 2019

The objective of the present study is to examine the flexural behavior of two-span post-tensioned lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) beams using unbonded tendons and the reliability of the design provisions of ACI 318-14 for such beams. The parameters investigated were the effective prestress and loading type, including the symmetrical top one-point, two third-point, and analogous uniform loading systems. The unbonded prestressing three-wire strands were arranged with a harped profile of variable eccentricity. The total length of the beam, measured between both strand anchorages, was 11000 mm. The test results were compared with those compiled from simply supported LWAC one-way members, wherever possible. The ultimate load capacity of the present beam specimens was evaluated by the collapse mechanism of the plasticity theorem and the nominal section moment strength calculated following the provision of the ACI 318-14. The test results showed that the two-span post-tensioned LWAC beams had lower stress increase (Δf_ps) in the unbonded tendons than the simply supported LWAC beams with a similar reinforcement index. The effect of the loading type on Δf_ps and displacement ductility was less significant for two-span beams than for the comparable simply supported beams. The design equations for Δf_ps and Δf_ps proposed by ACI 318-14 and Harajli are conservative for the present two-span post-tensioned LWAC beams, although the safety decreases for the two-span beam, compared to the ratios between experiments and predictions obtained from simply supported beams.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.9 no.3 s.43
• /
• pp.77-85
• /
• 2005

After the collapse of the World Trade Center in september 11, 2001 and due to the frequent fire-caused damages of buildings during earthquake attacks, social concerns have been increased for the fire proof of the structural members of buildings. Recently, researches have been conducted to improve the fire resistance for building members not by the traditional ways but by utilizing the fire-resisting characteristics of reinforced concrete and structural characteristics of H-steel. In this paper, laboratory tests were conducted in room temperature to investigate the structural performance of the composite beams, which were developed to improve the fire resistance, comprising with concrete incasement between upper and lower flanges of H steel. From the experimental results, the displacement ductility factors of $6\~8$ were obtained. The difference of flexural behavior ol H steel-partial concrete incased composite beams with various composite details seems to be minor. The amount of longitudinal rebars is the most influential factor for the flexural strength of the composite beams. Therefore, if this type of composite beams are selected for designing a building located in moderate seismic lone, identical beam size could be used in several stories of the building.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.40-53
• /
• 1999

The interlaminar facture behavior of multidirectional carbon-fiber/epoxy composite laminates under low and high rates of test, up to rate of about 11.4m/s has been investigated using the double cantilever beam specimens. The mode I loasing with rates above 1.0m/s had considerable dynamic effects on the load-time curves and thus revealed higher values of the average crack velocity than thet expected from a simple proportional relationship with the test rate. The modified beam analysis utilizing only the opening displacement and crack length exhibited an effective means for evaluating the dynamic fracture energy $G_{IC}$. Flexural modulus increased gradually with an increase of the test rate, which was utilized in the evaluation of $G_{IC}$. Values of $G_{IC}$ at the crack initiation and arrest were scarcely changed with increasing test rate up to 1.0m/s. However the maximum $G_{IC}$ was much enlarged at 11.4m/s due to the large amount of fiber bridging the crack tip. The larger the initial crack length, the smaller the maximum $G_{IC}$ at high rate.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.907-929
• /
• 2022

Compression experiments were conducted to investigate the compressive behavior of built-up open-section columns consisting of four cold-formed steel channels (BOCCFSs) of different lengths, thicknesses, and cross-section sizes (OB90 and OB140). The load-displacement curves, failure modes, and maximum compression strength values were analyzed in detail. The tests showed that the failure modes of the OB90 specimens transformed from a large deformation concentration induced by local buckling to flexural buckling with the increase in the slenderness ratio. The failure modes of all OB140 specimens were deformation concentration, except for one long specimen, whose failure mode was flexural buckling. When the slenderness ratios of the specimens were less than 55, the failure modes were controlled by local buckling. Finite element models were built using ABAQUS software and validated to further analyze the mechanical behavior of the BOCCFSs. A parametric study was conducted and used to explore a wide design space. The numerical analysis results showed that when the screw spacing was between 150 mm and 450 mm, the difference in the maximum compression strength values of the specimens was less than 4%. The applicability and effectiveness of the design methods in Chinese GB50018-2002 and AISI-S100-2016 for calculating the compression strength values of the BOCCFSs were evaluated. The prediction methods based on the assumptions produced predictions of the strength that were between 33% to 10% conservative as compared to the tests and the finite element analysis.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.267-278
• /
• 2022

Pre-stressed concrete circular spun piles are widely used in various infrastructure projects around the world and offer an economical deep foundation system with consistent and superior quality compared to cast in-situ and other concrete piles. Conventional methods for measuring the lateral response of piles have been limited to conventional instrumentation, such as electrical based gauges and pressure transducers. The problem with existing technology is that the sensors are not able to assist in recording the lateral stiffness changes of the pile which varies along the length depending on the distribution of the flexural moments and appearance of tensile cracks. This paper describes a full-scale bending test of a 1-m diameter spun pile of 30 m long and instrumented using advanced fibre optic distributed sensor, known as Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA). Optical fibre sensors were embedded inside the concrete during the manufacturing stage and attached on the concrete surface in order to measure the pile's full-length flexural behaviour under the prescribed serviceability and ultimate limit state. The relationship between moments-deflections and bending moments-curvatures are examined with respect to the lateral forces. Tensile cracks were measured and compared with the peak strains observed from BOTDA data which corroborated very well. By analysing the moment-curvature response of the pile, the structure can be represented by two bending stiffness parameters, namely the pre-yield (EI) and post-yield (EI_cr), where the cracks reduce the stiffness property by 89%. The pile deflection profile can be attained from optical fibre data through closed-form solutions, which generally matched with the displacements recorded by Linear Voltage Displacement Transducers (LVDTs).

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.663-679
• /
• 2021

To elucidate the differences in the collapse behavior between a single-story beam-column assembly and multi-story frame, two 1/3-scale two-bay composite frames, including a single-story composite beam-column assembly and a three-story composite sub-frame, were designed and quasi-statically tested. The load-displacement responses, failure modes, and internal force development of the two frames were analyzed and compared in detail. Furthermore, the resistance mechanisms of the two specimens were explored, and the respective contributions of different load-resisting mechanisms to the total resistances were quantitatively separated to gain deeper insights. The experimental tests indicated that Vierendeel action was present in the two-dimensional multi-story frames, which led to an uneven internal force distribution among the three stories. The collapse resistance of TSDWA-3S in the flexural stage was not significantly increased by the structural redundancy provided by the additional story, as compared to that of TSDWA-1S. Although the development of the load response was similar in the two specimens at flexural stage, the collapse mechanisms of the multi-story composite frame were much more complicated than those of the single-story beam-column assembly, and the combined action between stories was critical in determining the internal force redistribution and rebalancing of the remaining structure.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.43 no.5
• /
• pp.567-576
• /
• 2023

In general, RC beam members are designed as flexural members, considering only the bending load. However, in actual buildings, axial and bending load are simultaneously applied due to the continuity between members. As a result, the bending strength of the RC beam member increases, but the displacement decreases, and cracks are mainly concentrated in the center of the beam. Therefore, in this study, the bending performance of both normal and strengthened RC beam using carbon fiber sheets subjected to combined axial and bending load was experimentally evaluated. The carbon fiber sheets were wrapped around the middle of the specimens, and axial and bending load were applied simultaneously to the beams. The magnitude of the axial force and the effects of carbon fiber sheet reinforcement on the deformed shape, bending strength, deflection, and ductility of the RC beams were analyzed. The results show that as the applied axial force increased, the maximum bending strength increased, but the ductility decreased 64%. The bending strength of the strengthened beams increased up to 27%, the maximum deflection decreased around 8% and the ductility increased by up to 43%.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.305-320
• /
• 2023

The mechanical properties of polymeric composites are degraded under elevated temperatures due to the effect of temperature on the mechanical behavior of the resin and resin fiber interfaces. In this study, the effect of temperature on the impact response of the carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) was investigated at low-velocity impact (LVI) using a drop-weight impact tester machine. All the composite plates were fabricated using a vacuum infusion process with a stacking sequence of [45/0_2/-45/90_2]s, and a thickness of 2.9 mm. A group of the specimens was exposed to an environment with a temperature cycling at the range of -30 ℃ to 65 ℃. In addition, three other groups of the specimens were aged at ambient (28 ℃), -30 ℃, and 65 ℃ for ten days. Then all the conditioned specimens were subjected to LVI at three energy levels of 10, 15, and 20 J. To assess the behavior of the damaged composite plates, the force-time, force-displacement, and energy-time diagrams were analyzed at all temperatures. Finally, radiography, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to evaluate the effect of the temperature and damages at various impact levels. Based on the results, different energy levels have a similar effect on the LVI behavior of the samples at various temperatures. Delamination, matrix cracking, and fiber failure were the main damage modes. Compared to the samples tested at room temperature, the reduction of temperature to -30 ℃ enhanced the maximum impact force and flexural stiffness while decreasing the absorbed energy and the failure surface area. The temperature increasing to 65 ℃ increased the maximum impact force and flexural stiffness while decreasing the absorbed energy and the failure surface area. Applying 200 thermal cycles at the range of -30 ℃ to 65 ℃ led to the formation of fine cracks in the matrix while decreasing the absorbed energy. The maximum contact force is recorded under cyclic temperature as 5.95, 6.51 and 7.14 kN, under impact energy of 10, 15 and 20 J, respectively. As well as, the minimum contact force belongs to the room temperature condition and is reported as 3.93, 4.94 and 5.71 kN, under impact energy of 10, 15 and 20 J, respectively.

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