• Computers and Concrete
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.305-319
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• 2015

On mesoscopic level, concrete can be treated as a three-phase composite material consisting of mortar, aggregates and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between mortar and aggregate. A lot of research has confirmed that ITZ plays a crucial role in the mechanical fracture process of concrete. The aim of the present study is to propose a numerical method on mesoscale to analyze the failure mechanism of reinforced concrete (RC) structures under mechanical loading, and then it will help precisely predict the damage or the cracking initiation and propagation of concrete. Concrete is meshed by means of the Rigid Body Spring Model (RBSM) concept, while the reinforcing steel bars are modeled as beam-type elements. Two kinds of RC members, i.e. subjected to uniaxial tension and beams under bending, the fracture process of concrete and the distribution of cracks, as well as the load-deflection relationships are investigated and compared with the available test results. It is found that the numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental observations, indicating that the model can successfully simulate the failure process of the RC members.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.305-317
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• 2021

The bond between the concrete and bar is a main factor affecting the performance of the reinforced concrete (RC) members, and since the steel corrosion reduces the bond strength, studying the bond behavior of concrete and GFRP bars is quite necessary. In this research, a database including 112 concrete beam test specimens reinforced with spliced GFRP bars in the splitting failure mode has been collected and used to estimate the concrete-GFRP bar bond strength. This paper aims to accurately estimate the bond strength of spliced GFRP bars in concrete beams by applying three soft computing models including multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), Kriging, and M5 model tree. Since the selection of regularization parameters greatly affects the fitting of MARS, Kriging, and M5 models, the regularization parameters have been so optimized as to maximize the training data convergence coefficient. Three hybrid model coupling soft computing methods and genetic algorithm is proposed to automatically perform the trial and error process for finding appropriate modeling regularization parameters. Results have shown that proposed models have significantly increased the prediction accuracy compared to previous models. The proposed MARS, Kriging, and M5 models have improved the convergence coefficient by about 65, 63 and 49%, respectively, compared to the best previous model.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2024

Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) have a proven strength enhancement capability when installed into Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams. The brittle failure of traditional FRP strengthening systems has attracted researchers to develop novel materials with improved strength and ductility properties. One such material is that known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This study presents a numerical investigation of the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams externally strengthened with PET-FRP systems. This material is distinguished by its large rupture strain, leading to an improvement in the ductility of the strengthened structural members compared to conventional FRPs. A three-dimensional (3-D) finite element (FE) model is developed in this study to predict the load-deflection response of a series of experimentally tested beams published in the literature. The numerical model incorporates constitutive material laws and bond-slip behavior between concrete and the strengthening system. Moreover, the validated model was applied in a parametric study to inspect the effect of concrete compressive strength, PET-FRP sheet length, and reinforcing steel bar diameter on the overall performance of concrete beams externally strengthened with PET-FRP.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.121-136
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• 2024

In recent times, there has been a growing need to retrofit and strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures that have been damaged. Numerous studies have explored various methods for strengthening RC beams. However, there is a significant dearth of research investigating the utilization of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) for retrofitting damaged RC beams within a concrete frame. This study aims to develop a finite element (FE) model capable of accurately simulating the nonlinear behavior of RC beams and subsequently implementing it in an RC concrete frame. The RC frame is subjected to loading until failure at two distinct degrees, followed by retrofitting and strengthening using Ultra high performance shotcrete (UHPS) through two different methods. The results indicate the successful simulation of the load-displacement curve and crack patterns by the FE model, aligning well with experimental observations. Novel techniques for reinforcing deteriorated concrete frame structures through ABAQUS are introduced. The second strengthening method notably improves both the load-carrying capacity and initial stiffness of the load-displacement curve. By incorporating embedded rebars in the frame's columns, the beam's load-carrying capacity is enhanced by up to 31% compared to cases without embedding. These findings indicate the potential for improving the design of strengthening methods for damaged RC beams and utilizing the FE model to predict the strengthening capacity of UHPS for damaged concrete structures.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.4504-4517
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• 2023

After a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) in the prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCVs) of nuclear power plants, the coupling of temperature and pressure can significantly affect the mechanical properties of the PCCVs. However, there is no consensus on how this coupling affects the failure mechanism of PCCVs. In this paper, a simplified finite element modeling method is proposed to study the effect of temperature and pressure coupling on PCCVs. The experiment results of a 1:4 scale PCCV model tested at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) are compared with the results obtained from the proposed modeling approach. Seven working conditions are set up by varying the internal and external temperatures to investigate the failure mechanism of the PCCV model under the coupling effect of temperature and pressure. The results of this paper demonstrate that the finite element model established by the simplified finite element method proposed in this paper is highly consistent with the experimental results. Furthermore, the stress-displacement curve of the PCCV during loading can be divided into four stages, each of which corresponds to the damage to the concrete, steel liner, steel rebar, and prestressing tendon. Finally, the failure mechanism of the PCCV is significantly affected by temperature.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.183-191
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• 2013

Prestress losses assumed for bridge girder design and deflection analyses are dependent on the concrete modulus of elasticity (MOE). Most design specifications, such as the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) bridge specifications, contain a constant value for the MOE based on the unit weight of concrete and the concrete compressive strength at 28 days. It has been shown in the past that that the concrete MOE varies with the age of concrete. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a time-dependent and variable MOE on the prestress losses assumed for bridge girder design. For this purpose, three different variable MOE models from the literature were investigated: Dischinger (Der Bauingenieur 47/48(20):563-572, 1939a; Der Bauingenieur 5/6(20):53-63, 1939b; Der Bauingenieur, 21/22(20):286-437, 1939c), American Concrete Institute (ACI) 209 (Tech. Rep. ACI 209R-92, 1992) and CEB-FIP (CEB-FIP Model Code, 2010). A typical bridge layout for the Dallas, Texas, USA, area was assumed herein. A prestressed concrete beam design and analysis program from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was utilized to determine the prestress losses. The values of the time dependent MOE and also specific prestress losses from each model were compared. The MOE predictions based on the ACI and the CEB-FIP models were close to each other; in long-term, they approach the constant AASHTO value. Dischinger's model provides for higher MOE values. The elastic shortening and the long term losses from the variable MOE models are lower than that using a constant MOE up to deck casting time. In long term, the variable MOE-based losses approach that from the constant MOE predictions. The Dischinger model would result in more conservative girder design while the ACI and the CEB-FIP models would result in designs more consistent with the AASHTO approach.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.353-367
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• 2015

As concrete wind-turbine towers are increasingly being used in wind-farm construction, there is a growing need to understand the behavior of concrete wind-turbine towers. In particular, experimental evaluations of concrete wind-turbine towers are necessary to demonstrate the dynamic characteristics and load-carrying capacity of such towers. This paper describes a model test of a prestressed concrete wind-turbine tower that examines the dynamic characteristics and load-carrying performance of the tower. Additionally, a numerical model is presented and used to verify the design approach. The test results indicate that the first natural frequency of the prestressed concrete wind turbine tower is 0.395 Hz which lies between frequencies 1P and 3P (0.25-0.51 Hz). The damper ratio is 3.3%. The maximum concrete compression stresses are less than the concrete design compression strength, the maximum tensile stresses are less than zero and the prestressed strand stresses are less than the design strength under both the serviceability and ultimate limit state loads. The maximum displacement of the tower top are 331 mm and 648 mm for the serviceability limit state and ultimate limit state, respectively, which is less than L/100 = 1000 mm. Compared with traditional tall wind-turbine steel towers, the prestressed concrete tower has better material damping properties, potential lower maintenance cost, and lower construction costs. Thus, the prestressed concrete wind-turbine tower could be an innovative engineering solution for multi-megawatt wind turbine towers, in particular those that are taller than 100 m.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.323-338
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• 2000

An analytical approach for the prediction of the behaviour of steel-fiber reinforced concrete beams subjected to torsion is described. The analysis method employs a special stress-strain model with a non-linear post cracking branch for the material behaviour in tension. Predictions of this model for the behaviour of steel-fiber concrete in direct tension are also presented and compared with results from tests conducted for this reason. Further in this work, the validation of the proposed torsional analysis by providing comparisons between experimental curves and analytical predictions, is attempted. For this purpose a series of 10 steel-fiber concrete beams with various cross-sections and steel-fiber volume fractions tested in pure torsion, are reported here. Furthermore, experimental information compiled from works around the world are also used in an attempt to establish the validity of the described approach based on test results of a broad range of studies. From these comparisons it is demonstrated that the proposed analysis describes well the behaviour of steel-fiber concrete in pure torsion even in the case of elements with non-rectangular cross-sections.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.648-651
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• 2004

Many damage models has been developed to express the degradation of materials. However, only minor damage model for concrete has been developed because of the heterogeneity of it unlike metals. To model the damaged behavior of concrete, this peculiarity as well as a load-induced anisotropic feature must be considered. In this paper, basic concepts of the thermodynamic theory is investigated to model the behavior of the damaged concrete in the phenomenological viewpoint. And the general constitutive relations and damage evolution equations are investigated too.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.5
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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.