• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.181-197
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• 2014

Stress determination is a very important step in the assessment of the safety of existing reinforced concrete structures. In rock mechanic this goal is achieved with the over-coring technique. The main idea behind such a technique is to isolate a material sample from the stress field in the surrounding mass and monitor its re-equilibrium deformation response. If the materials remains elastic, and elastic properties are known, stresses may be obtained from the corresponding measured strains. The goal of this paper is to evaluate if the over-coring technique is applicable to reinforced concrete members. The results of an experimental investigation on the behaviour of compressed concrete columns subjected to the over-coring technique are presented. Considerations about the range of applicability of the technique are made by comparing the measured and the theoretical stresses. After that, results of failure tests on drilled specimens are presented and discussed. Furthermore, the response is compared with that of columns core-bored before the compressive test. Finally, comparisons with numerical analysis are shown.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.305-315
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• 2018

Interaction of lateral loading, combined with axial force needs to be determined with care in reinforced concrete (RC) one-dimensional structural members (1D SMs) such as beam-columns (BCs) and columns. RC 1D SMs under heavy axial loading are known to fail by brittle mode and small lateral displacements. In this paper, a macro element-based algorithm is proposed to analyze the RC 1D SMs under monotonic or cyclic combined loading. The 1D SMs are discretized into macro-elements (MEs) located between the critical sections and the inflection points. The critical sections are discretized into fixed rectangular finite elements (FRFE). The nonlinear behavior of confined and unconfined concretes and steel elements are considered in the proposed algorithm. The proposed algorithm has been validated by the results of experimental tests carried out on full-scale RC structural members. The evolution of ultimate strain at extreme compression fiber of a rectangular RC section for different orientations of lateral loading shows that the ultimate strain decreases with increasing the axial force. In the examined cases, this ultimate strain ranges from 0.0024 to 0.0038. Therefore, the 0.003 value given by ACI-318 code for ultimate strain, is not conservative and valid for the combined load cases with significant values of axial force (i.e. for the axial forces heavier than 70% of the ultimate axial force).

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.339-346
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• 2017

The main objective of this paper was to illuminate the effect of marine environmental condition on durability of reinforced concrete (RC)-corroded columns strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) layers. Small-scale columns were prepared and corroded by an accelerated corrosion process. After strengthening, compressive strength tests were carried out on control and weathered specimens. In this research, a marine simulator was designed and constructed similar to the tidal zone of marine environment in south of Iran which was selected as a case study in this research. Mechanical properties of wrapped specimens were studied after placing them inside the simulator for 3000 hours. Marine environment decreased ultimate strength by 4.5% and 26.3% in CFRP and GFRP-wrapped columns, respectively. In some corroded-columns, strengthening was carried out after replacing damaged cover by self-compacted mortar. In this method, by confining with one layer of CFRP and GFRP, 4.2% and 22.4% reduction in ultimate strength was observed, respectively, after exposure. Furthermore, the elastic-brittle behavior has been verified in this retrofit method. Also results of tension tests revealed, the ultimate tensile strength was degraded by 2% and 28.8% in CFRP and GFRP sheets, respectively, after applying marine exposure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.459-469
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• 2014

One of the most important structural components of steel structures is the column-base connections which are obliged to transfer horizontal and vertical loads safely to the reinforced concrete (RC) or concrete base. The column-base connections of steel or composite steel structures can be organized both moment resistant and non-moment resistant leading to different connection styles. Some of these connection styles are ordinary bolded systems, socket systems and embedded systems. The structures are frequently exposed to cycling lateral loading effects causing fatal damages on connections like columns-to-beams or columns-to-base. In this paper, connection of steel column with RC base was investigated analytically and experimentally. In the experiments, bolded connections, socket and embedded connection systems are taken into consideration by applying cyclic lateral loads. Performance curves for each connection were obtained according to experimental and analytical studies conducted and inelastic behavior of connections was evaluated accordingly. The cyclic lateral performance of the connection style of embedding the steel column into the reinforced concrete base and strengthening of steel column in upper level of base connection was found to be higher and effective than other connection systems. Also, all relevant test results were discussed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.517-529
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• 2014

In order to increase the load carrying capacity and/or increase the service life of existing circular reinforced concrete bridge columns, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites could be utilized. Transverse wrapping of circular concrete columns with CFRP sheets increases its axial and shear strengths. In addition, it provides good confinement to the concrete column core, which enhances the bending and compressive strength, as well as, ductility. Several experimental and analytical studies have been conducted on CFRP strengthened concrete cylinders/columns. However, there seem to be lack of thorough investigation of the effect of elevated temperatures on the response of CFRP strengthened circular concrete columns. A concrete confinement model that reflects the effects of elevated temperature on the mechanical properties of CFRP composites, and the efficiency of CFRP in strengthened concrete columns is presented. Tensile strength and modulus of CFRP under hot conditions and their effects on the concrete confinement are the primary parameters that were investigated. A modified concrete confinement model is developed and presented.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.481-492
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• 2020

Twenty-two corrosion-damaged columns were simulated through accelerated steel corrosion tests. Eight specimens were directly tested to failure under axial load, and the remaining specimens were tested after concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) strengthening. This study aimed to investigate the damage of RC columns after corrosion and their restoration and enhancement after strengthening. The research parameters included different corrosion degrees of RC columns, diameter-to-thickness ratio of steel tube and the strengthening concrete strength. Experimental results showed that CFST strengthening method could change the failure mode of corrosion-damaged RC columns from brittleness to ductility. In addition to the bearing capacity provided by the strengthening materials, it can also provide an extra 26.7% amplification because of the effective confinement provided by steel tubes. The influence of corrosion on reinforcement and concrete was quantitatively analysed and considered in the design formula. The proposed formula accurately predicted the bearing capacity of the strengthened columns with a maximum error of only 7.68%.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.18 no.1 s.91
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• pp.29-36
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• 2006

Steel reinforced concrete(SRC) columns, which have been widely employed in high-rise buildings, exhibit a time-dependent behavior because of creep and shrinkage of concrete. This long-term behavior may cause a serious serviceability problem in structural systems, so it is very important to predict the deformation due to creep and shrinkage of concrete. However, it was found from the previous experimental studies that the long-term deformation of SRC columns was quite dissimilar from that of RC columns. A new method is required to quantitatively predict the long-term deformation of SRC columns. In this study, the causes of the discrepancy between the behaviors of RC and SRC columns are investigated and discussed. SRC columns exhibit a time-dependent relative humidity distribution in a cross section differently from that of reinforced concrete(RC) columns owing to the presence of a inner steel plate, which interferes with the moisture diffusion of concrete. This relative humidity distribution may reduce the drying shrinkage and the drying creep in comparison with RC columns. Therefore it is suggested that the differential moisture distribution should be taken into account in order to reasonably predict column shortening of SRC columns.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.64-67
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• 2004

In recent years, the use of FRP composites to repair and strengthen existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures has been widely used. When the columns of existing RC structures are wrapped with FRP composites, the core concrete of such columns is confined not only by the FRP composites but also by the existing steel reinforcing ties (or spirals). Therefore, it is necessary to understand correctly the compressive response of concrete confined with both steel spirals and FRP composites in order to predict the behavior of such RC columns. This paper proposes a model to predict the compressive stress-strain curves of concrete confined with FRP and steel reinforcing ties.

• KCI Concrete Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.130-137
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• 2002

It is known that lap splice in the longitudinal reinforcement of reinforced concrete(RC) bridge columns is not desirable for seismic performance, but it is sometimes unavoidable. Lap splices were practically located in the potential plastic hinge region of most bridge columns that were constructed before the adoption of the seismic design provision of Korea Bridge Design Specification on 1992. The objective of this research is to evaluate the seismic performance of reinforced concrete(RC) bridge piers with lap splicing of longitudinal reinforcement in the plastic hinge region, to develop the enhancement scheme of their seismic capacity by retrofitting with glassfiber sheets, and to develop appropriate limited ductility design concept in low or moderate seismicity region. Nine test specimens in the aspect ratio of 4 were made with three confinement ratios and three types of lap splice. Quasi-static test was conducted in a displacement-controlled way under three different axial load levels. A significant reduction of displacement ductility ratios was observed for test columns with lap splices of longitudinal steels.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.361-372
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• 2024

Reinforced concrete (RC) bridge columns are typically designated as the primary source of energy dissipation for a bridge structure during an earthquake. Therefore, seismic repair of RC bridge columns has been studied extensively during the past several decades. On the other hand, few studies have been conducted to evaluate how repaired column members influence the system-level response of an RC bridge structure in subsequent earthquakes. In this study, a numerical model was established to simulate the response of two large-scale RC columns, repaired using different techniques, reported in the literature. The columns were implemented into a prototype bridge model that was subjected to earthquake loading. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) and fragility analysis were conducted on numerical bridge models to evaluate the efficacy of the repairs and the post-repair seismic performance of the prototype bridge that included one or more repaired columns in various locations. For the prototype bridge herein modeled, the results showed that a confinement-enhanced oriented repair would not affect the seismic behavior of the prototype bridge. Increasing the strength of the longitudinal reinforcement could effectively reduce the drift of the prototype bridge in subsequent earthquakes. A full repair configuration for the columns was the most effective method for enhancing the seismic performance of the prototype bridge. To obtain a positive effect on seismic performance, a minimum of two repaired columns was required.