Comparative impact behaviours of ultra high performance concrete columns reinforced with polypropylene vs steel fibres

Polypropylene(PP) fibres have primarily used to control shrinkage cracks or mitigate explosive spalling in concrete structures exposed to fire or subjected to impact/blast loads, with limited investigations on capacity improvement. This study unveils the possibility of using PP micro-fibres to improve the impact behaviour of fibre-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete(FRUHPC) columns. Results show that the addition of fibres significantly improves the impact behaviour of FRUHPC columns by shifting the failure mechanism from brittle shear to favourable flexural failure. The addition of steel or PP fibres affected the impact responses differently. Steel fibres considerably increased the peak impact force(up to 18%) while PP micro-fibres slightly increased the peak(3%-4%). FRUHPC significantly reduced the maximum midheight displacement by up to 30%(under 20°impact) and substantially improved the displacement recovery by up to 100%(under 20° impact). FRUHPC with steel fibres significantly improved the energy absorption while those with PP micro-fibres reduced the energy absorption, which is different from the effect of PP-macro fibre reported in the literature. The optimal fibre content for micro-PP fibres is 1% due to its minimal fibre usage and low peak and residual displacement. This study highlights the potential of FRUHPC as a promising material for impact-resistant structures by creating a more favourable flexural failure mechanism, enhancing ductility and toughness under impact loading, and advancing the understanding of the role of fibres in structural performance.

Numerical Analysis of Cold-Formed Thin-Walled Steel Short Columns with Pitting Corrosion during Bridge Construction

Pitting corrosion is harmful during bridge construction,which will lead to uneven roughness of steel surfaces and reduce the thickness of steel.Hence,the effect of pitting corrosion on the mechanical properties of cold-formed thin-walled steel stub columns is studied,and the empirical formulas are established through regression fitting to predict the ultimate load of web and flange under pitting corrosion.In detail,the failure modes and load-displacement curves of specimens with different locations,area ratios,and depths are obtained through a large number of non-linear finite element analysis.As for the specimens with pitting corrosion on the web,all the specimens are subject to local buckling failure,and the failure mode will not change with pitting corrosion,but the failure location will change with pitting corrosion location;the size,location,and area ratio of pitting corrosion have little influence on the ultimate load of cold-formed thin-walled steel short columns,but the loss rate of pitting corrosion section area has a greater impact on the ultimate bearing capacity.As for the specimen with flange pitting corrosion,the location and area ratio of pitting corrosion have less influence on the ultimate load of cold-formed thin-walled steel short columns,and the section area loss rate has greater influence on the ultimate bearing capacity;the impact of web pitting corrosion on the ultimate load is greater than that of flange pitting corrosion under the same condition of pitting corrosion section area.The prediction formulas of limit load which are suitable for pitting corrosion of web and flange are established,which can provide a reference for performance evaluation of corroded cold-formed thin-walled steel.

Modelling and Sizing of a Floor Reinforced by Ballasted Columns Intended to Support a Tank

This work aims to study the modeling and sizing of a floor reinforced by ballasted columns. We are studying the system of reinforcement by ballasted columns because this technique is able to replace deep foundations that are technically difficult to realize and their cost is higher. The modelling and dimensioning of foundations on a ballasted column will be an important contribution to the state of the art of this method because it will highlight the mode of transfer of loads, and will expose the induced deformations by also allowing to verification criteria of bearing capacity and allowable settlement according to geometric information of the model. The columns on a substrate located at 9 m have a length of 9 m and a diameter of 40 cm and were obtained by incorporating ballast of granular class 0/31.5 of internal friction angle of 38˚ and a density weight of 21 kN/m3. The choice of this method is based on the geotechnical characteristics of the initial soil. Thus, identification and characterization tests were carried out to estimate the bearing capacity and the settlement giving respectively 125 kPa and 57 cm. These results show the ground does not have sufficient mechanical properties to withstand the loads transmitted by the tank. By adopting the reinforcement of the soil with ballasted columns, numerical calculations show that after applying a load equal to 265.1 KPa, 20 cm vertical settlement and 17 cm horizontal displacement were obtained. This is in the tolerable deformation range for our tank, namely, less than 20 cm. Analytically, in addition to reducing settlement, ballasted columns, Due to their high stiffness, they have effectively contributed to the increase of the permissible soil stress up to 257 kPa.

Flow Regimes in Bubble Columns with and without Internals: A Review

Hydrodynamics characterization in terms offlow regime behavior is a crucial task to enhance the design of bubble column reactors and scaling up related methodologies.This review presents recent studies on the typicalflow regimes established in bubble columns.Some effort is also provided to introduce relevant definitions pertaining to thisfield,namely,that of“void fraction”and related(local,chordal,cross-sectional and volumetric)variants.Experimental studies involving different parameters that affect design and operating conditions are also discussed in detail.In the second part of the review,the attention is shifted to cases with internals of various types(perfo-rated plates,baffles,vibrating helical springs,mixers,and heat exchanger tubes)immersed in the bubble columns.It is shown that the presence of these elements has a limited influence on the global column hydrodynamics.However,they can make the homogeneousflow regime more stable in terms of transition gas velocity and transi-tion holdup value.The last section is used to highlight gaps which have not beenfilled yet and future directions of investigation.

Experimental Study on the Axial Compression Performance of Bamboo Scrimber Columns Embedded with Steel Reinforcing Bars

In this paper,a new type of bamboo scrimber column embedded with steel bars(rebars)was proposed,and the compression performance was improved by pre-embedding rebars during the preparation of the columns.The effects of the slenderness ratio and the reinforcement ratio on the axial compression performance of reinforced bamboo scrimber columns were studied by axial compression tests on 28 specimens.The results showed that the increase in the slenderness ratio had a significant negative effect on the axial compression performance of the columns.When the slenderness ratio increased from 19.63 to 51.96,the failure mode changed from strength failure to buckling failure,and the maximum bearing capacity decreased by 43.03%.The axial compression performance of the reinforced bamboo scrimber columns did not significantly improve at a slenderness ratio of 19.63,but the opposite was true at slenderness ratios of 36.95 and 51.96.When the reinforcement ratio increased from 0%to 4.52%,the bearing capacity of those with a slenderness ratio of 51.96 increased by up to 16.99%,and the stiffness and ductility were also improved.Finally,based on existing specifications,two modification parameters,the overall elastic modulus Ec and the combined strength fcc,were introduced to establish a calculation method for the bearing capacity of the reinforced bamboo scrimber columns.The calculation results were compared with the test results,and the results showed that the proposed calculation models can more accurately predict the bearing capacity.

Ultimate flexural strength of normal section of FRP-confined RC circular columns

Numerical analysis is carried out to study the sectional properties of the fiber-reinforced polymer（FRP）-confined reinforced concrete（RC）circular columns. The axial load ratio, the FRP confinement ratio and the longitudinal reinforcement characteristic value are the three main parameters that can influence the neutral axis depth when concrete compression strain reaches an ultimate value. The formula for computing the central angle θ, corresponding to the compression zone, is established according to the data regression of the numerical analysis results. The numerical analysis results demonstrate that the concrete stress enhancement from transverse confinement and strain hardening of the longitudinal reinforcement can cause a much greater flexural strength than that defined by the design code. Based on the analytical studies and the test results of 36 large scale columns, the formula to calculate the flexural strength when columns fail under seismic loading is proposed, and the calculated results agree well with the test results. Finally, parametric studies are conducted on a typical column with different axial load ratios, longitudinal reinforcement characteristic value and FRP confinement ratios. Analysis of the results shows that the calculated flexural strength can be increased by 50% compared to that of unconfined columns defined by the code.

Prediction of dispersed phase holdup in pulsed disc and doughnut solvent extraction columns under different mass transfer conditions

Using experimental data from a number of pulsed disc and doughnut solvent extraction columns, a unified correla- tion for the prediction of dispersed phase holdup that considers the effects of mass transfer is presented. Pulsed disc and doughnut solvent extraction columns （PDDC） have been used for a range of important applications such as ura- nium extraction and nuclear fuel recycling. Although the dispersed phase holdup in a PDDC has been presented by some researchers, there is still the need to develop a robust correlation that can predict the experimental dispersed phase holdup over a range of operating conditions including the effects of mass transfer direction. In this study, dis- persed phase holdup data from different literature sources for a PDDC were used to refit constants for the correlation presented by Kumar and Hartland lind. Eng. Chem. Res.,27 （1988）,131-138] which did not consider the effect of col- umn geometry. In order to incorporate the characteristic length of the PDDC （i.e. the plate spacing）, the unified cor- relation for holdup proposed by Kumar and Hartland based on data from eight different types of columns [Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.,34 （1995） 3925-3940] was refitted to the PDDC data. New constants have been presented for each hold- up correlation for a PDDC based on regression analysis using published holdup data from PDDCs that cover a range of onerating conditions and nhwical nronerties and consider the direction of mass transfer.

Strength of circular concrete columns under concentric compression

An experimental study, in which six columns were loaded concentrically toinvestigate the behavior of reinforced normal strength and high strength circular columns underconcentric compression, is described. The concrete strengths of the columns were 30 MPa and 60 MPa.The primary variables considered were the concrete strength and the amount of transversereinforcement. Test results indicate that smaller hoop spacing provides higher column capacity andgreater strength enhancement in a confined concrete core of columns. For the same lateralconfinement, high strength concrete columns develop lower strength enhancement than normal strengthconcrete columns. Both the strength enhancement ratio (f'_(cc) /f'_(co)) and the column capacityratio (P_(test)/P_o) were observed to show linear increase variations with rho_s f_(yt)/f'_c incircular columns.

Near Surface Mounted Application for the Strengthening of Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Slender Columns under Eccentric Load

The behavior of slender columns under the effect of eccentric loading has always taken the attention of researchers. When investigating the strengthening of reinforced concrete columns, mainly short and circular columns are the targeted elements. This is why the data about slender columns with rectangular sections is limited and infrequent specially when loaded eccentrically. This paper aims to increase the available experimental data in this specific area. The experimental program consisted of twenty seven specimens. The specimens were divided into three groups; one control group and two groups strengthened using two strengthening schemes. Scheme 1 implied the use of near surface mounted （NSM） longitudinal steel bars, while in scheme 2, NSM longitudinal steel bars partially wrapped with one ply of carbon fibers reinforced polymers （CFRP） sheets was used. The test specimen had an overall length of 2000 mm and a 100 x 200 mm rectangular cross section. In addition to the strengthening schemes, the test parameters included three ratios for the internal longitudinal steel bars ＂μ＂ 1%, 1.57% and 2.26%. The parameters were extended to cover three stirrups＇ volumetric ratio ＂ρv＂ 0.73%, 0.49% and 0.37%. The specimens were tested under the effect of eccentric loading with eccentricity-to-section height e/h equals 0.25. The research revealed that the strength gain in specimens strengthened with scheme 2 was higher than with scheme 1. Analytical modeling of the stress strain relation of the strengthened RC columns considering the effect of strengthening scheme, internal reinforcement ratio μ, and stirrups＇ volumetric ratio ＂ρv＂ was proposed. Verification was made using available experimental data. The proposed model showed a reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

Mechanical behaviors of steel reinforced ECC / concrete composite columns under combined vertical and horizontal loading

In order to improve the load capacity, seismic performance and performance-cost ratio of the columns, the concrete at the base of reinforced concrete （RC） columns is substituted with engineered cementitious composites （ECC） to form ECC/RC composite columns. Based on the existing material properties, the mechanical behaviors of the ECC columns, ECC/RC composite columns and RC columns were numerically studied under combined vertical and horizontal loading with the software of ATENA. Then, the failure mechanism of ECC columns and ECC/RC composite columns were comprehensively studied and compared with that of the RC columns. Then, the effects of the height of the ECC, the axial compression ratio, and the transverse reinforcement ratio on the mechanical behaviors of the composite or the ECC column are studied. The calculation results show that the ultimate load capacity, ductility and crack resistance of the ECC or ECC/RC composite columns are superior to those of the RC columns. The ECC/RC composite column with a height of the ECC layer of 1.2h （ h is the height of the cross section） can achieve similar mechanical properties of a full ECC column. With high shear strength, ECC can undertake the shear force and significantly reduce the amount of stirrups, avoiding construction issues and promoting its engineering application.

Experimental study on concrete columns hybrid reinforced by steel and FRP bars under seismic loading

In order to study the dynamic behavior of hybrid reinforced concrete columns, shaking table tests of three concrete columns with equal initial stiffness were conducted.The longitudinal reinforcements include an ordinary steel bar,a steel-fiber reinforced polymer（FRP） composite bar（SFCB）, and hybrid reinforcement（steel bar and FRP bar, CH）. Test results show that the peak ground acceleration（PGA） responses of different columns are similar to each other. For an ordinary reinforced concrete（RC） column, the plastic strain of the steel bar develops rapidly after the PGA of the input ground motion reaches 100 cm / s^2, and the corresponding residual strain develops dramatically. For a SFCB column, even after the peak strain reaches 0. 015, the residual strain is below 5 × 10^- 4. For the hybrid column C-H,the residual strain of the FRP bar is similar to that of the SFCB column. In general, concrete columns with hybrid steel and FRP bar reinforcement can achieve smaller residual deformation, and the SFCB reinforced columns can be constructed in extreme environments, such as offshore bridges, due to good anti-corrosion performance.

Energy conversion and deposition behaviour in gravitational collapse of granular columns

The high-density gravitational collapse of granular columns is very similar to the movements of large collapsing columns in nature. Based on the development of dangerous columnar rock mass in fields, granular column collapse boundary condition in the physical experiments of this study is a new type of boundary conditions with a single free face and a three-dimensional deposit. Physical experiments have shown that the mobility of small particles during the collapse of granular columns was greater than that of large particles. For example, when particle size was increased from 5 to 15 mm, deposit runout was decreased by about 16.4%. When a column consisted of two particle types with different sizes, these particles could mix in the vicinity of layer interfaces and small particles might increase the mobility of large particles. In the process of collapse, potential and kinetic energy conversion rate is fluctuated. By increasing initial aspect ratio a, the ratio of the initial height of column to its length along flow direction,potential and kinetic energy conversion rate is decreased. For example, as a was increased from 0.5 to 4, the ratio of maximum kinetic energy obtained and total potential energy loss was decreased from47.6% to 7.4%. After movement stopped, an almost trapezoidal body remained in the column and a fanlike or fan-shaped accumulation was formed on the periphery of column. Using multiple exponential functions of the aspect ratio a, the planar morphology of the collapse deposit of granular columns could be quantitatively characterized. The movement of pillar dangerous rock masses with collapse failure mode could be evaluated using this granular column experimental results.

Axial Bearing Capacity of Short FRP Confined Concrete-filled Steel Tubular Columns

The bearing capacity of FRP confined concrete-filled steel tubular （FRP-CFST） columns under axial compression was investigated. This new type of composite column is a concrete-filled steel tube （CFST） confined with fiber-reinforced polymer （FRP） wraps. Totally 11 short column specimens were tested to failure under axial compression. The influences of the type and quantity of FRP, the thickness of steel tube and the concrete strength were studied. It was found that the bearing capacity of short FRP-CFST column was much higher than that of comparable CFST column. Furthermore, the formulas for calculating the bearing capacity of the FRP-CFST columns are proposed. The analytical calculated results agree well with the experimental results.

Seismic strengthening of reinforced concrete columns damaged by rebar corrosion using combined CFRP and steel jacket

In order to study the effectiveness of combined carbon fiber-reinforced polymer （CFRP） sheets and steel jacket in strengthening the seismic performance of corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete （RC） columns, twelve reinforced concrete columns are tested under combined lateral cyclic displacement excursions and constant axial load. The variables studied in this program include effects of corrosion degree of the rebars, level of axial load, the amount of CFRP sheets and steel jacket. The results indicate that the combined CFRP and steel jacket retrofitting technique is effective in improving load-carrying, ductility and energy absorption capacity of the columns. Compared with the corrosion-damaged RC column, the lateral load and the ductility factor of many strengthened columns increase more than 90% and 100%, respectively. The formulae for the calculation of the yielding load, the maximum lateral load and the displacement ductility factor of the strengthened columns under combined constant axial load and cyclically increasing lateral loading are developed. The test results are also compared with the results obtained from the proposed formulae. A good agreement between calculated values and experimental results is observed.

Seismic behaviors of steel reinforced ECC/RC composite columns under low-cyclic loading

To improve the seismic performance of columns, engineered cementitious composite （ECC） is introduced to partially substitute concrete at the base of the columns to form ECC,/reinforced concrete （ RC） composite columns. The mechanical behaviors of the ECC/RC composite columns are numerically studied under low-cyclic loading with the finite element analysis softwareof MSC. MARC. It is found that the ECC/RC composite columns can significantly enhance the load capacity, the ductility ad energy dissipation of columns. Then, the effects of the height of the ECC, the axial compression ratio and the longitudinal reinforcement ratio on the seismic behaviors of the composite columns are parametrically studied. The results show that the ECC/RC composite column with a height of the ECC layer of 0. Sh（h is the height to the cross-section） can achieve similar seismic performance of a full ECC column. The peak load of the composite column increases significantly while the ductility decreases with the increase of the axial compression ratio. Increasing the longitudinal reinforcement ratio within a certain range can improve the ductility and energy dissipation capacity and almost has no effect on load capacity. The aalysis results ae instructive and valuable for reference in designing ECC structures.

FE modeling of concrete beams and columns reinforced with FRP composites

Compression and flexure members such as columns and beams are critical in a structure as its failure could lead to the collapse of the structure.In the present work,numerical analysis of square and circle short columns,and reinforced concrete(RC)beams reinforced with fiber reinforced polymer composites are carried out.This work is divided into two parts.In the first part,numerical study of axial behavior of square and circular concrete columns reinforced with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer(GFRP)and Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer(BFRP)bars and spiral,and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer(CFRP)wraps is conducted.The results of the first part showed that the axial capacity of the circular RC columns reinforced with GFRP increases with the increase of the longitudinal reinforcement ratio.In addition,the results of the numerical analysis showed good correlation with the experimental ones.An interaction diagram for BFRP RC columns is also developed with considering various eccentricities.The results of numerical modeling of RC columns strengthened with CFRP wraps revealed that the number and the spacing between the CFRP wraps provide different levels of ductility enhancement to the column.For the cases considered in this study,column with two middle closely spaced CFRP wraps demonstrated the best performance.In the second part of this research,flexural behavior of RC beams reinforced with BFRP,GFRP and CFRP bars is investigated along with validation of the numerical model with the experimental tests.The results resembled the experimental observations that indicate significant effect of the FRP bar diameter and type ont he flexural capacity of the RC beams.It was also shown that Increasing the number of bars while keeping the same reinforcement ratio enhanced the stiffness of the RC beam.

Reduction of structural response to near fault earthquakes by seismic isolation columns and variable friction dampers

This paper focuses on the investigation of a hybrid seismic isolation system with passive variable friction dampers for protection of structures against near fault earthquakes. The seismic isolation can be implemented by replacing the conventional columns fixed to the foundations by seismic isolating ones. These columns allow horizontal displacement between the superstructure and the foundations and decouple the building from the damaging earthquake motion. As a result, the forces in the structural elements decrease and damage that may be caused to the building by the earthquake significantly decreases. However, this positive effect is achieved on account of displacements occurring in the isolating columns. These displacements become very large when the structure is subjected to a strong earthquake. In this case, impact may occur between the parts of the isolating column yielding their damage or collapse. In order to limit the displacements in the isolating columns, it is proposed to add variable friction dampers. A method for selecting the dampers＇ properties is proposed. It is carried out using an artificial ground motion record and optimal active control algorithm. Numerical simulation of a sevenstory structure shows that the proposed method allows efficient reduction in structural response and limits the displacements at the seismic isolating columns.

Liquefaction mitigation in silty soils using composite stone columns and dynamic compaction

The objective of this study is to develop an analytical methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of vibro stone column (S.C.) and dynamic compaction (D.C.) techniques supplemented with wick drains to densify and mitigate liquefaction in saturated sands and non-plastic silty soils. It includes the following: (i) develop numerical models to simulate and analyze soil densitication during S.C. installation and D.C. process, and (ii) identify parameters controlling post-improvement soil density in both cases, and (iii) develop design guidelines for densification of silty soils using the above techniques. An analytical procedure was developed and used to simulate soil response during S.C. and D.C. installations, and the results were compared with available case history data. Important construction design parameters and soil properties that affect the effectiveness of these techniques, and construction design choices suitable for sands and non-plastic silty soils were identified. The methodology is expected to advance the use of S.C. and D.C. in silty soils reducing the reliance on expensive field trials as a design tool. The ultimate outcome of this research will be design charts and design guidelines for using composite stone columns and composite dynamic compaction techniques in liquefaction mitigation of saturated silty soils.

Experimental study on the seismic response of braced reinforced concrete frame with irregular columns

A 15-storey K-braced reinforced concrete model frame with irregular columns, i.e., T-shaped, L-shaped, as well as ＋-shaped columns, was constructed and tested on the six-degree-of-freedom shaking table at the State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering in Tongji, China. Two types of earthquake records, El-Centro wave （south-north direction） and Shanghai artificial wave （SHAW） with various peak accelerations and principal-secondary sequences, were input and experimentally studied. Based on the shaking table tests and theoretical analysis, several observations can be made. The failure sequence of the model structure is brace→beam→column→joints, so that the design philosophy for several lines of defense has been achieved. Earthquake waves with different spectrums not only influence the magnitude and distribution of the earthquake force and the storey shear force, but also obviously affect the magnitude of the displacement response. The aftershock seismic response of previously damaged reinforced concrete braced frames with irregular columns possesses the equivalent elastic performance characteristic. Generally speaking, from the aspects of failure features and drift ratio, this type of reinforced concrete structure provides adequate earthquake resistance and can be promoted for use in China.

A rapid and cost effective protocol for plant genomic DNA isolation using regenerated silica columns in combination with CTAB extraction

Isolation of high quality DNA from multiple samples can be both time-consuming and expensive. We have developed a combined protocol to reduce the time component of the hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide （CTAB） extraction method and reduced costs by regenerating the silica columns used to purify genomic DNA. We present data that shows, by in- creasing the temperature used during the CTAB method, the time required to extract crude genomic DNA can be reduced. We show that silica columns can be regenerated using HCI and still maintain their DNA-binding capacity. Furthermore, we show both spectrophotometrically, and by restriction enzyme cutting, that the quality of the eluted DNA is high. Critically, using both genomic DNA from pea and perennial ryegrass we demonstrate, using species-specific PCR primers, that there is no carry-over of DNA from repeated use of a single column. The main advantages of the method are high yield, high quality, cost effectiveness and time-saving. This method could satisfy demand when large numbers of plant genomic DNA samples are required, for example from targeting induced local lesions in genomes （TILLING） populations.