The Effect of Pore Solution on the Hysteretic Curve of Expansive Soil under Cyclic Loading

A dynamic triaxial instrument was used to study the effects of different concentrations of sodium chloride and stress amplitudes on the dynamic properties of an expansive soil under cyclic loading.In particular,four parameters were considered in such a parametric investigation,namely,hysteresis curve morphology characteristic non-closure degreeεp,the ratio of the short and long axisα,the slope of the long axis k and the enclosed area S.The results show that with an increase in the sodium chloride concentration,the soil particle double electric layer becomes thinner,the distance between soil particles decreases,and the whole sample becomes denser.Theεp-N,α-N and S–N relation curves all show a decreasing trend.The ratio of plastic deformation to total deformation grows with increasing the dynamic stress amplitude,and the curves show an upwards trend.The k-N relationship curve displays an increasing trend with the concentration and a general downwards trend as the dynamic stress amplitude is made higher.This also indicates that sodium chloride solutions can improve the engineering properties of expansive soil to a certain extent.With an increase in the vibration times N,the shape of the hysteretic curve becomes narrower,and the whole soil exhibits a cyclic strain hardening.With the help of an exponential function,a model is introduced to predict the relationship between the concentration and the hysteretic curve.

Influence of Hysteretic Behaviour in Reactive Magnetron Sputtering on the Crystal Structure and Characteristics of Aluminium Oxide Films

The influence of the hysteretic behaviour in reactive sputtering with a pure aluminium target in the presence of argon and oxygen plasma on transmittance and surface free energy of aluminium oxide films was investigated by plasma optical emission spectroscopy technology. The evolutions of aluminium, and aluminium oxide emission lines as functions of oxygen flow rate at constant power and pressure were studied. A steep transition from the metallic sputtering to the compound sputtering was observed upon increasing the oxygen flow rate from 0.0 SCCM to above 2.0 SCCM. Then an optimal deposition zone was obtained through analyzing the hysteretic curves of aluminium and aluminium oxide emission lines. The evolution of crystal structures of samples was discerned by X-ray diffraction spectra data. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data also demonstrate the relationship between the chemical compositions of aluminium oxide films and the hysteretic behaviour. The film deposited between 1.5 SCCM and 2.0 SCCM oxygen flow rate displays an optimal and stoichiometic atomic ratio of O to Al and mass ratio of O to Al. The changes in the transmittance of samples were discovered to depend on the oxygen flow rate by UV-VIS transmittance spectra, and the changes in surface free energy were studied by contact angle measurement.

Numerical simulation on the seismic performance of retrofitted masonry walls based on the combined finite-discrete element method

Due to the long construction life,improper design methods,brittle material properties and poor construction techniques,most existing masonry structures do not perform well during earthquakes.The retrofitting method using an external steel-meshed mortar layer is widely used to retrofit existing masonry buildings.Assessing the seismic performance of masonry walls reinforced by an external steel-meshed mortar layer reasonably and effectively is a difficult subject in the research field of masonry structures.Based on the combined finite-discrete elements method,the numerical models of retrofitted brick walls with four different masonry mortar strengths by an external mortar layer are established.The shear strength of mortar and the contact between the retrofitted mortar layer and the brick blocks are discussed in detail.The failure patterns and load-displacement curves of the retrofitted brick walls were obtained by applying low cycle reciprocating loads to the numerical model,and the bearing capacity and the failure mechanism of the retrofitted walls were obtained by comparing the failure patterns,ultimate bearing capacity,deformability and other aspects with the tests.This study provides a basis for improving the seismic strengthening design method of masonry structures and helps to better assess the seismic performance of masonry structures after retrofitting.

Seismic performance of double- skin steel- concrete composite box piers: Part Ⅰ——Bidirectional quasi-static testing

To study the seismic performance of double-skin steelconcrete composite box（ DSCB） piers, a total of 11 DSCB pier specimens were tested under bidirectional cyclic loading. The effects of the loading pattern, the steel plate thickness, the axial load ratio, the slenderness ratio and the aspect ratio were taken into consideration. The damage evolution process and failure modes of the tested specimens are presented in detail. Test results are also discussed in terms of the hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of DSCB pier specimens. It can be concluded that the hysteretic performance of DSCB piers in one direction is affected and weakened by the cyclic loading in the other direction. DSCB piers under bidirectional cyclic loading exhibit good performance in terms of load carrying capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. Overall, DSCB piers can meet the basic aseismic requirements. The research results can be taken as a reference for using DSCB piers as high piers in bridges in strong earthquakeprone areas.

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.

Seismic Behaviour of Beam-Column Joints of Precast and Partial Steel Reinforced Concrete

A beam-column joint of precast and partial steel reinforced concrete( PPSRC) is proposed for precast reinforced concrete frames. The PPSRC consists of partial steel and reinforced concrete. The partial steel is located in the core joint region and the connections between concrete members. This paper presents an experimental study of a series of PPSRC specimens. These specimens are tested under low cyclic loading.Experimental results demonstrate that the bearing capacity of the PPSRC specimens is 3 times that of the ordinary reinforced concrete( RC) beam-column joints. The strength and stiffness degradation rates are slower compared with that of the RC beam-column joints. In addition,the strength of the core joint region and the connections is higher than other parts of the PPSRC specimens. Beam failure occurs firstly for the PPSRC specimens,followed by column failure and connections failure. The failure of the core joint region occurs finally.Test results show that the seismic performance of the PPSRC is better than that of the ordinary RC beam-column joints.