Experimental investigation of axially loaded steel fiber reinforced high strength concrete-filled steel tube columns

An experimental study on the compressive behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete-filled steel tube columns is presented. Specimens were tested to investigate the effects of the concrete strength, the thickness of steel tube and the steel fiber volume fraction on the ultimate strength and the ductility. The experimental results indicate that the addition of steel fibers in concrete can significantly improve the ductility and the energy dissipation capacity of the concrete-filled steel tube columns and delay the local buckling of the steel tube, but has no obvious effect on the failure mode. It has also been found that the addition of steel fibers is a more effective method than using thicker steel tube in enhancing the ductility, and more advantageous in the case of higher strength concrete. An analytical model to estimate the load capacity is proposed for steel tube columns filled with both plain concrete and steel fiber reinforced concrete. The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental ones obtained in this work and literatures.

Microstructural evolution and strengthening mechanism of aligned steel fiber cement-based tail backfills exposed to electromagnetic induction

Cemented tailings backfill(CTB)not only boosts mining safety and cuts surface environmental pollution but also recovers ores previously retained as pillars,thereby improving resource utilization.The use of alternative reinforcing products,such as steel fiber(SF),has continuously strengthened CTB into SFCTB.This approach prevents strength decreases over time and reinforces its long-term durability,especially when mining ore in adjacent underground stopes.In this study,various microstructure and strength tests were performed on SFCTB,considering steel fiber ratio and electromagnetic induction strength effects.Lab findings show that combining steel fibers and their distribution dominantly influences the improvement of the fill’s strength.Fill’s strength rises by fiber insertion and has an evident correlation with fiber insertion and magnetic induction strength.When magnetic induction strength is 3×10^(-4) T,peak uniaxial compressive stress reaches 5.73 MPa for a fiber ratio of 2.0vol%.The cracks’expansion mainly started from the specimen’s upper part,which steadily expanded downward by increasing the load until damage occurred.The doping of steel fiber and its directional distribution delayed crack development.When the doping of steel fiber was 2.0vol%,SFCTBs showed excellent ductility characteristics.The energy required for fills to reach destruction increases when steel-fiber insertion and magnetic induction strength increase.This study provides notional references for steel fibers as underground filling additives to enhance the fill’s durability in the course of mining operations.

Mechanical properties and damage evolution characteristics of waste tire steel fiber-modified cemented paste backfill

During the process of constructional backfill mining,the cemented paste backfill(CPB)typically exhibits a high degree of brittleness and limited resistance to failure.In this study,the mechanical and damage evolution characteristics of waste tire steel fiber(WTSF)-modified CPB were studied through uniaxial compression tests,acoustic emission(AE)tests,and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The results showed that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)decreased when the WTSF content was 0.5%,1%,and 1.5%.When the WTSF content reached 1%,the UCS of the modified CPB exhibited a minimal decrease(0.37 MPa)compared to that without WTSF.When the WTSF content was 0.5%,1%,and 1.5%,peak strain of the WTSF-modified CPB increased by 18%,31.33%,and 81.33%,while the elastic modulus decreased by 21.31%,26.21%,and 45.42%,respectively.The addition of WTSF enhances the activity of AE events in the modified CPB,resulting in a slower progression of the entire failure process.After the failure,the modified CPB retained a certain level of load-bearing capacity.Generally,the failure of the CPB was dominated by tensile cracks.After the addition of WTSF,a gradual increase in the proportion of tensile cracks was observed upon loading the modified CPB sample to the pore compaction stage.The three-dimensional localization of AE events showed that the WTSF-modified CPB underwent progressive damage during the loading,and the samples still showed good integrity after failure.Additionally,the response relationship between energy evolution and damage development of WTSF-modified CPB during uniaxial compression was analyzed,and the damage constitutive model of CPB samples with different WTSF contents was constructed.This study provides a theoretical basis for the enhancement of CPB modified by adding WTSF,serving as a valuable reference for the design of CPB constructional backfill.

Effect of Shrinkage Reducing Agent and Steel Fiber on the Fluidity and Cracking Performance of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Due to the low water-cement ratio of ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC),fluidity and shrinkage cracking are key aspects determining the performance and durability of this type of concrete.In this study,the effects of different types of cementitious materials,chemical shrinkage-reducing agents(SRA)and steel fiber(SF)were assessed.Compared with M2-UHPC and M3-UHPC,M1-UHPC was found to have better fluidity and shrinkage cracking performance.Moreover,different SRA incorporation methods,dosage and different SF types and aspect ratios were implemented.The incorporation of SRA and SF led to a decrease in the fluidity of UHPC.SRA internal content of 1%(NSRA-1%),SRA external content of 1%(WSRA-1%),STS-0.22 and STE-0.7 decreased the fluidity of UHPC by 3.3%,8.3%,9.2%and 25%,respectively.However,SRA and SF improved the UHPC shrinkage cracking performance.NSRA-1%and STE-0.7 reduced the shrinkage value of UHPC by 40%and 60%,respectively,and increased the crack resistance by 338%and 175%,respectively.In addition,the addition of SF was observed to make the microstructure of UHPC more compact,and the compressive strength and flexural strength of 28 d were increased by 26.9%and 19.9%,respectively.

Experimental research on ultimate bearing capacity of N-joints of grouted square steel tube trusses

Cave-in failure is apt to occur in joints of trusses made of square hollow sections. In order to turn the failure mode into a strength failure mode of joint members, the idea is proposed that the chord of the truss is grouted to increase the cave-in beating capacity of a hollow tube chord. An experiment of eight specimens of N- joints made of grout-filled square steel tubes is performed. Based on the experimental study, the geometrical parameters of specimens are analyzed, and the effects of the confinement index ε, the spacing between the two web members g and the ratio of side length of the vertical web member to that of the chord β on the behavior of specimens are investigated through simulation analysis by simulation analyses, the mechanical properties and the failure an ANSYS program. Based on the test results and modes of this kind of joints are analyzed and the formulae to predict the ultimate bearing capacities corresponding to different failure modes are developed. The ultimate bearing capacity of compressive N-joints is calculated in accordance with the cave-in failure mode of a chord member; the ultimate bearing capacity of tension N-joints is calculated in accordance with the punchingshear failure mode; the ultimate bearing capacity of a chord member is calculated in accordance with the shear failure mode in normal sections.

Seismic performance of recycled concrete-filled square steel tube columns

An experimental study on the seismic performance of recycled concrete-filled square steel tube （RCFST） columns is carried out. Six specimens were designed and tested under constant axial compression and cyclic lateral loading. Two parameters, replacement percentage of recycled coarse aggregate （RCA） and axial compression level, were considered in the test. Based on the experimental data, the hysteretic loops, skeleton curves, ductility, energy dissipation capacity and stiffness degradation of RCFST columns were analyzed. The test results indicate that the failure modes of RCFST columns are the local buckling of the steel tube at the bottom of the columns, and the hysteretic loops are full and their shapes are similar to normal CFST columns. Furthermore, the ductility coefficient of all specimens are close to 3.0, and the equivalent viscous damping coefficient corresponding to the ultimate lateral load ranges from 0.323 to 0.360, which demonstrates that RCFST columns exhibit remarkable seismic performance.

Effect of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on CO2 Corrosion Behavior of Tube Steel

Effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on the CO2 corrosion behaviors of tube steel were studied in simulated oil-field environment.The influence of Ca2+and Mg2+ on the corrosion rate and morphologies of corrosion product layer was determined by scanning electron microscope and measuring mass loss.Potentiodynamic polarization and impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate the change of electrochemical characteristic parameters of corrosion product layer and corrosion dynamic process.The results show that with Ca2+ and Mg2+ in electrolyte,the morphologies and microstructures of corrosion product layer changed obviously,thus affecting the corrosion process.

Mechanical Properties of Layered Steel Fiber and Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete

To explore a new structure form of fiber reinforced concrete, namely, the layered steel fiber and layered hybrid fiber reinforced concrete （LSFRC and LHFRC）, the mechanical properties of LSFRC and LHFRC, such as compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, fatigue and durability were focused on. The experimental results show that LSFRC and LHFRC can improve the flexural strength of concrete by 20%-50%. In the aspect of improving the flexural strength of concrete, adulterant rate has more obvious effect than length/diameter ratio. Double logarithmic fatigue equation considered liveability was founded. The impermeability of LHFRC is superior to LSFRC and plain concrete （C）. However, the porosity of LHFRC is lower than LSFRC and C. The shrinkage of LHFRC at every age is obviously lower than C. The antifreeze durability of LHFRC is also better than C.

Microstructure of Steel Fiber Reinforced Polymer-cement-based Composites

Mercury intrusion porosimetry was used to measure the pore structure of steel fiber reinforced polymer-cement-based composite. The results indicate that the large pore volume decreases by 57. 8% - 51.2% and by 87. 1% - 88% with the addition of steel fibers and polymers respectively. When both steel fibers and polymers are simultaneously added, the large pore volume decreases by 88.3% - 90.1% . As a surface active material , polymer has a favorable water-reduced and forming-film effect, which is contributed to the decrease of the thickness of water film and the improvement of the conglutination between the fibers and the matrix. Polymers could form a microstructure network. This network structure and the bone structure of cement hydration products penetrate each other and thus the interpenetrating network with sticky aggregate and steel fiber inside forms.

Research on seismic performance of shear walls with concrete filled steel tube columns and concealed steel trusses

In order to further improve the seismic performance of RC shear walls, a new composite shear wall with concrete filled steel tube （CFT） columns and concealed steel trusses is proposed. This new shear wall is a double composite shear wall; the first composite being the use of three different force systems, CFT, steel truss and shear wall, and the second the use of two different materials, steel and concrete. Three 1/5 scaled experimental specimens： a traditional RC shear wall, a shear wall with CFT columns, and a shear wall with CFT columns and concealed steel trusses, were tested under cyclic loading and the seismic performance indices of the shear walls were comparatively analyzed. Based on the data from these experiments, a thorough elastic-plastic finite element analysis and parametric analysis of the new shear walls were carried out using ABAQUS software. The finite element results of deformation, stress distribution, and the evolution of cracks in each phase were compared with the experimental results and showed good agreement. A mechanical model was also established for calculating the load-carrying capacity of the new composite shear walls. The results show that this new type of shear wall has improved seismic performance over the other two types of shear wails tested.

Effect of contact thermal resistance on temperature distributions of concrete-filled steel tubes in fire

To predicate the temperature distribution of concrete-filled steel tubes(CFSTs) being exposure to fire,a finite element analysis model was developed using a finite element package,ANSYS.A suggested value of contact thermal resistance was therefore proposed with the supporting of massive numbers of collected test data.Parametric analysis was conducted subsequently towards the cross-sectional temperature distribution of CFST columns in four-side fire,in which the exposure time,width of the cross section,steel ratio were taken into account with considering contact thermal resistance.It was found that contact thermal resistance has little effect on the overall temperature regulation with the exposure time,the width of cross-section or the change of steel ratio.However,great temperature dropping at the concrete adjacent to the contact interface,and gentle temperature increase at steel tube,exist if considering contact thermal resistance.The results of the study are expected to provide theoretical basis for the fire resistance behavior and design of the CFST columns being exposure to fire.

Damage assessment for seismic response of recycled concrete filled steel tube columns

A model for evaluating structural damage of recycled aggregate concrete filled steel tube （RCFST） columns under seismic effects is proposed in this paper. The proposed model takes the lateral deformation and the effect of repeated cyclic loading into account. Available test results were collected and utilized to calibrate the parameters of the proposed model. A seismic test for six RCFST columns was also performed to validate the proposed damage assessment model. The main test parameters were the recycled coarse aggregate （RCA） replacement percentage and the bond-slip property. The test results indicated that the seismic performance of the RCFST member depends on the RCA contents and their damage index increases as the RCA replacement percentage increases. It is also indicated that the damage degree of RCFST changes with the variation of the RCA replacement percentage. Finally, comparisons between the RCA contents, lateral deformation ratio and damage degree were implemented. It is suggested that an improvement procedure should be implemented in order to compensate for the performance difference between the RCFST and normal concrete filled steel tubes （CFST）.

Effect of Acid Rain Erosion on Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Acid rain can deteriorate the performance of reinforced concrete structure.Combined with the characteristics of acid rain in China,the properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete subjected to acid rain were studied.The effects of steel fiber content and pH value of acid rain on the mass loss,erosion depth,neutralization depth,and splitting tensile strength of tested concrete were investigated.The mercury intrusion pore（MIP） test was used to analyze the influence of steel fiber on the acid rain resistance of concrete matrix.The results show that the corrosion of steel fiber reinforced concrete subjected to acid rain results from the combined effect of H^＋ and SO4^2- in the acid rain,and steel fiber can improve the acid rain resistance of the tested concrete by improving the pore structure and enhancing the tie effect of the concrete matrix.The experiment further indicates that the optimum content of steel fiber is 1.5%compared to the various mixing proportion in this tests.The tested concrete mass loss and splitting tensile strength decrease followed by increasing as a function of corrosion time when the pH value of the simulation solution is 3 or 4,while they decrease continuously in the simulation solution at pH 2.Thanks to the tie effect of steel fiber,the spalling of concrete matrix is significantly improved,and the erosion depth and neutralization depth are less than those of conventional concrete.

Deformation behaviors of 21-6-9 stainless steel tube numerical control bending under different friction conditions

For contact dominated numerical control(NC) bending process of tube, the effect of friction on bending deformation behaviors should be focused on to achieve precision bending forming. A three dimensional(3D) elastic-plastic finite element(FE) model of NC bending process was established under ABAQUS/Explicit platform, and its reliability was validated by the experiment. Then, numerical study on bending deformation behaviors under different frictions between tube and various dies was explored from multiple aspects such as wrinkling, wall thickness change and cross section deformation. The results show that the large friction of wiper die-tube reduces the wrinkling wave ratio η and cross section deformation degree ΔD and increases the wall thinning degree Δt. The large friction of mandrel-tube causes large η, Δt and ΔD, and the onset of wrinkling near clamp die. The large friction of pressure die-tube reduces Δt and ΔD, and the friction on this interface has little effect on η. The large friction of bending die-tube reduces η and ΔD, and the friction on this interface has little effect on Δt. The reasonable friction coefficients on wiper die-tube, mandrel-tube, pressure die-tube and bending die-tube of 21-6-9(0Cr21Ni6Mn9N) stainless steel tube in NC bending are 0.05-0.15, 0.05-0.15, 0.25-0.35 and 0.25-0.35, respectively. The results can provide a guideline for applying the friction conditions to establish the robust bending environment for stable and precise bending deformation of tube bending.

Effect of Combination of Steel Fiber and MgO-type Expansive Agent on Properties of Concrete

The effect of combination of steel fiber and MgO-type expansive agent （MEA） on strength, air-permeability and porosity of concrete was investigated. The porosity and air-permeability of concrete were determined by method of evaporated water and Torrent permeability tester, respectively. Pore structures of mortars in concrete were analyzed using mercury intrusion porosimetry （MIP）. Interfacial structures between steel fibers and matrix were examined by use of optical microscope. The experimental results show that improvement of pore structures of mortar and fiber-matrix interfacial structure in concrete by combination of steel fiber and MEA may remarkably increase properties of concrete. In comparison with plain concrete, compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of steel fiber reinforced expansive concrete increased by 15.3% and 38.1%, permeability coefficient Kt, penetration depth L and porosity of concrete decreased by 41.1%, 21.3% and 13.1% at 28 days, respectively.

Rapid online analysis of trace elements in steel using a mobile fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system

A mobile fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectrometer(FO-LIBS) prototype was developed to rapidly detect a large quantity of steel material online and quantitatively analyze the trace elements in a large-diameter steel tube.Twenty-four standard samples and a polynomial fitting method were used to establish calibration curve models.The R^2 factors of the calibration curves were all above 0.99,except for Cu,indicating the elements’ strong self-absorption effect.Five special steel materials were rapidly detected in the steel mill.The average absolute errors of Mn,Cr,Ni,V,Cu,and Mo in the special steel materials were 0.039,0.440,0.033,0.057,0.003,and0.07 wt%,respectively,and their average relative errors fluctuated from 2.9% to 15.7%.The results demonstrated that the performance of this mobile FO-LIBS prototype can be compared with that of most conventional LIBS systems,but the more robust and flexible characteristics of the FO-LIBS prototype provide a feasible approach for promoting LIBS from the laboratory to the industry.

Assessment of Fiber Distribution in Steel Fiber Mortar Using Image Analysis

A new test method was introduced to measure fiber distribution in steel fiber reinforced mortar by using image analysis technique. Through specimen preparation, image acquisition, fiber extraction, and measurement of related fiber parameters, quantitative analysis of fiber distribution could be obtained by two parameters, namely dispersion coefficient and orientation factor. Effect of boundaries, size and steel fiber content on fiber distribution was discussed. Results showed that, steel fiber distribution was affected by boundary effect, which would be weakened with the increase of specimen size. If the length and width remained constant, the specimen height had a significant effect on orientation factor of fiber, while its influence on dispersion coefficient was not so obvious. With the increase of steel fiber content, dispersion coefficient decreased slightly, and orientation factor deviated from 0.5.

Axial Compression Behavior and Analytical Method of L-Shaped Column Composed of Concrete-Filled Square Steel Tubes

Based on the characteristics of an L-shaped column composed of concrete-filled square steel tubes, the axial compression experiment and nonlinear finite element analysis were carried out to study the mechanical property of the L-shaped column. The load-displacement curve for the L-shaped column, the deflection and load-strain curves for the mono columns were obtained by the axial compression experiment. The results show that the L-shaped column exhibits a flexural-torsional buckling failure mode. The numerical simulation by the finite element analysis shows that the bearing capacity and failure mode are in accordance with those of the axial compression experiment and the feasi- bility of the finite element analysis is proved. For the calculation of the bearing capacity of the L-shaped column com- posed of concrete-filled square steel tubes, an analytical method is proposed based on the theory of the elastic stability and spatial truss model. The results of the analytical method are in good agreement with those of the axial compression experiment and the finite element analysis.

Charactersitics of Stress-strain Curve of High Strength Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete under Uniaxial Tension

A whole of 110 specimens divided into 22 groups were tested with varying the volume fraction of steel fibers and the matrix strength of these specimens. The stress-strain behaviors of four types of steel fiber reinforced concrete （SFRC） under uniaxial tension were studied experimentally. When the matrix strength and the fiber content increase, the tensile stress and tensile strain vary differently according to the fiber type. The mechanisms of reinforcing effect for different types of fiber were analyzed and the stress-strain curves of the specimens were plotted. Some experimental factors for stress or strain of SFRC were given. A tensile toughness modulus Re0.5 was introduced to evaluate the toughness characters of SFRC under uniaxial tension. Moreover, the formula of the tensile stress-strain curve of SFRC was regressed. The theoretical curve and the experimental ones fit well, which can be used for references in construction.

Bending behaviour of lightweight aggregate concrete-filled steel tube spatial truss beam

A lightweight aggregate concrete-filled steel tube(LACFST) spatial truss beam was tested under bending load. The performance was studied by the analysis of the beam deflection and strains in its chords and webs. According to the test results, several assumptions were made to deduce the bearing capacity calculation method based on the force balance of the whole section. An optimal dimension relationship for the truss beam chords was proposed and verified by finite element analysis. Results show that the LACFST spatial truss beam failed after excessive deflection. The strain distribution agreed with Bernoulli-Euler theoretical prediction. The truss beam flexural bearing capacity calculation results matched test evidence with only a 3% difference between the two. Finite element analyses with different chord dimensions show that the ultimate bearing capacity increases as the chord dimensions increase when the chords have a diameter smaller than optimal one; otherwise, it remains almost unchanged as the chord dimensions increase.