Mechanical Characterization of Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC) Fiber Reinforced Concrete

This work presents the development and mechanical characterization of a concrete reinforced with plant fiber extracted from Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC), a plant found in the regions of Center and South Cameroon. A comparative study between ordinary concrete and concrete reinforced with RC fiber at different percentages (0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3%) was carried out. The mechanical characterization of the material consisted in studying the flexural, compressive and splitting tensile strength by using cylindrical specimens of dimensions 160 × 320 in accordance with standards EN 12390-3 and EN 12390-6. The study of the mechanical properties was completed by the three-point bending test using prismatic test specimens of dimension 40 × 40 × 160 made according to the EN 196 standard. It emerges from this work that the addition of RC fiber improves the mechanical properties of concrete up to 0.2% with a peak at 0.1% of fiber corresponding to respective increases of 9%, 16% and 6% of the values of mechanical resistance to compression, flexion and tension after 28 days. From 0.3% of fiber, the values of the mechanical characteristics of the composite drop to values lower than those of ordinary concrete. The density reduction rate at 28 days is about 10% compared to the mass of ordinary concrete. These results allow us to conclude that the RC fiber could be valorized for the production of lightweight concrete.

Mechanical Characterization of Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC) Fiber Reinforced Concrete

This work presents the development and mechanical characterization of a concrete reinforced with plant fiber extracted from Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC), a plant found in the regions of Center and South Cameroon. A comparative study between ordinary concrete and concrete reinforced with RC fiber at different percentages (0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3%) was carried out. The mechanical characterization of the material consisted in studying the flexural, compressive and splitting tensile strength by using cylindrical specimens of dimensions 160 × 320 in accordance with standards EN 12390-3 and EN 12390-6. The study of the mechanical properties was completed by the three-point bending test using prismatic test specimens of dimension 40 × 40 × 160 made according to the EN 196 standard. It emerges from this work that the addition of RC fiber improves the mechanical properties of concrete up to 0.2% with a peak at 0.1% of fiber corresponding to respective increases of 9%, 16% and 6% of the values of mechanical resistance to compression, flexion and tension after 28 days. From 0.3% of fiber, the values of the mechanical characteristics of the composite drop to values lower than those of ordinary concrete. The density reduction rate at 28 days is about 10% compared to the mass of ordinary concrete. These results allow us to conclude that the RC fiber could be valorized for the production of lightweight concrete.

Self-centering seismic retrofit scheme for reinforced concrete frame structures:SDOF system study

This paper presents the results of a parametric study of self-centering seismic retrofit schemes for reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings. The self-centering retrofit system features flag-shaped hysteresis and minimal residual deformation. For comparison purpose,an alternate seismic retrofit scheme that uses a bilinear-hysteresis retrofit system such as buckling-restrained braces (BRB) is also considered in this paper. The parametric study was carried out in a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system framework since a multi-story building structure may be idealized as an equivalent SDOF system and investigation of the performance of this equivalent SDOF system can provide insight into the seismic response of the multi-story building. A peak-oriented hysteresis model which can consider the strength and stiffness degradation is used to describe the hysteretic behavior of RC structures. The parametric study involves two key parameters -the strength ratio and elastic stiffness ratio between the seismic retrofit system and the original RC frame. An ensemble of 172 earthquake ground motion records scaled to the design basis earthquake in California with a probability of exceedance of 10% in 50 years was constructed for the simulation-based parametric study. The effectiveness of the two seismic retrofit schemes considered in this study is evaluated in terms of peak displacement ratio,peak acceleration ratio,energy dissipation demand ratio and residual displacement ratio between the SDOF systems with and without retrofit. It is found from this parametric study that RC structures retrofitted with the self-centering retrofit scheme (SCRS) can achieve a seismic performance level comparable to the bilinear-hysteresis retrofit scheme (BHRS) in terms of peak displacement and energy dissipation demand ratio while having negligible residual displacement after earthquake.

Evaluation of the fishbone model in simulating the seismic response of multistory reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames

The fishbone model is a simplified numerical model for moment-resisting frames that is capable of modelling the effects of column-beam strength and stiffness ratios. The applicability of the fishbone model in simulating the seismic responses of reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames of different sets of column-beam strength and stiffness ratios are evaluated through nonlinear static, dynamic and incremental dynamic analysis on six prototype buildings of 4-, 8-and 12-stories. The results show that the fishbone model is practically accurate enough for reinforced concrete frames, although the assumption of equal joint rotation does not hold in all cases. In addition to the ground motion characteristics and the number of stories in the structures, the accuracy of the model also varies with the column-beam stiffness and strength ratios. The model performs better for strong column-weak beam frames, in which the lateral drift patterns are better controlled by the continuous stiffness provided by the strong columns. When the inelastic deformation is large, the accuracy of the model may be subjected to large record-to-record variability. This is especially the case for frames of weak columns.

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.

Seismic retrofitting of reinforced concrete frame structures using GFRP-tube-confined-concrete composite braces

This paper presents a new type of structural bracing intended for seismic retrofitting use in framed structures. This special composite brace, termed glass-fiber-reinforced-polymer （GFRP）-tube-confined-concrete composite brace, is comprised of concrete confined by a GFRP tube and an inner steel core for energy dissipation. Together with a contribution from the GFRP-tube confined concrete, the composite brace shows a substantially increased stiffness to control story drift, which is often a preferred feature in seismic retrofitting. An analysis model is established and implemented in a general finite element analysis program - OpenSees, for simulating the load-displacement behavior of the composite brace. Using this model, a parametric study of the hysteretic behavior （energy dissipation, stiffness, ductility and strength） of the composite brace was conducted under static cyclic loading and it was found that the area ratio of steel core to concrete has the greatest influence among all the parameters considered. To demonstrate the application of the composite brace in seismic retrofitting, a three-story nonductile reinforced concrete （RC） frame structure was retrofitted with the composite braces. Pushover analysis and nonlinear time-history analyses of the retrofitted RC frame structure was performed by employing a suite of 20 strong ground motion earthquake records. The analysis results show that the composite braces can effectively reduce the peak seismic responses of the RC frame structure without significantly increasing the base shear demand.

Model Experiment on Integral Seismic Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Frame with Split Columns

Based on a series of previous studies, an experiment on the integral seismic behavior of a 1/3 scaled model of two-bay and three-story reinforced concrete frame with split columns at lower two stories is performed under cyclic loading. The original columns at lower two stories of the model frame are short columns and they are replaced by the split columns. The hysteresis curves between the horizontal cyclic load and the lateral displacement at the top of the model frame, indicate that under the cyclic loading, the model frame undergoes the process of cracking, yielding, and maximum loading before being destroyed at the ultimate load. They also indicate that the model frame has better ductility, and the ratio of the ultimate displacement to the yielding displacement, reaches 6.0. The yielding process of the model frame shows that for the frame with split columns, plastic hinges are generated at the ends of beams and then the columns begin yielding while the frame still possesses the bearing and deformation capacity. The design idea of directly changing the short column to long one in the reinforced concrete frame may be realized by replacing the short column with the split one.

Research on Seismic Reliability and Damage of Reinforced Concrete Frame

This paper first introduces the basic principle of seismic risk analysis, and then put forward the basic concept of structures global seismic fragility, aiming at the existing problems of traditional analysis method, combined the method of analytical approximation degree of structure reliability with Performance-Based Seismic Design （PBSD）, put forward the analysis method of structural reliability and the performance of the global seismic fragility, are calculated by using the finite element reliability method of structures global seismic fragility. Taking the maximum interlamination relative deformation as indicators of overall performance, we analyze seismic fragility of five storey RC frame structure, rendering the seismic fragility curves corresponding to different performance requirements and different earthquake action.

Dynamic responses of reinforced concrete beams under double-endinitiated close-in explosion

The reinforced concrete(RC) structural component might suffer a great damage under close-in explosion.Different from distant explosions, blast loads generated by the close-in explosion are non-uniformly distributed on the structural component and may cause both local and structural failure. In this study,an experimental study was conducted to investigate the dynamic responses of RC beams under doubleend-initiated close-in explosions. The experimental results show that the distribution of blast loads generated by the double-end-initiated explosion is much more non-uniform than those generated by single-point detonation, which is caused by the self-Mach-reflection effects. A 3 D finite element model was developed and validated in LS-DYNA by employing the modified K&C model. Intensive numerical calculations were conducted to study the influences of the initiation way, scaled distance and longitudinal reinforcement ratio on the dynamic responses and failure modes of RC beams. Numerical results show that the RC beam suffers greater damage as the cylindrical explosive is detonated at its double ends than the scenario in which the cylindrical explosive is detonated at its central point. RC beams mainly suffer flexural failure and flexure-shear failure under the double-end close-in explosion, and the failure modes of RC beams change from the flexural damage to flexure-shear damage as the scaled distance or the longitudinal reinforcement ratio decreases. The direct shear failure mode is not usually observed in the double-end-initiated explosion, since the intense blast loads is basically concentrated in the midspan of RC beam, which is due to self-Mach-reflection enhancement.

Experimental study on ductility improvement of reinforced concrete rectangular Columns retrofitted with a new fiber reinforced plastics method

Reinforced concrete （RC） columns lacking adequately detailed transverse reinforcement do not possess the necessary ductility to dissipate seismic energy during a major earthquake without severe strength degradation. In this paper, a new retrofit method, which utilized fiber-reinforced plastics （FRP） confinement mechanism and anchorage of embedded bars, was developed aiming to retrofit non-ductile large RC rectangular columns to prevent the damage of the plastic hinges. Carbon FRP （CFRP） sheets and glass FRP （GFRP） bars were used in this test, and five scaled RC columns were tested to examine the function of this new method for improving the ductility of columns. Responses of columns were examined before and after being retrofitted. Test results indicate that this new composite method can be very effective to improve the anti-seismic behavior of non-ductile RC columns compared with normal CFRP sheets retrofitted column.

Achievements of Truss Models for Reinforced Concrete Structures

Achievements are presented for truss models of RC structures developed in previous years: 1. Two constitutive models, biaxial and triaxial, are based on regular trusses, with bars obeying nonlinear uniaxial σ-ε laws of material under simulation;both models have been compared with test results and show a dependence of Poisson ratio on curvature of σ-ε law. 2. A truss finite element has been used in the nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of plane RC frames;it has been compared with test results and describes, in a simple way, the formation of plastic hinges. 3. Thanks to the very simple geometry of a truss, the equilibrium equations can be easily written and the stiffness matrix can be easily updated, both with respect to the deformed truss, within each step of a static incremental loading or within each time step of a dynamic analysis, so that to take into account geometric nonlinearities. So the confinement of a RC column is interpreted as a structural stability effect of concrete. And a significant role of the transverse reinforcement is revealed, that of preventing, by its close spacing and sufficient amount, the buckling of inner longitudinal concrete struts, which would lead to a global instability of the RC column. 4. The proposed truss model is statically indeterminate, so it exhibits some features, which are not met by the “strut-and-tie” model.

Progressive collapse resisting capacity of reinforced concrete load bearing wall structures

Reinforced concrete(RC) load bearing wall is widely used in high-rise and mid-rise buildings. Due to the number of walls in plan and reduction in lateral force portion, this system is not only stronger against earthquakes, but also more economical. The effect of progressive collapse caused by removal of load bearing elements, in various positions in plan and stories of the RC load bearing wall system was evaluated by nonlinear dynamic and static analyses. For this purpose, three-dimensional model of 10-story structure was selected. The analysis results indicated stability, strength and stiffness of the RC load-bearing wall system against progressive collapse. It was observed that the most critical condition for removal of load bearing walls was the instantaneous removal of the surrounding walls located at the corners of the building where the sections of the load bearing elements were changed. In this case, the maximum vertical displacement was limited to 6.3 mm and the structure failed after applying the load of 10 times the axial load bored by removed elements. Comparison between the results of the nonlinear dynamic and static analyses demonstrated that the "load factor" parameter was a reasonable criterion to evaluate the progressive collapse potential of the structure.

Effects of edge beams on mechanic behavior under lateral load in reinforced concrete hollow slab-column structure

In order to get the formulae for calculating the equivalent frame width coefficient of reinforced concrete hollow slab-column structures with edge beam,the finite element structural program was used in the elastic analysis of reinforced concrete hollow slab-column structure with different dimensions to study internal relationship between effective beam width and the frame dimensions.In addition,the formulas for calculating the increasing coefficient of edge beam were also obtained.

Optimal seismic design of reinforced concrete structures under timehistory earthquake loads using an intelligent hybrid algorithm

A reliable seismic-resistant design of structures is achieved in accordance with the seismic design codes by designing structures under seven or more pairs of earthquake records. Based on the recommendations of seismic design codes, the average time-history responses （ATHR） of structure is required. This paper focuses on the optimal seismic design of reinforced concrete （RC） structures against ten earthquake records using a hybrid of particle swarm optimization algorithm and an intelligent regression model （IRM）. In order to reduce the computational time of optimization procedure due to the computational efforts of time-history analyses, IRM is proposed to accurately predict ATHR of structures. The proposed IRM consists of the combination of the subtractive algorithm （SA）, K-means clustering approach and wavelet weighted least squares support vector machine （WWLS-SVM）. To predict ATHR of structures, first, the input-output samples of structures are classified by SA and K-means clustering approach. Then, WWLS-SVM is trained with few samples and high accuracy for each cluster. 9- and 18-storey RC frames are designed optimally to illustrate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed IRM. The numerical results demonstrate the efficiency and computational advantages of IRM for optimal design of structures subjected to time-history earthquake loads.

Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Buildings Retrofitted with Dissipative Steel Braces

The present work discusses the outcomes of recent experimental tests and numerical simulations carried out on full scale reinforced concrete （RC） non-ductile frames retrofitted with dissipative steel braces, i.e. innovative buckling restrained braces （BRBs）. Experimental tests were performed on two sample full scale RC framed buildings designed for gravity loads only. Such frames were subjected to cyclic pushovers to investigate their structural performance under different levels of earthquake loadings. The outcomes of the performed experimental tests demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of utilizing BRBs to retrofit non ductile RC frames. These outcomes were confirmed by refined non linear static and response history analyses carried out on an existing RC school framed building designed without seismic details and retrofitted with BRBs similar to those adopted for the tested full-scale frame. In such sample building the BRBs are placed along the perimeter of the existing frames to minimize the interruption of the functionality of the school and for easy of maintenance in the aftermath of major earthquake ground motions. The seismic performance assessment of the retrofitted structural system is illustrated in a detailed manner. Local and global response quantities are presented. The values of the global overstrength Ω for the case study vary between 2.14 and 2.54 for the retrofitted framed building. The translation ductility μ△-values range between 2.07 and 2.36. The response modification factor （or behaviour factor, namely R- or q-factor） is on average equal to 5.0. Additionally, the estimated maximum axial ductility of the BRBs is about 10. Finally, the cost-effectiveness of the adopted retrofitting scheme is emphasized and further needs for the application of BRBs are highlighted.

Prediction of Flexural Deformation of Reinforcement Concrete Beams with Polynomial Tension Stiffening Model

Based on an assumption of parabolic bond stress distribution,a simplified model with quartic polynomial function of the relative slip of steel bar and surrounding concrete for reinforced concrete (RC)tensile member was proposed. The post-cracking behavior as well as tension stiffening effect was considered in the new model. The relative slip of bending member could also be determined through the extension of the new model,which could be applied to obtaining the concentrated rotations at certain sections in order to predict the flexural deformation of RC beam. Several examples of four-point bending RC beams were approached to verify the new model,and the predictions of the flexural deflections of RC beams agreed well with experimental results. The new model can be extended to the application of partially corroded RC beam.

Numerical study on local failures of reinforced concrete slabs against underwater close-in explosions

Reinforced concrete(RC)slabs are the primary load-carrying member of underwater facilities.They can suffer severe local failures such as cratering,spalling,or breaching as a result of underwater close-in(UWCI)explosions.In this study,we established a fully validated high-fidelity finite element analysis approach to precisely reproduce the local failures of RC slabs after a UWCI explosion.A recently proposed dynamic constitutive model is used to describe wet concrete.The effects of free water content on the material properties,including the tensile/compressive strength,elastic modulus,strain rate effect,failure strength surface,and equation of state,are comprehensively calibrated based on existing test data.The calibrated material parameters are then verified by a single-element test.A high-fidelity finite element analysis(FEA)approach of an RC slab subjected to a UWCI explosion is established using an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian(ALE)algorithm.Simulating previous UWCI explosion tests on RC orifice targets and underwater contact explosion tests on saturated concrete slabs showed that the established FEA approach could accurately reproduce the pressure-time history in water and damage patterns,including the cracking,cratering,and spalling,of the RC orifice target and saturated concrete slab.Furthermore,parametric studies conducted by simulating an RC slab subjected to a UWCI explosion showed that:(i)the local failure of an RC slab enlarges with increased charge weight,reduced standoff distance,and reduced structural thickness;(ii)compared to a water-backed RC slab,an air-backed RC slab exhibits much more obvious local and structural failure.Lastly,to aid the anti-explosion design of relevant underwater facilities,based on over 90 simulation cases empirical formulae are summarized to predict local failure modes,i.e.,no spall,spall,and breach,of water-and air-backed RC slabs subjected to a UWCI explosion.

纤维织物增强高延性混凝土加固RC短柱抗剪性能试验研究

为研究纤维织物增强高延性混凝土(TR-HDC)加固钢筋混凝土短柱的抗剪性能,设计了6根钢筋混凝土柱,包括2个对比柱和4个TR-HDC加固柱.通过低周反复荷载试验,对比分析剪跨比、纤维织物层数对试件破坏形态、变形、承载力和耗能能力的影响.结果表明:采用TR-HDC加固钢筋混凝土短柱,可显著提高其抗剪承载力;TR-HDC与原混凝土柱协同工作性能良好,加固后的混凝土柱的变形、承载力和耗能能力明显提高;增加纤维织物的层数对钢筋混凝土短柱的抗剪承载力提高幅度较小,但可大幅增强柱的耗能和变形能力;剪跨比较大时,更有利于发挥TR-HDC加固材料的力学性能.基于桁架-拱模型,提出TR-HDC加固钢筋混凝土短柱的抗剪承载力计算方法,计算结果较准确.

设有叠合柱的局部错层RC框架结构地震易损性分析

为研究某一设有叠合柱的局部错层钢筋混凝土(reinforced concrete,RC)框架结构在近断层和远场地震作用下的破坏概率,自定义钢管混凝土叠合柱塑性铰参数,并与试验对比验证塑性铰参数的有效性。采用SAP2000建立非线性分析模型,选取近断层和远场地震波共22条,分别以地震峰值加速度(peak ground acceleration,PGA)和最大层间位移角作为地震动强度指标和结构性能指标,基于增量动力分析(incremental dynamic analysis,IDA)结果和点估计函数对错层框架结构进行易损性分析。结果表明:对于远场地震动,结构满足“三水准”抗震设防要求,在罕遇地震下超越防止倒塌极限状态的概率仅为0.24%;结构在近断层多遇地震下仍能满足“小震不坏”的设计要求,设防地震下结构超越修复后使用极限状态的概率为53.63%,发生中等破坏的概率较大,罕遇地震下结构达到倒塌极限状态的概率为5.37%,较远场地震作用破坏更为严重。研究结果可为错层框架结构的设计和地震风险评估提供参考。

附设黏滞阻尼器的RC框架结构抗震韧性评估

为研究黏滞阻尼器对钢筋混凝土(reinforced concrete,RC)框架结构抗震韧性影响,基于增量动力时程分析方法,对附设黏滞阻尼器的RC框架结构开展抗震韧性能力评估。结合FEMA P-58以及我国抗震韧性评价标准,将主要受损构件的修复费用、修复时间曲线以及易损性信息按实际情况进行相应修正,并对无控结构和有控结构的修复费用、修复时间和人员伤亡等主要抗震韧性指标进行对比分析,明确了黏滞阻尼器对RC框架结构抗震韧性的影响。研究表明,在RC框架结构中适当设置黏滞阻尼器不仅能够减小结构地震响应、降低结构破坏概率,还能有效提升结构抗震韧性。