Mechanical Behavior Based on Aggregates Microstructure of Ultra-high Performance Concrete

We developed ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)incorporating mullite sand and brown corundum sand(BCS),and the quartz sand UHPC was utilized to prepare for comparison.The properties of compressive strength,elastic modulus,ultrasonic pulse velocity,flexural strength,and toughness were investigated.Scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation were also conducted to reveal the underlying mechanisms affecting macroscopic performance.Due to the superior interface bonding properties between mullite sand and matrix,the compressive strength and flexural toughness of UHPC have been significantly improved.Mullite sand and BCS aggregates have higher stiffness than quartz sand,contributing to the excellent elastic modulus exhibited by UHPC.The stiffness and volume of aggregates have a more significant impact on the elastic modulus of UHPC than interface performance,and the latter contributes more to the strength of UHPC.This study will provide a reference for developing UHPC with superior elastic modulus for structural engineering.

The Influence of Chemical Admixtures on the Fluidity,Viscosity and Rheological Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

To achieve higher strength and better durability,ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)typically employs a relatively small water-binder ratio.However,this generally leads to an undesired increase in the paste viscosity.In this study,the effects of liquid and powder polycarboxylate superplasticizers(PCE)on UHPC are compared and critically discussed.Moreover,the following influential factors are considered:air-entraining agents(AE),slump retaining agents(SA),and defoaming agents(DF)and the resulting flow characteristics,mechanical properties,and hydration properties are evaluated assuming UHPC containing 8‰powder PCE(PCE-based UHPC).It is found that the spread diameter of powder PCE is 5%higher than that of liquid PCE.Among the chemical admixtures studied,AEs have the best effect on improving UHPC workability,while DFs have the worst effect.When the addition of AE and SA is 1.25‰and 14.7%of PCE,paste viscosity reduces by 35%and 19%,respectively compared to the paste with only 8‰PCE.A low AE dosage(1.25‰)decreases compressive strength by 4.1%,while SA(8.1%)increases UHPC compressive strength by 9.1%.Both AE and SA significantly delay the UHPC hydration process,reducing the hydration heat release peaks by 76%and 27%,respectively.

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.

Influence Mechanism of Curing Regimes on Interfacial Transition Zone of Lightweight Ultra-High Performance Concrete

This study aims to clarify the effects of curing regimes and lightweight aggregate(LWA)on the morphology, width and mechanical properties of the interfacial transition zone(ITZ) of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC), and provide reference for the selection of lightweight ultra-high performance concrete(L-UHPC) curing regimes and the pre-wetting degree LWA. The results show that, under the three curing regimes(standard curing, steam curing and autoclaved curing), LWA is tightly bound to the matrix without obvious boundaries. ITZ width increases with the water absorption of LWA and decreases with increasing curing temperature. The ITZ microhardness is the highest when water absorption is 3%, and the microhardness value is more stable with the distance from LWA. Steam and autoclaved curing increase ITZ microhardness compared to standard curing. As LWA pre-wetting and curing temperatures increase, the degree of hydration at the ITZ increases, generating high-density CSH(HD CSH) and ultra-high-density CSH(UHD CSH), and reducing unhydrated particles in ITZ. ITZ micro-mechanical properties are optimized due to hydration products being denser.

Design of Eco-friendly Ultra-high Performance Concrete with Supplementary Cementitious Materials and Coarse Aggregate

Aiming to investigate the mix design of eco-friendly UHPC with supplementary cementitious materials and coarser aggregates, we comprehensively studied the workability, microstructure, porosity, compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC. Relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus was obtained eventually. It is found that the compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC increase by 19.01%, 10.81%, and 5.99%, respectively, when 40 wt% cement is replaced with supplementary cementitious materials. The relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus of UHPC is an exponential form.

Preparation of Heavyweight Ultra-high Performance Concrete Using Barite Sand and Titanium-rich Heavy Slag Sand

The heavyweight ultra-high performance concrete(HUHPC)was prepared with barite sand partially replaced by titanium-rich heavy slag sand(THS)at replacement proportion of 0%,30%,50%,70%and 100%in this work.The results show that THS incorporation can effectively improve the mechanical properties and reduce the volume shrinkage of HUHPC.The HUHPC with 50%THS replacement reaches an apparent density of 2890 kg/m^(3)(for fresh HUHPC),28 d compressive strength of 129 MPa,28 d flexural strength of 23 MPa,28 d flexural toughness of 28.4,56 d volume shrinkage of 359×10^(-4) and,as expected,excellent durability.Microstructural investigation demonstrates that the internal curing of pre-wetted THS promotes the hydration of the surrounding cement paste thereby strengthening the interfacial transition zone,resulting in the“hard shell”formation around aggregate to“protect”the aggregate.Additionally,the“pin structure”significantly improves the cement paste-aggregate interfacial connection.The combination of“hard shell protection”and“pin structure”remarkably improve the mechanical properties of HUHPC produced with porous THS aggregate.

Dynamic Mechanical Behaviour of Ultra-high Performance Fiber Reinforced Concretes

Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concretes （UHPFRC） were prepared by replacing 60% of cement with ultra-fine industrial waste powder. The dynamic mechanical behaviour of UHPFRC with different fiber volume fraction was researched on repeated compressive impact in four kinds of impact modes through split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB）. The experimental results show that the peak stress and elastic modulus decrease and the strain rate and peak strain increase gradually with the increasing of impact times. The initial material damage increases and the peak stress of the specimen decreases from the second impact with the increasing of the initial incident wave. Standard strength on repeated impact is defined to compare the ability of resistance against repeated impact among different materials. The rate of reduction of standard strength is decreased by fiber reinforcement under repeated impact. The material damage is reduced and the ability of repeated impact resistance of UHPFRC is improved with the increasing of fiber volume fraction.

Different Curing Systems on Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete with Coarse Aggregate

High durability and high tensile strength makes ultra-high performance concrete( UHPC) an ideal material for bridges,while its early shrinkage in the construction of cast-in-situ mass concrete leads structure crack-easily,which restricts the application of UHPC in deck system. Whether reasonable amount of coarse aggregate can influence the strength of UHPC and improve the shrinkage performance or reduce the cost is still in doubt. Besides,in order to improve its constructability and workability, whether autoclaved curing system of UHPC can be changed remains to be further researched. In response to these circumstances, a systematic experimental study on the strength of UHPC mixed with coarse aggregate in different ratios has been presented in this paper. The three curing systems,namely standard curing,180-200 ℃/1. 1 MPa autoclaved curing,and hot water curing were tested to reveal the relationship between UHPC's properties and curing systems,and the UHPC ' s microstructure was also preliminarily studied by scanning electron microscope( SEM). The experimental research can draw the following conclusions. Under the condition of the same mix ratio, autoclaved curing guarantees the highest compressive strength,followed by hot water curing and standard curing. The compressive strength of concrete increases with the temperature in the range of 25 to 90 ℃ hot water curing,and high temperature in precuring period can speed up the strength development of UHPC,but the sequence of precuring period does not obviously affect the results. In 90 ℃ hot water and autoclaved curing,the strength is over 150 MPa,and it has little relation with gravel ratio. While the value increases first and then decreases in a lower temperature curing with the increasing of gravel amount,even only about 80 MPa at room temperature. The strength increases moderately along with the increase of the curing age by standard curing,especially in the initial stage.

Flexural Bond Behavior of Rebar in Ultra-High Performance Concrete Beams Considering Lap-Splice Length and Cover Depth

This study intends to find out the correlation between the cover depth and the bond characteristics of UHPC through pull-out tests of UHPC specimens with different cover depths and bond tests of rebar using flexural members. In this experimental study, specimens are fabricated with the lap-splice length as test variable in relation with the calculation of the lap-splice length for 180- MPa UHPC. Moreover, specimens are also fabricated with the cover depth as test variable to evaluate the effect of the cover depth on the UHPC flexural members. The load-displacement curves are analyzed for each of these test variables to compute the lap-splice length proposed in the K-UHPC structural design guideline and to evaluate the influence of the cover depth on the flexural members. As a result, the stability of the structural behavior can be significantly enhanced by increasing slightly the cover depth specification of the current UHPC Structure Design Guideline from the maximum value between 1.5 times of rebar diameter and 20 mm to the maximum value between 1.5 times of rebar diameter and 25 mm.

Development of Optimal Structural System for Hybrid Cable-Stayed Bridges Using Ultra High Performance Concrete

This study developed an optimal structural system for the hybrid cable-stayed bridge expected to have a durable lifetime of 200 years and of which major structural members are made of ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) with 200 MPa-class compressive strength. This innovative cable-stayed bridge system makes it possible to reduce each of the construction and maintenance costs by 20% compared to the conventional concrete cable-stayed bridge by improving significantly the weight and durability of the bridge. Therefore, detail design is carried out considering a real 800 m cable-stayed bridge and the optimal structure of the hybrid cable-stayed bridge is proposed and verified.

Automatic detection and assessment of crack development in ultra-high performance concrete in the spatial and Fourier domains

Automatic detection and assessment of surface cracks are beneficial for understanding the mechanical performance of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC).This study detects crack evolution using a novel dynamic mode decomposition(DMD)method.In this method,the sparse matrix‘determined’from images is used to reconstruct the foreground that contains cracks,and the global threshold method is adopted to extract the crack patterns.The application of the DMD method to the three-point bending test demonstrates the efficiency in inspecting cracks with high accuracy.Accordingly,the geometric features,including the area and its projection in two major directions,are evaluated over time.The relationship between the geometric properties of cracks and load-displacement curves of UHPC is discussed.Due to the irregular shape of cracks in the spatial domain,the cracks are then transformed into the Fourier domain to assess their development.Results indicate that crack patterns in the Fourier domain exhibit a distinct concentration around a central position.Moreover,the power spectral density of cracks exhibits an increasing trend over time.The investigation into crack evolution in both the spatial and Fourier domains contributes significantly to elucidating the mechanical behavior of UHPC.

Modifying effects and mechanisms of superfine stainless wires on microstructures and mechanical properties of ultra-high performance seawater sea-sand concrete

Ultra-high-performance seawater sea-sand concrete(UHPSSC)presents a prospective solution to address the natural resource shortage in marine infrastructure construction.To eliminate the corrosion risk of steel fibers and broaden the applicability of UHPSSC,this study investigates the mechanical properties and free chloride ion content as well as microstructures of UHPSSC reinforced with superfine stainless wires(SSWs)under natural curing.The results indicate that 1.5%SSWs can remarkably improve the flexural strength and toughness of UHPSSC by 127%and 1724%,respectively,and mitigate the long-term strength degradation of UHPSSC.The strong interfacial bond between SSW and UHPSSC improves the compactness of UHPSSC,thus reducing the growth space for Ca(OH)_(2) crystals and swelling hydration products generated by sulfate and magnesium ions.This can be supported by the observed reduction in the Ca/Si ratio of C–S–H gels,CH crystal orientation index,and porosity.Moreover,through mechanisms such as pull-out,rupture,overlapping network,and internal anchor interface,SSWs effectively prevent microcrack growth and propagation,transforming single long-connected microcracks into multiple-emission microcracks centered on SSW.Additionally,the free chloride ion content of the composites at 28 and 180 d meets the ACI 318-19 standard requirements for concrete exposed to seawater.This compliance is attributed to the chloride immobilization facilitated by Friedel’s salt and C–S–H gels within the interfaces around SSWs and sea-sand.Consequently,SSWs-reinforced UHPSSC exhibits considerable potential for applications in sustainable marine infrastructures,demanding long-term mechanical properties and high durability.

钢-UHPC组合桥面板横向负弯矩区受弯性能研究

为明确横向负弯矩作用下,剪力键形式、接缝设置情形、配筋率和钢混界面黏结状态等参数对钢-超高性能混凝土(ultra-high-performance concrete,UHPC)组合板受力性能的影响,完成了8块组合板局部足尺模型静力弯曲试验及有限元参数分析。试验结果表明:开孔板(perfobond leiste,PBL)试件的名义开裂强度(对应最大裂缝宽度为0.05 mm)较栓钉试件提高16.8%;矩形齿缝试件的名义开裂强度较整浇试件降低16%~23%;UHPC层钢筋配筋率从1.96%增加到2.82%时,名义开裂强度提高16.2%;钢板-UHPC界面涂油除黏PBL试件的初裂强度和名义开裂强度较界面黏结试件分别降低10.1%和5.8%。数值分析结果表明:PBL贯穿钢筋的存在、PBL和栓钉间距的减小能有效提高组合板的开裂后刚度;PBL开孔钢板上的孔径和孔间距对组合板的受力性能影响较小。

钢-UHPC轻型组合结构短栓钉抗剪性能试验研究

通过6个钢-超高性能混凝土(ultra-high performance concrete,UHPC)轻型组合结构短栓钉推出试验,对其抗剪承载力、破坏形态、栓钉应变及荷载-滑移曲线进行了研究,探讨了栓钉直径、长度、数量以及界面黏结对短栓钉抗剪性能的影响规律.结果表明:所有试件均为栓钉根部剪切破坏,UHPC板除栓钉根部沿承压方向部分UHPC压碎外,其余部分保持完好,UHPC可以抵抗栓钉传递的高压应力;栓钉根部截面屈服后应力强化阶段明显,栓钉发生剪切破坏时,栓钉根部上侧应变超过3500με;长径比为2.0的短栓钉在UHPC中也能发挥全部强度;所有试件的荷载-滑移曲线分为弹性、弹塑性和塑性3个阶段,所有短栓钉的最大滑移量均小于4 mm,工程应用时应按照弹性剪力连接件进行设计;栓钉直径对栓钉抗剪性能提高最显著,直径16 mm的栓钉比直径13 mm的栓钉的抗剪承载力和极限滑移分别提高了46.4%和11%,弹性刚度和塑性刚度分别提高了35.8%和59.1%,增加栓钉长度和界面黏结能有效提高栓钉的剪切刚度,长径比为3.0的栓钉比长径比为2.5的栓钉的弹性刚度提高了12.3%,界面有黏结试件比界面无黏结试件的弹性刚度提高了17.4%;相同间距内,合理增加更多栓钉有利于提高整体抗剪强度,但会降低延性变形能力.最后,结合实验数据和国内外UHPC中栓钉推出试验结果,建立了UHPC中栓钉荷载-滑移曲线和抗剪承载力预测表达式,计算值与试验值吻合良好.

UHPC在T梁桥错孔拼宽湿接缝中的设计研究

装配式桥梁拼宽改造会出现错孔拼宽的情况,由于新旧桥错孔布置导致活荷载作用下新旧桥竖向变形在横向不协调,常规的普通混凝土拼接湿接缝方案难以满足车辆荷载产生的横向拉应力。以某高速公路改扩建项目中3×30m预应力混凝土T梁错孔拼宽改造为背景,在常规对孔拼接缝方案的基础上,结合超高性能混凝土(UHPC)抗拉性能,研究了一种不等宽柔性拼接方案,并采用有限元软件建立在最不利错孔15m情况下T梁实体模型,分析温度、车辆荷载、沉降对T梁拼接缝处的受力性能。结果表明:该结构在单项运营荷载及运营荷载组合作用下,结构受力满足材料性能要求,方案可行。

FRP网格-UHPC复合加固RC梁抗弯性能有限元分析

我国建筑、桥梁等结构大多已接近使用年限,亟需加固改造。为解决新旧接触界面易产生剥离、新加结构与原有部分无法共同受力的问题,改善传统加固方法,采用FRP网格-UHPC复合加固钢筋混凝土梁。用ABAQUS有限元软件进行数值模拟分析,模拟结果与试验结果吻合较好,能够准确模拟FRP网格增强超高性能混凝土(UHPC)复合加固钢筋混凝土梁的抗弯性能。分析FRP网格横、纵向结点数和复合加固层粘结长度等参数对加固梁受弯性能的影响,结果显示,随着粘结长度的增加,加固效果提升显著,承载力最大提升幅度为121.929%;通过增加横向网格结点数,可以有效地增强FRP网格与UHPC之间的机械锚固能力,从而使承载力提升。研究成果为FRP网格-UHPC加固混凝土结构提供参考。

体外预应力节段式UHPC无腹筋梁抗剪性能试验研究

体外预应力节段式超高性能混凝土(UHPC)无腹筋桥梁由于其施工工业化水平高且构造简单,得到广泛地关注,但其抗剪性能研究尚不成熟,相关规范也相对滞后。为了研究体外预应力节段式UHPC无腹筋梁的抗剪性能,开展了静力破坏试验,共制作了5根体外预应力节段式UHPC无腹筋梁、2根体外预应力节段式UHPC有腹筋梁和1根体外预应力整体式UHPC无腹筋梁,选取了剪跨比、钢纤维掺量、箍筋间距为研究参数进行试验。结果表明:接缝张开后梁刚度明显下降;添加钢纤维的试验梁的裂缝多而密;钢纤维的掺入可以提高梁的开裂强度、极限强度和裂后性能,2%钢纤维掺量的梁开裂强度比1.5%和0%掺量的增大8.20%和1.16倍;配箍筋的梁在钢纤维失效后箍筋开始受力,并且很快达到屈服,箍筋的存在可以提高梁极限承载力,无腹筋梁的极限承载力比箍筋间距为150 mm和75 mm的梁低15.9%和19.6%。采用AASHTO GSCB INTERIM-2003标准中计算干接缝节段式梁的折减系数0.85。在不考虑安全系数的情况下,法国规范NF P 18-710中UHPC梁抗剪承载力计算公式可以准确地预测含钢纤维体外预应力节段式UHPC无腹筋梁的抗剪强度,其试验值和预测值比值的平均值为1.04,标准差为0.28。

钢-薄层UHPC组合桥面结构中PBL剪力键抗剪性能试验

为探究钢-超高性能混凝土(UHPC)组合桥面结构中PBL剪力键的抗剪性能,以抗剪钢板尺寸、贯穿钢筋设置和端部承压状态为试验参数,完成了16个PBL试件的推出试验。结果表明:(1)随着抗剪钢板尺寸的增加,试件由UHPC榫无明显损伤时的钢板剪断破坏转变为UHPC榫局部压碎或整体压碎后的钢板剪断破坏,PBL的极限承载力随之相应提高,但其延性系数无明显变化;(2)贯穿钢筋对PBL承载能力的影响与UHPC榫的损伤状态密切相关,其对PBL抗剪承载能力的提高由榫无明显损伤时的5.3%增加到榫局部压碎时的9.7%和榫整体压碎时的14.9%;(3)对于钢-UHPC组合桥面结构中平行阵列布置的多列PBL,当列间距不小于10倍贯穿钢筋直径或12倍抗剪钢板厚度时,相邻列剪力键间相互作用的影响较小。基于试验结果,提出了适用于组合桥面结构中PBL剪力键的抗剪承载力计算公式,并以本文及其它文献的试验结果验证了其适用性。

UHPC加固RC柱的轴压性能试验及有限元模拟分析

超高性能混凝土(UHPC)因其优异的力学性能和耐久性能,广泛应用于钢筋混凝土结构的加固中。对UHPC加固钢筋混凝土短柱轴心受压进行试验研究,利用ABAQUS有限元分析软件建立UHPC加固钢筋混凝土短柱轴心受压的有限元模型,峰值荷载模拟值与试验值吻合良好。分析长细比对加固柱荷载及塑性变形性能的影响,每组5个试件长细比分别为2,4,6,8和10,共6组30个试件。结果表明:相同长细比下UHPC加固钢筋混凝土柱能较大提升柱的承载力和延性;随着长细比L 0/d增大,加固柱的承载力降低,破坏时试件的极限位移明显增大;当长细比进一步增大,试件极限承载力降低趋势开始变缓,峰值荷载对应的位移增大,抵抗塑性变形能力变差,该研究为UHPC加固钢筋混凝土柱工程应用提供参考。

预制UHPC永久模板钢筋混凝土组合梁抗剪性能有限元分析

为了研究预制超高性能混凝土永久模板钢筋混凝土组合梁抗剪性能,选取合适的U型UHPC预制单元本构关系,建立了钢筋混凝土梁的有限元永久模型,并与已有的试验数据进行比较,验证了模型的可靠性,并分析配箍率、剪跨比等参数对超高性能混凝土组合梁抗剪性能的影响。结果显示:超高性能混凝土预制单元可显著提高斜向开裂荷载和极限荷载;预制单元会限制箍筋的作用,所以配箍率对组合梁影响小;剪跨比对组合梁抗剪性能影响大,但是和配箍率一样都会影响其延性。