Experimental study on ultimate flexural capacity of steel encased concrete composite beams

Based on the experimental study and inelastic theory, the ultimate flexuralcapacity of steel encased concrete composite beams are derived. The difference between steel encasedconcrete composite beams with full shear connection and beams with partial shear connection,together with the relationship between the inelastic neutral axis of steel parts and concrete parts,are considered in the formulae. The calculation results of the eight specimens with full shearconnection and the three specimens with partial shear connection are in good agreement with theexperimental data, which validates the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed calculationmethods. Furthermore, the nonlinear finite element analysis of the ultimate flexural capacity of thesteel encased concrete composite beams is performed. Nonlinear material properties and nonlinearcontact properties are considered in the finite element analysis. The finite element analyticalresults also correlate well with the experimental data.

An Rapid Assessment Method for Bearing Capacity of RC Girder Bridges Based on Residual Strain

In order to realize the in-situ evaluation of reinforced concrete bridges subjected to fatigue for a long time or after earthquake, an evaluation method for cumulative damage of concrete structures based on unloading elastic modulus was proposed. First, according to the concrete stress-strain curve and the statistical relationship between residual strain and cumulative strain, the calculation method of static equivalent strain and residual strain concrete based on unloading elastic modulus and the method for estimating the strength of concrete after damage were proposed. The detailed steps of field test and analysis and the practical damage indicators of residual strain were given. Then, the evaluation method of existing stress and strain of Reinforced Concrete Bridge under dead load and the concept of “equivalent dead load bending moment” were put forward. On this basis, the paper analyzed the root cause of the decrease of bearing capacity of Reinforced Concrete Bridge after fatigue damage, and pointed out that the equivalent strain or residual strain of reinforced concrete increases under the fatigue effect, which led to the decreasing of actual live moment and deformation performance while the ultimate load-carrying capacity remained constant or very little decrease. The evaluation method of structure residual capacity was given, and through comparative analysis of eight T reinforced concrete beams that had been in service for 35 years with the static failure tests, the effectiveness of the method was verified.

Prediction of Load Carrying Capacity of Corroded Reinforced Concrete Beam

A novel method for prediction of the load carrying capacity of a corroded reinforced concrete beam (CRCB) is presented in the paper. Nine reinforced concrete beams, which had been working in an aggressive environment for more than 10 years, were tested in the laboratory. Comprehensive tests, including flexural test, strength test for corroded concrete and rusty rebar, and pullout test for bond strength between concrete and rebar, were conducted. ne flexural test results of CRCBs reveal that the distribution of surface cracks on the beams shows a fractal behavior. The relationship between the fractal dimensions and mechanical properties of CRCBs is then studied. A prediction model based on artificial neural network (ANN) is established by the use of the fractal dimension as the corrosion index, together with the basic information of the beam. The validity of the prediction model is demonstrated through the experimental data, and satisfactory results are achieved.

Experimental research on shear carrying capacity of H-steel concrete composite beam with small shear span ratio

In order to investigate shear carrying capacity of H-steel concrete beam with small shear span ratio,shear test on 5 H-steel concrete composite beams with small span ratio (from 0.7 to 1.1) are reported,including test design,test scheme,test method,failure characteristics and test results. Influences of shear span ratio,web of H steel and concrete on shear carrying capacity of this kind of beam are investigated. The main components comprising shear bearing capacity are analyzed. The results show that with the shear span ratio increasing,the contribution of web of H steel and concrete on shear carrying capacity decrease. Based on test data,the calculation formula of shear carrying capacity for this beam is established by curve fitting.

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.

Influences of Installment Tensioning Technology on Bearing Capacity of Rectangular Prestressed Concrete Beam

To obtain the relationship between use of installment tensioning technology and the bearing capacity of prestressed concrete beams, tensile and cyclic loading tests are conducted on five rectangular prestressed concreted specimens. Two types of prestressed tensioning methods are adopted in the tests, one uses installment tensioning technology to tension beams on days 4, 12, and 8, 12, respectively, and the other adopts the conventional method to tension the beam on day 28 only. The age of concrete, number of times tensioned, and the prestress value of early tensioning are considered in tests. Results show that use of installment tensioning technology has no effect on the bending failure pattern of prestressed concrete beams, but it reduces prestress loss and increases crack and yield loads. © 2017, Tianjin University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Shear capacity of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with CFRP sheet

This paper discusses the results of tests on the shear capacity of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) sheet. The shear transfer mechanism of the specimens reinforced with CFRP sheet was studied. The factors affecting the shear capacity of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with CFRP sheet were analyzed. Several sug-gestions such as the number of layers, width and tensile strength of the CFRP sheet are proposed for this new strengthening technique. Finally, a simple and practical design method is presented in the paper. The calculated results of the suggested method are shown to be in good agreement with the test results. The suggested design method can be used in evaluating the shear capacity of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with CFRP sheet.

The Influence of Steel and Basalt Fibers on the Shear and Flexural Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Beams

To improve the shear and flexural capacity of flexural members, the steel and basalt fibers were used in model beams tested under flexure. Three series of single span free supported model beams were prepared from SFRC （steel fiber reinforced concrete） with longitudinal steel reinforcement （steel ratio of 1.2 %） and varied spacing of steel stirrups and they were tested till failure. Another three series of BFRC （basalt fiber reinforced concrete） double-span model beams with a span of 2 mm~ 1,000 mm and cross section 180 mm ~ 80 mm were tested. During the tests till to the failure the beam reactions, vertical deflections and horizontal strains in concrete were registered, to clarify the range of redistribution of bending moments and shear forces over the span of the beams. Almost all the tested model beams failed in shear, showing visible influence of steel and basalt fibers on the shear capacity of the tested beams. The tests results confirmed that steel and basalt fibers in reinforced concrete beams can partially replace （in certain cases） the traditional steel stirrups calculated for shear.

Bearing capacity of concrete filled bidirectional FRP tube subjected to axial compression

External confinement by fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) is an efficient technique to increase the bearing capacity and ductility of concrete. To better study the mechanical behavior of bidirectional FRP confined concrete, the yield criterion of bidirectional FRP is presented based on the static equilibrium condition in this paper, and a model for calculating the bearing capacity of bidirectional FRP confined concrete is established. The model can capture the character of bidirectional FRP confined concrete. Effects of the confinement effect coefficient, the unconfined concrete strength and the material properties of FRP on bearing capacity are analyzed. Results show that each parameter has different effects on the bearing capacity of bidirectional FRP confined concrete.

Prediction of Axial Capacity of Concrete-Filled Square Steel Tubes Using Neural Networks

The application of artificial neural network to predict the ultimate bearing capacity of CFST （ concrete-filled square steel tubes） short columns under axial loading is explored. Input parameters consiste of concrete compressive strength, yield strength of steel tube, confinement index, sectional dimension and width-to-thickness ratio. The ultimate bearing capacity is the only output parameter. A multilayer feedforward neural network is used to describe the nonlinear relationships between the input and output variables. Fifty-five experimental data of CFST short columns under axial loading are used to train and test the neural network. A comparison between the neural network model and three parameter models shows that the neural network model possesses good accuracy and could be a practical method for predicting the ultimate strength of axially loaded CFST short columns.

The Effects of Degradation Phenomena of the Steel-Concrete Interface in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Reinforced concrete (RC) constructions are the innovation of sustainable constructions replacing masonry constructions. Despite this, the use of concrete and steel to improve the performance of structural members in service is a recurring problem due to the immediate or overtime appearance of cracks. The objective of this work was therefore to assess the damage phenomena of the steel-concrete interface in order to assess the performance of an RC structure. Samples of approximately 30 cm of reinforcement attacked by rust were taken from broken reinforced concrete columns and beams in order to determine the impact of corrosion on high adhesion steel (HA) and therefore on its ability to resist. The experimental results have shown that the corrosion degradation rates of reinforcing bars of different diameters increase as the diameter of the reinforcing bars decreases: 5% for HA12;23.75% for HA8 and 50% for HA6. Using the approach proposed by Mangat and Elgalf on the bearing capacity as a function of the progress of the corrosion phenomenon, these rates made it possible to assess the new fracture limits of corroded HA steels. For HA6 respectively HA8 and HA12, their initial limit resistances will decrease by 4/4, 3/4 and 1/4. Based on the results of this study and in order to guarantee their durability, an RC structure can be dimensioned by taking into account the effects of reinforcement corrosion.

Thermal Characterization of Concrete and Cement Mortar from Construction Sites and Industrial Production Units in the City of Ouagadougou with a View to Standardization in Energy Certification

The present study allowed to carry out a thermal characterization of concrete and cement mortar. Thermal tests were carried out with the KD2 Pro device, on concrete and mortar samples taken from twenty-six (26) construction sites of office buildings and two (2) industrial production units in the city of Ouagadougou. The tests were carried out on rectangular specimens after four weeks (4) of conservation on the site of construction or production of materials. This study seeks to determine the thermal properties of the materials, in particular the thermal conductivity, the thermal diffusivity and the thermal capacity of the samples, in the real conditions of execution of the buildings and environment. The thermal conductivity varies from 1.413 to 1.965 W/m·K, 0.940 - 1.658 W/m·K and 0.703 - 1.149 W/m·K respectively for concrete, cinder block mortar and plaster mortar. Regarding the other properties, especially the capacity and thermal diffusivity, the values vary respectively, from 1070.59 - 1974.67 kJ/kg·K and (3.74 - 6.70) × 10-7 m2/s for concrete, from 1123.69 - 1586.81 kJ/kg·K and (3.38 - 5.65) × 10-7 m2/s for plaster mortar and 1202.51 - 1736.01 kJ/kg·K and (3.82 - 7.36) × 10-7 m2/s for the mortar of building blocks. The conductivity, capacity and thermal diffusivity of industrial mortar vary from 1.019 - 1.229 W/m·K, 792.18 - 1862.58 J/kg·K and (2.75 - 6.80) × 10-7 m2/s, respectively. Only the correlations made between the thermal properties and the density of the samples of the plaster mortar, give good relations namely R2 = 0.9308 for the thermal conductivity, R2 = 0.7823 for the thermal capacity and R2 = 0.9272 for the thermal diffusivity. This study contributes to the establishment of a thermal regulation in Burkina Faso for the adoption of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Directive 05 on energy efficiency in buildings.

Effects of Pit-Sand on Resistance Capacities of Reinforced Concrete Space Framed Structures

This paper used the existing formulae in estimating resistance parameter of reinforced concrete structure to assess the effect of concrete produced from pit-sand in Akure metropolis, on the resistance parameters of a collapsed building in Oba-Ile, Akure. Site inspections were carried out on the collapsed building, and concrete samples were taken. Both destructive and non-destructive methods were used to determine the structure’s concrete strength. The number of reinforcements in each structural element was determined by exposing them. Resistance parameters such as moments of resistance for slab (MRS), for beam (MRB) and shear capacity (VC) of the structural elements were estimated using existing formulae and, compare the results with the structure’s actual resistance parameters. The average concrete strength was 8.5 N/mm2 which was less than 20 N/mm2, the prescribed concrete strength for construction of the building. The estimated resistance parameters MRS, MRB and VC based on 8.5 N/mm2 concrete strength are 18.2 kN·m, 46.3 kN·m and 64.4 kN respectively. Also the estimated resistance parameters MRS, MRB and VC based on 20 N/mm2 concrete strength are 20.6 kN·m, 54.1 kN·m and 90.73 kN respectively. The actual MRS, MRB and VC at collapse were 6.67 kN·m, 13.6 kN·m and 18.88 kN respectively. The existing formulae for predicting resistance parameters did not give accurate resistance parameters for the building at collapse. The collapse of the building was by shear failure, since shear failure capacity will be reached first before any of the other resistance parameters.

INITIAL BINDING CAPACTIES OF CHLORIDE ION OF COMPONENTS IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE CONCRETE

An investigation is reported on the influence of different components of high performance concrete (HPC) on the initial binding capacities (IBC) of chloride ion. The testing results demonstrate that cement has the largest IBC, and the relative binding ratio is as high as 30% of total ion amount. Among the mineral admixtures, fly ash has the largest IBC of chloride ion. The IBC of silica fume is about 14.4%, which is smaller than that of fly ash. The IBC of refined ground blast-furnace slag (microslag) is abnormal due to the influence of sulfate ion contained. The addition of superplasticizer and corrosion inhibitor containing calcium nitrite weakens the IBC of mixtures. The fluidity and pore-filling effect of mineral admixtures are studied with paste samples with WIC ratio of 0.3. The influence mechanism of various components in high-performance concrete in IBC is studied further through SEM and Mercury Instrusion Porosimetry tests with paste samples at the age of 3 days.

Finite element failure analysis of continuous prestressed concrete box girders

In order to analyze the load carrying capacity of prestressed concrete box girders, failure behaviors of in-situ deteriorated continuous prestressed concrete box girders under loading are experimentally observed and a finite failure analysis method for predicting behaviors of box girders is developed. A degenerated solid shell element is used to simulate box girders and material nonlinearity is considered. Since pre-stressed concrete box girders usually have a large number of curve prestressed tendons, a type of combined element is presented to simulate the prestressed tendons of box girders, and then the number of elements can be significantly reduced. The analytical results are compared with full-scale failure test results. The comparison shows that the presented method can be effectively applied to the failure analysis of in-situ continuous prestressed concrete box girders, and it also shows that the studied old bridge still has enough load carrying capacity.

Mechanical performance of the mixed post-installed connection in low-strength concrete

Due to inadequate bearing capacity of the chemically-planted steel bar in low-strength concrete, a new mixed post-installed connection is proposed using small diameter anchoring steel bars and grouting materials together to anchor the main steel bar. To investigate the feasibility of the proposed post-installed connections, a series of pull-out tests with different anchors were conducted for comparison,including fully adhesive anchors, partially adhesive anchors,grouting material anchoring connection and the new mixed post-installed connection. The experimental results of the single steel bar pull-out test show that the mixed post-installed connection can effectively enhance the bearing capacity of post-installed steel bars in low-strength concrete. The bearing capacity is increased by nearly two times with no cone-type concrete failure compared with the fully adhesive anchor. The results show that adopting the new mixed post-installed connection can ensure that joint performance meets the requirements if the space dimension is available.

Flexural behaviors of steel reinforced ECC/concrete composite beams

An engineered cementitious composite （ECC） is introduced to partially substitute concrete in the tension zone of a reinforced concrete beam to form an ECC/reinforced concrete （RC） composite beam, which can increase the ductility and crack resisting ability of the beam. Based on the assumption of the plane remaining plane and the simplified constitutive models of materials, the stress and strain distributions along the depth of the composite beam in different loading stages are comprehensively investigated to obtain calculation methods of the load-carrying capacities for different stages. Also, a simplified formula for the ultimate load carrying capacity is proposed according to the Chinese code for the design of concrete structures. The relationship between the moment and curvature for the composite beam is also proposed together with a simplified calculation method for ductility of the ECC/RC composite beam. Finally, the calculation method is demonstrated with the test results of a composite beam. Comparison results show that the calculation results have good consistency with the test results, proving that the proposed calculation methods are reliable with a certain theoretical significance and reference value.

Experimental Investigation on Durability of Reinforced Concrete Beams in A Simulated Marine Environment

This paper presents some results from a comprehensive experimental program designed to determine the interaction between mechanical loading and corrosion of reinforcing steel, as well as their combined effect on serviceability and residual load- bearing capacity of reinforced concrete beams. Beam specimens with the size of 120mm×200mm×1700mm were subjected to four-point bending at various sustained loading levels (0%, 25%, 45%, and 65% of the ultimate load) during the corrosion test process. The marine tidal zone was simulated by alternating spraying and draining of 3.5% NaCl solution. An external direct current technique was used to accelerate the corrosion of the reinforcement. Residual flexural load-bearing capacity of the beams was evaluated at the end of the experiment. The results indicate that the loading has a significant effect on corrosion. Under simultaneous loading and accelerated corrosion conditions, the time-dependent deflection of the beams increases with the progressive corrosion of the reinforcement. The beams under high-level loading deteriorate more rapidly than those under low-level loading and without loading. As a result, the residual flexural capacity of the beams subjected to higher level loading was much lower than that of the beams subjected to lower level loading and in the absence of loading. The results suggest that, for a rational service-life prediction of reinforced concrete structures, the influence of the service load on the structural performance should be considered in combination with environmental conditions.

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.

Influence of steel corrosion to flexural behavior of coral aggregate concrete beam

To study the flexural behavior and calculation model,8 coral aggregate concrete(CAC)beams with different types of steel were designed.The flexural behavior of CAC beam was tested.The failure mode,bearing capacity,the maximum crack width(ws)and average crack spacing(lm)were studied.A calculation model for the bearing capacity of CAC beam was proposed.The results indicated that with the steel strength increased,the cracking moment(Mcr)and ultimate moment(Mu)of CAC beam increased,and the development of the ws gradually slowed,which effectively inhibited the formation of cracks and improved the flexural behavior of CAC beam.For CAC structures in the ocean engineering,it is recommended to use organic new coated steel to extend its effective service life.In addition,considering the influence of steel corrosion,a calculation model for the Mcr,Mu,lm and ws of CAC beam was established.