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 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.

Flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams with high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites

This article presents an experimental study on the flexural performance of reinforced concrete(RC)beams with fiber reinforced cementitious composites(FRCC)and hybrid fiber reinforced cementitious composites(HFRCC)in the hinge portion.Beam specimens with moderate confinement were used in the study and tested under monotonic loading.Seven diverse types of FRCC including hybrid composites using fibers in different profiles and in different volumes are employed in this study.Companion specimens such as cylindrical specimens and prism specimens are also used to study the physical properties of composites employed.The moment?curvature,stiffness behavior,ductility,crack pattern and modified flexural damage ratio are the main factors considered in this study to observe the efficacy of the employed hybrid composites.The experimental outputs demonstrate the improved post yield behavior with less rate of stiffness degradation and better damage tolerance capacity than conventional technique.

Mechanical performance of shear studs and application in steel-concrete composite beams

This work experimentally investigates the effects of shear stud characteristics on the interface slippage of steel-concrete composite push-out specimens. ABAQUS is used to establish a detailed 3D finite element(FE) model and analyze the behavior of push-out specimens. The modeling results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Based on parametrical analysis using the validated FE approaches, the effects of important design parameters, such as the diameter, number, length to diameter ratio, and yield strength of studs, concrete strength and steel transverse reinforcement ratio, on the load-slip relationship at the interface of composite beams are discussed. In addition, a simplified approach to model studs is developed using virtual springs with an equivalent stiffness. This approach is demonstrated to be able to predict the load-displacement response and ultimate bearing capacity of steel-concrete composite beams. The predicted results show satisfactory agreement with experimental results from the literature.

Experimental Research on Shear Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Composite Beams Under Uniformly Distributed Load

An experimental program was carried out to study the shear behavior of the reinforced concrete composite beam (RCCB) subjected to two-phase uniformly distributed load. A total of 12 reinforced concrete composite beams were tested: 10 of them were the RCCB subjected to two-phase uniformly distributed load, the other 2 were the comparative reinforced concrete beams cast at the same time as the RCCB subjected to one-phase uniformly distributed load. The interface of precast unit and recast concrete was natural and rough. The test range of the main composite factors: the ratio of precast section depth to composite section depth was from 0.35 to 0.65, the ratio of first-phase load moment to precast section ultimate bearing moment was from 0.25 to 0.65. Based on the test results, the stresses of the longitudinal reinforcements and stirrups, the load-bearing properties of the interface, the crack state and the failure characteristics of the RCCB under uniformly distributed load are discussed. The effects of the stirrups, the concrete strength and the composite factors on the shear resistance of the RCCB are analyzed, and the method for evaluating the shear resistance of the RCCB is proposed.

Fatigue properties of special kind of reinforced concrete composite beams

The special reinforced concrete composite beam consists of a steel fiber reinforced self-stressing concrete composite layer and a reinforced concrete T-beam, and constructional bars are set up at their bonding interface. Fatigue properties of the composite beam under the action of negative moment were experimentally studied. Through inverted loading mode the load-beating state of a composite beam was simulated under the action of negative moment. With the ratios of constructional bars being 0, 0.082% and 0.164% respectively as parameters, the effects of constructional bars on the properties of composite beam, such as fatigue life, crack propagation, rigidity loss as well as damage behavior of bonding interface, were studied. The mechanism of the constructional bars on the fatigue properties of the composite beams and the restriction mechanism of crack widths and rigidity loss were analyzed. The test results show that the constructional bars can enhance the shear resistance of the bonding interface between composite layer and old concrete beam and restrict expanding of steel fiber reinforced self-stressing concrete, which are beneficial to synergistic action of composite layer and old concrete beam, to reducing the stress amplitude of bars and the crack width of composite layer, and to increasing the durability and fatigue life of the composite beam.

Bending Stiffness of Truss-Reinforced Steel-Concrete Composite Beams

This paper is concerned with a special steel-concrete composite beam in which the resisting system is a truss structure whose bottom chord is made of a steel plate supporting the precast floor system. This system works in two distinct phases with two different resisting mechanisms: during the construction phase, the truss structure bears the precast floor system and the resisting system is that of a simply supported steel truss;once the concrete has hardened, the truss structure becomes the reinforcing element of a steel-concrete composite beam, where it is also in a pre-stressed condition due to the loads carried before the hardening of concrete. Within this framework, the effects of the diagonal bars on the bending stiffness of this composite beam are investigated. First, a closed-form solution for the evaluation of the equivalent bending stiffness is derived. Subsequently, the influence of geometrical and mechanical characteristics of shear reinforcement is studied. Finally, results obtained from parametric and numerical analyses are discussed.

Mechanical Behavior of Rectangular Steel-Reinforced ECC/Concrete Composite Column under Eccentric Compression

In order to improve the seismic performance, deformation ability and ultimate load-carrying capacity of columns with rectangular cross section, engineered cementitious composite （ECC） is introduced to partially substitute concrete in the edge zone of reinforced concrete columns and form reinforced ECC/concrete composite columns. Firstly, based on the assumption of plane remaining plane and the simplified constitutive models, the calculation method of the load-carrying capacity of reinforced ECC/concrete columns is proposed. The stress and strain distribu- tions and crack propagation of the composite columns in different states of eccentric compressive loading are ana- lyzed. Then, nonlinear finite element analysis is conducted to study the mechanical performance of reinforced ECC/concrete composite columns with rectangular cross section. It is found that the simulation results are in good agreement with the theoretical results, indicating that the proposed method for calculating the load-carrying capacity of concrete/ECC composite columns is valid. Finally, based on the proposed method, the effects of ECC thickness, com- pressive strength of concrete and longitudinal reinforcement ratio on the mechanical performance of reinforced ECC/ concrete composite columns are analyzed. Calculation results indicate that increasing the thickness of ECC layer or longitudinal reinforcement ratio can effectively increase the ultimate load-carrying capacity of the composite column with both small and large eccentricity, but increasing the strength of concrete can only increase the ultimate Ioad- carrying capacity of the composite column with small eccentricity.

Experimental research on mechanical properties of prestressed truss concrete composite beam encased with circular steel tube

Tests of 4 simply supported unbonded prestressed truss concrete composite beams encased with circular steel tube were carried out. It is found that the ratio of the stress increment of the unbonded tendon to that of the tensile steel tube is 0.252 during the using stage,and the average crack space of beams depends on the ratio of the sum of the bottom chord steel tube's outside diameter and the secondary bottom chord steel tube's section area to the effective tensile concrete area. The coefficient of uneven crack distribution is 1.68 and the formula for the calculation of crack width is established. Test results indicate that the ultimate stress increment of unbonded tendon in the beams decreases in linearity with the increase of the composite reinforcement index β0. The pure bending region of beams accords with the plane section assumption from loading to failure. The calculation formula of ultimate stress increment of the unbonded tendon and the method to calculate the bearing capacity of normal section of beams have been presented. Besides,the method to calculate the stiffness of this sort of beams is brought forward as well.

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.

Fatigue tests of composite beam by steel fiber reinforced self-stressing concrete in the hogging bending

Through the experiments of 7 T-section composite beams, steel fiber reinforced self-stressing concrete （SFRSC） as the composite beam in the composite layer was studied under the hogging bending. The tests simulated composite layer tensile strain under the hogging bending of inverted loading composite beams, giving the relationship under the different fatigue stress ratios between fatigue cycles and steel bar’s stress range, crack width, stiffness loss and damage, etc., in composite layer. This article established fatigue life equation, and analyzed SFRSC reinforced mechanism to crack width and stiffness loss. The results show that SFRSC as the composite beam concrete has excellent properties of crack resistance and tensile, can reinforce the fatigue crack width and stiffness loss of composite beams, and improve the durability and in normal use of composite beams in the hogging bending zone.

The Design and Analysis of Long-Span and Low-Depth Prestressed Composite Steel-Concrete Beam Bridge

The design scheme of long span and low depth composite steel concrete beams is introduced, and the methods of avoiding the cracking of concrete deck in the negative moment regions are proposed. Moreover, significant exploration for problems of the composite beams has been made, such as optimizing construction steps to regulate the stress, applying jacking technique to exert prestress on the concrete deck, investigating the uplifting force principle of the shear connectors by means of model test and non linear finite element analysis, and pointing out the countermeasure to reduce tension force of the shear connectors.

Static behavior of semi-rigid thin-walled steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joints with bolted partial-depth flush end plate:experimental study

A new type of semi-rigid thin-walled steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joint has been proposed in this paper.Five semi-rigid composite beam-to-column joint specimens subjected to hogging moments under monotonic loading were tested to study the static behavior of this new type of joint.The main variable parameters for the five joint specimens were the longitudinal reinforcement ratio and the joint type.The experimental results designated that the magnitude of extension of the longitudinal reinforcement is the most important factor that influenced the moment-rotation characteristic of the new type of joint.The concrete slabs could resist 3.8%-19.1% of the total shear load applied to the cross-sections near the beam-to-column connection.The edge stiffened elements,such as the flange of the lipped I-section thin-walled steel beam,were capable of having considerable inelastic deformation capacity although they had comparatively large width-to-thickness ratios.The shear failure of the concrete cantilever edge strip must be taken into account in practical design because it has significant influence on the anchorage of the longitudinal reinforcement in the new type of external joints.

Experimental and analytical study on seismic behavior of steel-concrete multienergy dissipation composite shear walls

In this paper, a steel-concrete multi-energy dissipation composite shear wall, comprised of steel-reinforced concrete （SRC） columns, steel plate （SP） deep beams, a concrete wall and energy dissipation strips, is proposed. In order to study the multi-energy dissipation behavior and restorability after an earthquake, two stages of low cyclic loading tests were carded out on ten test specimens. In the first stage, test on five specimens with different number of SP deep beams was carried out, and the test lasted until the displacement drift reached 2%. In the second stage, thin SPs were welded to both sides of the five specimens tested in the first stage, and the same test was carried out on the repaired specimens （designated as new specimens）. The load-bearing capacity, stiffness, ductility, hysteretic behavior and failure characteristics were analyzed for both stages and the results are discussed herein. Extrapolating from these results, strength calculation models and formulas are proposed herein and simulations using ABAQUS carried out, they show good agreement with the test results. The study demonstrates that SRC columns, SP deep beams, concrete wall and energy dissipation strips cooperate well and play an important role in energy dissipation. In addition, this study shows that the shear wall has good recoverability after an earthquake, and that the welding of thin SP＇s to repair a deformed wall is a practicable technique.

Flexural behavior of steel reinforced engineered cementitious composite beams

In order to enhance the durability of steel encased concrete beams, a new type of steel reinforced engineered cementitious composite(SRECC) beam composed of steel shapes, steel bars and ECC is proposed. The theoretical analyses of the SRECC beam including crack propagation and stress-strain distributions along the depth of the composite beam in different loading stages are conducted. A theoretical model and simplified design method are proposed to calculate the load carrying capacity. Based on the proposed theoretical model, the relationship between the moment and corresponding curvature is derived. The theoretical results are verified with the finite element analysis. Finally, an extensive parametric study is performed to study the effect of the matrix type, steel shape ratio, reinforced bar ratio, ECC compressive strength and ECC tensile ductility on the mechanical behavior of SRECC beams. The results show that substitution concrete with ECC can effectively improve the bearing capacity and ductility of composite beams. The steel shape and longitudinal reinforcement can enhance the loading carrying capacity, while the ductility decreases with the increase of steel shape ratio. ECC compressive strength has significant effects on both load carrying capacity and ductility, and changing the ultimate strain of ECC results in a very limited variation in the mechanical behavior of SRECC beams.

Analysis and seismic tests of composite shear walls with CFST columns and steel plate deep beams

A composite shear wall concept based on concrete filled steel tube （CFST） columns and steel plate （SP） deep beams is proposed and examined in this study. The new wall is composed of three different energy dissipation elements： CFST columns; SP deep beams; and reinforced concrete （RC） strips. The RC strips are intended to allow the core structural elements - the CFST columns and SP deep beams - to work as a single structure to consume energy. Six specimens of different configurations were tested under cyclic loading. The resulting data are analyzed herein. In addition, numerical simulations of the stress and damage processes for each specimen were carried out, and simulations were completed for a range of location and span-height ratio variations for the SP beams. The simulations show good agreement with the test results. The core structure exhibits a ductile yielding mechanism characteristic of strong column-weak beam structures, hysteretic curves are plump and the composite shear wall exhibits several seismic defense lines. The deformation of the shear wall specimens with encased CFST column and SP deep beam design appears to be closer to that of entire shear walls. Establishing optimal design parameters for the configuration of SP deep beams is pivotal to the best seismic behavior of the wall. The new composite shear wall is therefore suitable for use in the seismic design of building structures.

Experimental study on seismic behaviors of steel-concrete composite frames

Steel-concrete composite frames are seeing increased use in earthquake region because of their excellent structural characteristics, including high strength, stiffness, and good ductility. However, there exist gaps in the knowledge of seismic behavior and the design provisions for these structures. In order to better understand the seismic behaviors of composite frame systems, eight steel-concrete composite frames were designed. These composite frames were composed of steel-concrete composite beams and concrete filled steel tube columns. The axial compression ratio of column, slenderness ratio and linear stiffness ratio of beam to column were selected as main design parameters. The low reversed cyclic loading tests of composite frame system were carried out. Based on test results, the seismic behaviors of composite frames such as failure mode, hysteresis curve, strength degradation, rigidity degradation, ductility and energy dissipation were studied. Known from the test phenomenon, the main cause of damage is the out-of-plane deformation of steel beam and the yielding destruction of column heel. The hysteretic loops of composite frame appear a spindle shape and no obvious pinch phenomenon. The results demonstrate that this type of composite frame has favorable seismic behaviors. Furthermore, the effects of design parameters on seismic behaviors were also discussed. The results of the experiment show that the different design parameter has different influence rule on seismic behaviors of composite frame.

Fracture suppression at steel/concrete connection zones by ECC

In order to avoid brittle fracture failure, a ductile engineered cementitious composite （ECC） was attempted in steel/concrete connection zones to replace normal concrete. The influence of the ECC material ductility on connection failure modes and structural performance was investigated via the pushout test of stud/ECC connection, the pullout test of two-dimensional anchor bolt/ECC connection and the finite element modeling （FEM）. The experimental results suggest that the micromechanically designed ECC with a tensile ductility 300 times that of normal concrete switches the brittle fracture failure mode to a ductile one in steel connection zones. This modification in material behavior leads to higher load carrying capacity and structural ductility, which is also confirmed in FEM investigation. The enhancement in structural response through material ductility engineering is expected to be applicable to a wide range of engineering structures where steel and concrete come into contact.

Fracture characteristics and ductility of cracked concrete beam post-strengthened with CFRP Sheet

The present paper concerns the fracture characteristics and ductility of cracked concrete beam externally bonded with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheet as well as the integration behaviors between CFRP/concrete interfacial debonding and concrete cracking.Three-point bending tests were carried out on the CFRP-strengthened cracked concrete beams with varying specimen depth and initial crack length.A straingauge method was developed to monitor the crack initiation and propagation in concrete,and the CFRP/concrete interfacial bonding behaviors,respectively.Clip gauges were used to measure crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) and the deflection at midspan.Experimental results revealed that CFRP-strengthened specimen shows a higher load capacity under the same deformation level and a better inelastic deformation capacity compared with the unstrengthened one.For there are two manifest peak values in the obtained load versus displacement curve,the ductility of CFRP-strengthened concrete beams were investigated using index expressed as area ratio on the load versus displacement curve.The calculated results indicated that the contribution from CFRP sheet to the ductility improvement of specimen is notable when the deflection at midspan exceeded 10.5 times the first-crack deflection.

ECC-混凝土叠合梁弯曲试验及裂缝发展的分形表征

为明确ECC(工程纤维增强型水泥基复合材料)-混凝土叠合梁抗弯性能及影响参数,并定性表征裂缝发展情况,设计、制作11根不同材料强度等级、配筋率、ECC层厚度、PVA纤维体积掺量的ECC-混凝土叠合梁及3根不同混凝土强度等级的混凝土梁进行四点弯曲试验,研究承载力、延性及裂缝发展等情况,并基于分形理论及数字图像处理技术,采用分形维数对不同影响参数下的叠合梁裂缝发展规律进行表征。结果表明:ECC-混凝土叠合梁较相同材料强度和配筋率的混凝土梁极限承载力和抗裂性能明显更优;材料强度等级提高,模型梁承载力及延性均提高;适筋范围内,配筋率越小模型梁延性越好;ECC层厚度对模型梁的承载力及延性影响不大;PVA纤维体积掺量为2.0%时,裂缝整体分布更均衡。计算分形维数得到的叠合梁表面裂缝分布具有自相似性;加载过程中叠合梁的分形维数小于混凝土梁,与试验结果相符,梁表面裂缝分形维数在一定范围内随着材料强度等级、配筋率、ECC层厚度、PVA纤维体积掺量的增加而降低,分形理论结合数字图像技术求得的裂缝分形维数可作为叠合梁裂缝分布及受弯损伤程度的定性表征指标。