Lead spall velocity of fragments of ultra-high-performance concrete slabs under partially embedded cylindrical charge-induced explosion

When an explosion occurs close to or partially within the face of a concrete structure, fragments are rapidly launched from the opposite face of the structure owing to concrete spalling, posing a significant risk to nearby personnel and equipment. To study the lead fragment velocity of ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC), partially embedded explosion experiments were performed on UHPC slabs of limited thickness using a cylindrical trinitrotoluene charge. The launch angles and velocities of the resulting fragments were the determined using images collected by high-speed camera to document the concrete spalling and fragment launching process. The results showed that UHPC slabs without fiber reinforcement had a fragment velocity distribution of 0-118.3 m/s, which are largely identical to that for a normal-strength concrete(NSC) slab. In addition, the fragment velocity was negatively correlated to the angle between the velocity vector and vertical direction. An empirical Eq. for the lead spall velocity of UHPC and NSC slabs was then proposed based on a large volume of existing experimental data.

Fiber-reinforced Mechanism and Mechanical Performance of Composite Fibers Reinforced Concrete

To understand the enhancing effect and fiber-reinforced mechanism of composite fibers reinforced cement concrete, the influences of composite fibers on micro-cracks and the distribution of composite fibers were evaluated by optical electron micrometer(OEM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). Three kinds of fiber, such as polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber, basalt fiber, and glass fiber, were used in the composite fibers reinforced cement concrete. The composite fibers could form a stable structure in concrete after the liquid-phase coupling treatment, gas-liquid double-effect treatment, and inert atmosphere drying. The mechanical properties of composite fibers reinforced concrete(CFRC) were studied by universal test machine(UTM). Moreover, the effect of composite fibers on concrete was analyzed based on the toughness index and residual strength index. The results demonstrated that the composite fibers could improve the mechanical properties of concrete, while the excessive amount of composite fibers had an adverse effect on the mechanical properties of concrete. The composite fibers could significantly improve the toughness index of CFRC, and the increment rate is more than 30%. The composite fibers could form a mesh structure, which could promote the stability of concrete and guarantee the excellent mechanical properties.

Peridynamic Modeling and Simulation of Fracture Process in Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

In this study,a peridynamic fiber-reinforced concrete model is developed based on the bond-based peridynamic model with rotation effect(BBPDR).The fibers are modelled by a semi-discrete method and distributed with random locations and angles in the concrete specimen,since the fiber content is low,and its scale is smaller than the concrete matrix.The interactions between fibers and concrete matrix are investigated by the improvement of the bond’s strength and stiffness.Also,the frictional effect between the fibers and the concrete matrix is considered,which is divided into static friction and slip friction.To validate the proposed model,several examples are simulated,including the tensile test and the three-point bending beam test.And the numerical results of the proposed model are compared with the experiments and other numerical models.The comparisons show that the proposed model is capable of simulating the fracture behavior of the fiber-reinforced concrete.After adding the fibers,the tensile strength,bending strength,and toughness of the fiber-reinforced concrete specimens are improved.Besides,the fibers distribution has an impact on the crack path,especially in the three-point bending beam test.

Compressive Strength Estimation for the Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP)-Confined Concrete Columns with Different Shapes Using Artificial Neural Networks

An evaluation of existing strength of concrete columns confined with fiber-reinforced polymer( FRP) was presented with extensive collection of experimental data. According to the evaluation results, artificial neural networks( ANNs) model to predict the ultimate strength of FRP confined column with different shapes was proposed. The models had seven inputs including the column length,the tensile strength of the FRP in the hoop direction,the total thickness of FRP,the diameter of the concrete specimen,the elastic modulus of FRP,the corner radius and the concrete compressive strength. The compressive strength of the confined concrete was the output data. The results reveal that the proposed models have good prediction and generalization capacity with acceptable errors.

Anti-cracking Property of EVA-modified Polypropylene Fiber-reinforced Concrete Under Thermal-cooling Cycling Curing

In order to investigate the synergistic effect of re-dispersible powder-ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer(EVA) and polypropylene fiber on the crack resistance of concrete under thermal fatigue loading, the compressive strength, ultimate tensile strength, ultimate tensile strain and tensile modulus of elasticity were tested. In addition, ultrasonic method and scanning electron microscope analysis were used to explain the microstructure mechanism. The results show that polypropylene fiberreinforced concrete presents a better performance on crack resistance than ordinary concrete, and the synergism of EVA and polypropylene fiber can improve the anti-cracking ability of concrete further.

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.

Shear behavior of ultra-high-performance concrete beams prestressed with external carbon fiber-reinforced polymer tendons

The ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC)and fiber-reinforced polymer(FRP)are well-accepted high-performance materials in the field of civil engineering.The combination of these advanced materials could contribute to improvement of structural performance and corrosion resistance.Unfortunately,only limited studies are available for shear behavior of UHPC beams reinforced with FRP bars,and few suggestions exist for prediction methods for shear capacity.This paper presents an experimental investigation on the shear behavior of UHPC beams reinforced with glass FRP(GFRP)and prestressed with external carbon FRP(CFRP)tendons.The failure mode of all specimens with various shear span to depth ratios from 1.7 to 4.5 was diagonal tension failure.The shear span to depth ratio had a significant influence on the shear capacity,and the effective prestressing stress affected the crack propagation.The experimental results were then applied to evaluate the equations given in different codes/recommendations for FRPreinforced concrete structures or UHPC structures.The comparison results indicate that NF P 18-710 and JSCE CES82 could appropriately estimate shear capacity of the slender specimens with a shear span to depth ratio of 4.5.Further,a new shear design equation was proposed to take into account the effect of the shear span to depth ratio and the steel fiber content on shear capacity.

Experimental investigations of internal energy dissipation during fracture of fiber-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete

Split-cylinder fracture of fiber-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC)was examined using two complementary techniques:X-ray computed tomography (CT)and acoustic emission (AE).Fifty-mm-diameter specimens of two different fiber types were scanned both before and after load testing.From the CT images,fiber orientation was evaluated to establish optimum and pessimum specimen orientations,at which fibers would have maximum and minimum effect,respectively.As expected,fiber orientation affected both the peak load and the toughness of the specimen,with the optimum toughness being between 20% and 30%higher than the pessimum.Cumulative AE energy was also affected commensurately.Posttest CT scans of the specimens were used to measure internal damage. Damage was quantified in terms of internal energy dissipation due to both matrix cracking and fiber pullout by using calibration measurements for each.The results showed that fiber pullout was the dominant energy dissipation mechanism;however,the sum of the internal energy dissipation measured amounted to only 60% of the total energy dissipated by the specimens as measured by the net work of load.It is postulated that localized compaction of the UHPC matrix as well as internal friction between fractured fragments makes up the balance of internal energy dissipation.

Experimental Investigation on the Properties of Recycled Concrete Using Hybrid Fibers

Due to the inherent property of concrete being very weak in tension, efforts have been made to overcome this deficiency by adding various type of fibers like carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), polypropylene fiber (PPF) and stainlesssteel fiber (SSF) smeared into the concrete mix. The present study involves experimental investigation on the use of GFRP, CFRP and SSF fibers alone or as combination to improve the mechanical properties of concrete. Furthermore, concrete cylinders were cast and tested for compression and tension using 10% fly ash as cement replacement in all specimens. Besides fiber material types, fiber reinforcement ratios of 1% and 1.5% were tested to investigate the mechanical properties of concrete. In all concrete cylinder tests, the fiber reinforcement ratio of 1% had a significant contribution in increasing the tensile strength as oppose to compressive strength. As a result, the tensile and compressive strengths were increased by 26% and 11%, respectively as compared to the control specimen. Increasing the fiber reinforcement ratio from 1% to 1.5%, resulted in diminishing the mechanical properties of concrete. However, reduction in concrete compressive strength was more prominent than the tensile strength. Furthermore, it was observed that, the crack propagation was decreased with the increase of fiber content when compared to the control specimen.

Flexural Performance of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer(CFRP)under Hygrothermal Environment Considering the Influence of CFRP-Concrete Interface

As an important component,the bond behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer(CFRP)-concrete interface for a reinforced concrete(RC)beam is very significant.In this study,a theoretical model was established to analyze the flexural behavior of CFRP-strengthened RC beams,and the CFRP-concrete interfacial bond-slip relationship under hygrothermal environment was unified into one model.Two failure criteria corresponding to two types of failure modes,i.e.,concrete crushing and intermediate crack(IC)-induced debonding,were developed.Through the theoretical model,the flexural behavior of deflection,interfacial shear stress distribution and ultimate load of a CFRP-strengthened RC beam under hygrothermal environment were obtained and predicted.Moreover,the theoretical model was verified by test results.The results showed that the hygrothermal environment had a significant impact on the CFRP-concrete interface behavior.Compared with the control beam without hygrothermal environment pretreatment,the deflection and ultimate load of the strengthened RC beam decreased by 51.9%and 20%,respectively.

Behavior of steel fiber-reinforced high-strength concrete at medium strain rate

Impact compression experiments for the steel fiber-reinforced high-strength concrete(SFRHSC)at medium strain rate were conducted using the split Hopkinson press bar(SHPB)testing method.The volume fractions of steel fibers of SFRHSC were between 0 and 3%.The experimental results showed that,when the strain rate increased from threshold value to 90 s^(-1),the maximum stress of SFRHSC increased about 30%,the elastic modulus of SFRHSC increased about 50%,and the increase in the peak strain of SFRHSC was 2-3 times of that in the matrix specimen.The strength and toughness of the matrix were improved remarkably because of the superposition effect of the aggregate high-strength matrix and steel fiber high-strength matrix.As a result,under impact loading,cracks developed in the SFRHSC specimen,but the overall shape of the specimen remained virtually unchanged.However,under similar impact loading,the matrix specimens were almost broken into small pieces.

Fresh and hardened properties of high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete containing fly ash and rice husk ash:Influence of fiber type and content

Although fibers are used only infrequently as an additive in concrete in the construction industry,fiberenhanced concrete is known to provide a wide range of advantages over conventional concrete.The main objective of this study was to investigate the influences of fiber type and content on the mechanical properties and durability of highperformance fiber-reinforced concrete(HPFRC)designed using a novel densified mixture design algorithm with fly ash and rice husk ash.Three types of fiber,including polypropylene(PP)fiber,steel fiber(SF),and hybrid fiber(HF),were considered.Based on the results,the inclusion of fibers decreased HPFRC flowability,regardless of fiber type.Although the compressive strength of HPFRC with 1.6%PP fiber content was 11.2%below that of the reference HPFRC specimen at 91 d of curing age,the 91-d compressive strengths of both SF and HF-enhanced HPFRC specimens were significantly better than that of the reference HPFRC specimen.Furthermore,the HPFRC specimens incorporating SF and HF both exhibited better splitting tensile and flexural strengths as well as less drying shrinkage than the HPFRC specimens incorporating PP fiber.However,the fiber-enhanced specimens,especially those with added SF,registered less surface electrical resistivity and greater vulnerability to chloride ion penetration than the reference HPFRC specimen.

Assessment of fracture process in forta and polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete using experimental analysis and digital image correlation

This paper aims to characterize the evolution of the fracture process and the cracking behavior in fortaferro(FF)and polypropylene(PP)fiber-reinforced concrete under the uniaxial compressive loading using experimental analysis and digital image correlation(DIC)on the surface displacement.For this purpose,6 mix designs,including two FF volume fractions of 0.10%,and 0.20%and three PP volume fractions of 0.20%,0.30%,and 0.40%,in addition to a control mix were evaluated according to compressive strength,modulus of elasticity,toughness index,and stress–strain curves.The influence of fibers on the microstructural texture of specimens was analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM)imaging.Results show that FF fiber-reinforced concrete specimens demonstrated increased ductility and strength compared to PP fiber.DIC results revealed that the major crack and fracture appeared at the peak load of the control specimen due to brittleness and sudden gain of large lateral strain,while a gradual increase in micro-crack quantity at 75%of peak load was observed in the fiber specimens,which thenbegan to connect with each other up to the final fracture.The accuracy of the results supports DIC as a reliable alternative for the characterization of the fracture process in fiber-reinforced concrete.

Compressive behavior of hybrid steel-polyvinyl alcohol fiber-reinforced concrete containing fly ash and slag powder:experiments and an artificial neural network model

Understanding the mechanical behavior of hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete(HFRC),a composite material,is crucial for the design of HFRC and HFRC structures.In this study,a series of compression experiments were performed on hybrid steelpolyvinyl alcohol(PVA)fiber-reinforced concrete containing fly ash and slag powder,with a focus on the fiber content/ratio effect on its compressive behavior;a new approach was built to model the compression behavior of HFRC by using an artificial neural network(ANN)method.The proposed ANN model incorporated two new developments:the prediction of the compressive stress-strain curve and consideration of 23 features of components of HFRC.To build a database for the ANN model,relevant published data were also collected.Three indices were used to train and evaluate the ANN model.To highlight the performance of the ANN model,it was compared with a traditional equation-based model.The results revealed that the relative errors of the predicted compressive strength and strain corresponding to compressive strength of the ANN model were close to 0,while the corresponding values from the equation-based model were higher.Therefore,the ANN model is better able to consider the effect of different components on the compressive behavior of HFRC in terms of compressive strength,the strain corresponding to compressive strength,and the compressive stress-strain curve.Such an ANN model could also be a good tool to predict the mechanical behavior of other composite materials.

Strength and Deformation of Axially Loaded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Sheet Confined Concrete Columns

Experimental results of 29 axially loaded fiber-reinforced polymer sheet (FS) confined concrete columns and two reference plain concrete columns are introduced. Twenty four column specimens were confined with carbon fiber sheet (CFS) and five column specimens were hybrid confined with both CFS and glass fiber sheet (GFS). The influence of aspect ratio, FS material, initial axial force ratio, and FS confine-ment degree on the strength and deformation of columns were studied. Based on the experimental results, the equations of complete stress-strain curve of CFS confined concrete are proposed. These equations are suitable for the nonlinear analysis of square and rectangular section columns. Suggestions of applying FS to confine concrete columns are presented.

Experimental and parametrical investigation of pre-stressed ultrahigh-performance fiberreinforced concrete railway sleepers

In this study,ultrahigh-performance fiber-reinforced concrete(UHPFRC)used in a type B70 concrete sleeper is investigated experimentally and parametrically.The main parameters investigated are the steel fiber volume fractions(0%,0.5%,1%,and 1.5%).Under European standards,35 UHPFRC sleepers are subjected to static bending tests at the center and rail seat sections,and the screw on the fastening system is pulled out.The first cracking load,failure load,failure mode,crack propagation,load–deflection curve,load–crack width,and failure load from these tests are measured and compared with those of a control sleeper manufactured using normal concrete C50.The accuracy of the parametric study is verified experimentally.Subsequently,the results of the study are applied to UHPFRC sleepers with different concrete volumes to investigate the effects of the properties of UHPFRC on their performance.Experimental and parametric study results show that the behavior of UHPFRC sleepers improves significantly when the amount of steel fiber in the mix is increased.Sleepers manufactured using UHPFRC with a steel fiber volume fraction of 1%and a concrete volume less than 25%that of standard sleeper B70 can be used under the same loads and requirements,which contributes positively to the cost and surrounding environment.

Ductility improvement of GFRP-RC beams using precast confined concrete block in compression zone

Fiber-reinforced polymers(FRPs)have received considerable research attention because of their high strength,corrosion resistance,and low weight.However,owing to the lack of ductility in this material and the quasi-brittle behavior of concrete,FRP-reinforced concrete(FRP-RC)beams,even with flexural failure,do not fail in a ductile manner.Because the limited deformation capacity of FRP-RC beams depends on the ductility of their compression zones,the present study proposes using a precast confined concrete block(PCCB)in the compression zone to improve the ductility of the beams.A control beam and four beams with different PCCBs were cast and tested under four-point bending conditions.The control beam failed due to shear,and the PCCBs exhibited different confinements and perforations.The goal was to find an appropriate PCCB for use in the compression zone of the beams,which not only improved the ductility but also changed the failure mode of the beams from shear to flexural.Among the employed blocks,a ductile PCCB with low equivalent compressive strength increased the ductility ratio of the beam to twice that of the control beam.The beam failed in pure flexure with considerable deformation capacity and without significant stiffness reduction.

Investigation on modeling parameters of concrete beams reinforced with basalt FRP bars

Fiber-reinforced polymer(FRP)bars are widely used as internal reinforcement replacing the conventional steel bars to prevent from corrosion.Among the different types of FRP bars,basalt FRP(BFRP)bars have been used in different structural applications and,herein,three already tested concrete beams reinforced with BFRP bars are analyzed using three-dimensional(3-D)finite element analysis(FEA).The beams were tested in four-point bending.In the FEA the behavior of concrete is simulated using the^Concrete-Damaged Plasticity^^model offered in ABAQUS software.The research presented here presents a calibrated model for nonlinear FEA of BFRP concrete beams to predict their response considering both the accuracy and the computational efficiency.The calibration process showed that the concrete model should be regularized using a mesh-dependent characteristic length and material-dependent post-yield fracture and crushing energies to provide accurate mesh-size independent results.FEA results were compared to the test results with regard to failure load and crack patterns.Both the test results and the numerical results were compared to the design predictions of ACI 440.1R-15 and CSA S806-12,where CSA S806-12 seems to overestimate the shear strength for two beams.

Performance of steel bridge deck pavement structure with ultra high performance concrete based on resin bonding

This research investigated a pavement system on steel bridge decks that use epoxy resin(EP)bonded ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC).Through FEM analysis and static and dynamic bending fatigue tests of the composite structure,the influences of the interface of the pavement layer,reinforcement,and different paving materials on the structural performance were compared and analyzed.The results show that the resin bonded UHPC pavement structure can reduce the weld strain in the steel plate by about 32%and the relative deflection between ribs by about 52%under standard axial load conditions compared to traditional pavements.The EP bonding layer can nearly double the drawing strength of the pavement interface from 1.3 MPa,and improve the bending resistance of the UHPC structure on steel bridge decks by about 50%;the bending resistance of reinforced UHPC structures is twice that of unreinforced UHPC structure,and the dynamic deflection of the UHPC pavement structure increases exponentially with increasing fatigue load.The fatigue life is about 1.2×10^(7) cycles under a fixed force of 9 kN and a dynamic deflection of 0.35 mm,which meets the requirements for fatigue performance of pavements on steel bridge decks under traffic conditions of large flow and heavy load.

Effect of fiber hybridization on energy absorption and synergy in concrete

In the present study,steel and polypropylene(PP)fibers have been utilized with the intent of obtaining hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete(HFRC)with desirable mechanical properties.An attempt has been made to scrutinize the properties of HFRC with the main concentration being on energy absorption characteristics of concrete and the efficacy of fiber hybridization in producing synergy.Accordingly,a total of 180 specimens,representing 20 different mixtures have been cast and evaluated through compressive,split tensile,and flexural tests.The relevant flexural toughness of the specimens was calculated using ASTM C1018,ASTM Cl 609,JSCE,and PCS methods,and the effectiveness of these methods was evaluated based on the experimental results.It was observed that steel fibers are more effective in the improvement of flexural toughness in the presence ofPP fibers.Furthermore,synergy associated with the combination of fibers at different stages of deflection of the beam specimens was observed and analyzed.