Experimental and Numerical Analysis of High-Strength Concrete Beams Including Steel Fibers and Large-Particle Recycled Coarse Aggregates

In order to study the performances of high-strength concrete beams including steel fibers and large-particle recycled aggregates,four different beams have been designed,tested experimentally and simulated numerically.As varying parameters,the replacement rates of recycled coarse aggregates and CFRP(carbon fiber reinforced polymer)sheets have been considered.The failure mode of these beams,related load deflection curves,stirrup strain and shear capacity have been determined through monotonic loading tests.The simulations have been conducted using the ABAQUS finite element software.The results show that the shear failure mode of recycled concrete beams is similar to that of ordinary concrete beams.The shear carrying capacity of high-strength concrete beams including steel fibers and large-particle recycled coarse aggregates grows with an increase in the replacement rate of recycled coarse aggregates.Reinforcement with CFRP sheets can significantly improve the beam’s shear carrying capacity and overall resistance to deformation.

Flexural behavior of high-strength,steel-reinforced,and prestressed concrete beams

To study the flexural behavior of prestressed concrete beams with high-strength steel reinforcement and high-strength concrete and improve the crack width calculation method for flexural components with such reinforcement and concrete,12 specimens were tested under static loading.The failure modes,flexural strength,ductility,and crack width of the specimens were analyzed.The results show that the failure mode of the test beams was similar to that of the beams with normal reinforced concrete.A brittle failure did not occur in the specimens.To further understand the working mechanism,the results of other experimental studies were collected and discussed.The results show that the normalized reinforcement ratio has a greater effect on the ductility than the concrete strength.The cracking-and peak-moment formulas in the code for the design of concrete(GB 50010-2010)applied to the beams were both found to be acceptable.However,the calculation results of the maximum crack width following GB 50010-2010 and EN 1992-1-1:2004 were considerably conservative.In the context of GB 50010-2010,a revised formula for the crack width is proposed with modifications to two major factors:the average crack spacing and an amplification coefficient of the maximum crack width to the average spacing.The mean value of the ratio of the maximum crack width among the 12 test results and the relative calculation results from the revised formula is 1.017,which is better than the calculation result from GB 50010-2010.Therefore,the new formula calculates the crack width more accurately in high-strength concrete and high-strength steel reinforcement members.Finally,finite element models were established using ADINA software and validated based on the test results.This study provides an important reference for the development of high-strength concrete and highstrength steel reinforcement structures.