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.

Internal Force Distribution in Steel-Concrete Composite Structure for Pylon of Cable-Stayed Bridge

Adopting a steel-anchor beam and steel corbel composite structure in the anchor zone on pylon is one of the key techniques for the design of Jintang bridge, a cable-stayed bridge in Zhoushan, China. In order to ensure the safety of the steel-concrete composite structure, a stud connector model for the joint section was put forward. Experiments were conducted to obtain the relation between load and slip of specimen, the failure pattern of stud connector, the yield bearing capacity and ultimate bearing capacity of a single stud, etc. The whole process of the structural behavior of the specimen was comprehensively analyzed. The features of the internal force distribution in the steel-concrete composite structure and the strain distribution of stud connector under different loads were emphatically studied. The test results show that the stud connector is applicable for the steel-concrete composite structure for pylon of Jintang bridge. The stud has a good ductility performance and a obvious yield process before its destruction. The stud connector basically works in a state of elasticity under a load less than the yield load.

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.

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.

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.

The Study of Force and the Mechanical Characteristic of Incremental Launching Construction Method on a Steel-Concrete Continuous Beam Bridge

The usage of steel-mixed composite beams is quite extensive today.During an event of constructing steel-mixed composite bridges,the incremental launching construction method is generally adopted.This paper mainly analyzes the force of incremental launching construction on a steel-concrete continuous beam bridge,the classification of incremental launching construction,the application of incremental launching construction in steel-mixed composite beams,the temporary facilities existing in incremental launching construction as well as their existing problems.Lastly,the analysis of the stress of composite beams in incremental launching construction is described by using the reference for the construction of mixed composite continuous beam bridges provided.

Research review on steel–concrete composite joint of railway hybrid girder cable-stayed bridges

Purpose–This study aims to research the development trend,research status,research results and existing problems of the steel–concrete composite joint of railway long-span hybrid girder cable-stayed bridge.Design/methodology/approach–Based on the investigation and analysis of the development history,structure form,structural parameters,stress characteristics,shear connector stress state,force transmission mechanism,and fatigue performance,aiming at the steel–concrete composite joint of railway long-span hybrid girder cable-stayed bridge,the development trend,research status,research results and existing problems are expounded.Findings–The shear-compression composite joint has become the main form in practice,featuring shortened length and simplified structure.The length of composite joints between 1.5 and 3.0 m has no significant effect on the stress and force transmission laws of the main girder.The reasonable thickness of the bearing plate is 40–70 mm.The calculation theory and simplified calculation formula of the overall bearing capacity,the nonuniformity and distribution laws of the shear connector,the force transferring ratio of steel and concrete components,the fatigue failure mechanism and structural parameters effects are the focus of the research study.Originality/value–This study puts forward some suggestions and prospects for the structural design and theoretical research of the steel–concrete composite joint of railway long-span hybrid girder cable-stayed bridge.

Flexural stiffness characterization of the corrugated steel-concrete composite structure for tunnel projects

Corrugated steel–concrete(CSC)composite structures are increasingly used in tunnel and culvert projects due to their good mechanical properties.The design of CSC composite structures is often governed by deflection limits in service,hence it becomes crucial to evaluate accurately their flexural stiffness.In this work,the deflection deformation mechanism of CSC composite structure is studied by experimental and numerical methods,and a simplified formula for calculating the flexural stiffness is established.In addition,the deflection results obtained by different methods are compared and analyzed.It is found that:(1)the flexural stiffness of the CSC composite structure is constant only when the load is small,and after the bending moment exceeds a certain value,the flexural stiffness will gradually become smaller as the bending moment increases.(2)The value of the bending moment corresponding to the end of the elastic stage of the bending moment-deflection curve increases with the increase of the axial force in the composite structure.(3)As the axial force of the composite structure increases,the flexural bearing capacity of the structure increases first and then decreases.

Parametric study on contact sensors for MASW measurement-based interfacial debonding detection for SCCS

Steel-concrete composite structures(SCCS)have been widely used as primary load-bearing components in large-scale civil infrastructures.As the basis of the co-working ability of steel plate and concrete,the bonding status plays an essential role in guaranteeing the structural performance of SCCS.Accordingly,efficient non-destructive testing(NDT)on interfacial debondings in SCCS has become a prominent research area.Multi-channel analysis of surface waves(MASW)has been validated as an effective NDT technique for interfacial debonding detection for SCCS.However,the feasibility of MASW must be validated using experimental measurements.This study establishes a high-frequency data synchronous acquisition system with 32 channels to perform comparative verification experiments in depth.First,the current sensing approaches for high-frequency vibration and stress waves are summarized.Secondly,three types of contact sensors,namely,piezoelectric lead-zirconate-titanate(PZT)patches,accelerometers,and ultrasonic transducers,are selected for MASW measurement.Then,the selection and optimization of the force hammer head are performed.Comparative experiments are carried out for the optimal selection of ultrasonic transducers,PZT patches,and accelerometers for MASW measurement.In addition,the influence of different pasting methods on the output signal of the sensor array is discussed.Experimental results indicate that optimized PZT patches,acceleration sensors,and ultrasonic transducers can provide efficient data acquisition for MASW-based non-destructive experiments.The research findings in this study lay a solid foundation for analyzing the recognition accuracy of contact MASW measurement using different sensor arrays.

Research on Concrete Preparation for the Steel-concrete Composite Segment of Jingyue Yangtze River Bridge

To improve the quality of the steel-concrete composite segment of the box girder,to ensure the compactness of concrete to avoid debonding and to enhance the fatigue strength of concrete are critical to the concrete preparation for such site. Furthermore,the coordination ability to deformation between steel and concrete is also important because of great difference of the elastic modulus between them. Concrete for the steel-concrete composite segment with high fluidity,excellent crack resistance and low shrinkage was prepared by adding efficient poly-carboxylic water-reducing agent,high quality fly ash and expansion agent to it. The quality of the concrete of the half partial testing block showed that the optimal mix proportion of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete had achieved expected effect,ensured high quality,thus meeting the requirements of construction.

Field validation of UHPC layer in negative moment region of steel-concrete composite continuous girder bridge

Improving the cracking resistance of steel-normal concrete(NC)composite beams in the negative moment region is one of the main tasks in designing continuous composite beam(CCB)bridges due to the low tensile strength of the NC deck at pier supports.This study proposed an innovative structural configuration for the negative bending moment region in a steel-concrete CCB bridge with the aid of ultrahigh performance concrete(UHPC)layer.In order to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of this new UHPC jointed structure in the negative bending moment region,field load testing was conducted on a newly built full-scale bridge.The newly designed structural configuration was described in detail regarding the structural characteristics(cracking resistance,economy,durability,and constructability).In the field investigation,strains on the surface of the concrete bridge deck,rebar,and steel beam in the negative bending moment region,as well as mid-span deflection,were measured under different load cases.Also,a finite element model for the four-span superstructure of the full-scale bridge was established and validated by the field test results.The simulated results in terms of strains and mid-span deflection showed moderate consistency with the test results.This field test and the finite element model results demonstrated that the new configuration with the UHPC layer provided an effective alternative for the negative bending moment region of the composite beam.

Recent progress of seismic research on tall buildings in China Mainland

As a result of rapid economic growth and urbanization in the past two decades,many tall buildings have been constructed in China Mainland,offering researchers and practitioners an excellent opportunity for research and practice in the field of structural engineering. This paper reviews progress by researchers throughout China Mainland on the seismic research of tall buildings,focusing on three major topics that impact the seismic performance of tall buildings. These are:(1) new types of steel-concrete composite structural members such as steel-concrete composite shear walls and columns,(2) earthquake resilient shear wall structures such as shear walls with replaceable structural components,self-centering shear walls and rocking walls,and(3) performance-based seismic design,including seismic performance index,performance level and design method. The paper concludes by presenting future research needs and directions in this field.

Ductility and Ultimate Capacity of Concrete-Filled Lattice Rectangular Steel Tube Columns

A kind of concrete-filled lattice rectangular steel tube(CFLRST)column was put forward.The numerical simulation was modeled to analyze the mechanical characteristic of CFLRST column.By comparing the load-deformation curves from the test results,the rationality and reliability of the finite element model has been confirmed,moreover,the change of the section stiffness and stress in the forcing process and the ultimate bearing capacity of the column were analyzed.Based on the model,the comparison of ultimate bearing capacity and ductility between CFLRST column and reinforced concrete(RC)column were also analyzed.The results of the finite element analysis show that the loading process of CFLRST column consists of elastic stage,yield stage and failure stage.The failure modes are mainly strength failure and failure of elastoplastic instability.CFLRST column has higher bearing capacities in comparison with reinforced concrete columns with the same steel ratio.In addition,the stiffness degeneration of CFLRST column is slower than RC column and CFLRST column has good ductility.

Vibration Analysis and Fatigue Assessment of Floors.Part I:Human Rhythmic Activities

Structural problems associated with excessive vibration of building floor systems when subjected to human rhythmic activities have been frequent.In this context,this research work aims to develop an analysis methodology to evaluate the human comfort and assess the fatigue performance of steel-concrete composite floors when subjected to human rhythmic activities(aerobics).The investigated structural model corresponds to a steel-concrete floor with dimensions of 10 m×10 m and a total area of 100 m^(2).The numerical model developed for the dynamic analysis of the floor adopted the usual mesh refinement techniques present in finite element method(FEM)simulations implemented in the ANSYS program.The investigated floor dynamic response was calculated through the consideration of people practicing rhythmic activities on the structure,in order to verify the occurrence of excessive vibration and to assess the human comfort.The fatigue assessment is based on a linear cumulative damage rule through the use of the Rainflow-counting algorithm and S-N curves from traditional design codes.The results indicated that,in several analysed situations,the investigated floor presents excessive vibration and user’s discomfort.On the other hand,the structure service life values were higher than those proposed by the design codes,ensuring that the members,connections and joints will not fail by fatigue cracking.

Vibration Analysis and Fatigue Assessment of Floors.Part II:Mechanical Equipment

Floors subjected to mechanical equipment loads frequently present problems associated with excessive vibration which can cause human discomfort or even reduce the structure service life.In this context,this work aims to develop an analysis methodology in order to assess the fatigue performance of steel-concrete composite floors,when subjected to vibrations induced by mechanical equipment.The studied structural model corresponds to a steel-concrete composite floor spanning 10 m by 10 m,with a total area of 100 m^(2).The numerical model developed for the dynamic analysis adopted the usual mesh refinement techniques present in finite element method(FEM)simulations implemented in the ANSYS program.The investigated floor dynamic response was calculated through the consideration of the dynamic loadings imposed by the mechanical equipment,simulated based on the use of harmonic forces applied on the concrete slabs.Furthermore,the dynamic structural response was performed considering several scenarios for the positioning of the equipment,in order to verify the occurrence of excessive vibration.The fatigue assessment is based on a linear cumulative damage rule through the use of the Rainflow-counting algorithm and S-N curves from traditional design codes.The results of this investigation indicated that the equipment position affects directly the floor dynamic structural response and also significantly influences the structure service life.