Pore Size Distribution of High Performance Metakaolin Concrete

The Compressive strength, porosity and pore size distribution of high performance metakaolin (MK) concrete were investigated. Concretes containing 0,5% , 10% and 20% metakaolin were prepared at a water / cementitious material ratio ( W/C) of 0. 30. In parallel, concrete mixtures with the replacement of cement by 20% fly ash or 5 and 10% silica fume were prepared for comparison. The specimens were cured in water at 27℃ for 3 to 90 days. The results show that at the early age of curing (3 days and 7 days), metakaolin replacements increase the compressive strength, but silica fume replacement slightly reduces the compressive strength. At the age of and after 28 days , the compressive strength of the concrete with metakaolin and silica fume replacement increases. A strong reduction in the total porosity and average pore diameter were observed in the concrete with MK 20% and 10% in the first 7 days.

Effect of Aggregate Gradation with Fuller Distribution on Properties of Sulphoaluminate Cement Concrete

Experimental investigations on mechanical property and durability of sulphoaluminate cement concrete with aggregate gradations according to Fuller distribution are presented in this paper. Compressive strength, water impermeability and resistance capability to sulfate attack of SACC have the same trend of concrete with fine aggregates of Fuller distribution gradation<concrete with coarse aggregates of Fuller distribution gradation<concrete with total aggregates of Fuller distribution gradation. The relationship between bulk density of aggregate and water penetration depth obeyed the second-order polynomial y=0.002x2-6.863 8x +5 862.3, and had a notable correlation R2=0.979 9. The sulphoaluminate cement concrete with total aggregate gradation with Fuller distribution for h=0.50 had the best resistance capability to sulfate attack. It was a second-order polynomial relationship between bulk density of aggregates and water penetration depth of y=0.002x2-6.863 8x+5 862.3 with R2=0.979 9, which indicated notable correlation. The fitting formula between bulk density of aggregates and sulfate resistance coefficient of SACC was y=0.000 5x+0.370 4 with R2=0.958 5.

Temperature distributions in concrete box girders due to heat of concrete hydration

Based on heat transfer theory,a two-dimensional complex exponential function was used to compute heat of concrete hydration.A concrete box girder consisting of a single box with two cells used on Harbin Songpu Bridge was measured on site.The two coefficients in the complex exponential function were determined to best fit the field measured data.ABAQUS program was used to simulate the heat transfer and determine the temperature distribution in the concrete box girders during concrete setting.The calculated temperature distribution in the box girders were compared with the field measured data and good agreement was observed.The temperature distribution and gradient in the entire box section,webs and bottom slab were analyzed using the measured and calculated results during the course of concrete hydration.

Effect of contact thermal resistance on temperature distributions of concrete-filled steel tubes in fire

To predicate the temperature distribution of concrete-filled steel tubes(CFSTs) being exposure to fire,a finite element analysis model was developed using a finite element package,ANSYS.A suggested value of contact thermal resistance was therefore proposed with the supporting of massive numbers of collected test data.Parametric analysis was conducted subsequently towards the cross-sectional temperature distribution of CFST columns in four-side fire,in which the exposure time,width of the cross section,steel ratio were taken into account with considering contact thermal resistance.It was found that contact thermal resistance has little effect on the overall temperature regulation with the exposure time,the width of cross-section or the change of steel ratio.However,great temperature dropping at the concrete adjacent to the contact interface,and gentle temperature increase at steel tube,exist if considering contact thermal resistance.The results of the study are expected to provide theoretical basis for the fire resistance behavior and design of the CFST columns being exposure to fire.

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.

Detecting the Resistivity Distribution of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete by Electrical Resistance Tomography Method

According to the principle of electrical resistance tomography （ ERT）, the resistivity distribution of the carbon fiber reinforced concrete （CFRC） in the sensing field can be measured by injecting exciting current and measuring the voltage on the sensor electrode arrays installed on the surface of the object. Therefore, measurement of the resistivity distribution of CFRC is divided into first measuring the boundary conditions and then inversely computing the resistivity distribution. To reach this goal, an ERT system was constructed, which is composed of a sensor array unit, a data acquisition unit and an image reconstruction unit. Simulations of static ERT was performed on set-ups with many objects spread in a homogeneous background, and a simulation of dynamic ERT was also done on a rectangular board, the resistivity of which was changed within a small domain of it. Then, the resistivity distribution of a CFRC sample with a circlar hole as the target was detected by the ERT system. Simulation and experimental results show that the reconstructed ERT image reflects the resistivity distribution or the resistivity change of CFRC structure well. Especially, a small change in resistivity can be identified from the reconstructed images in the simulation of dynamic ERT images.

Air-entrained Concrete： Relationship between Thermal Conductivity and Pore Distribution Analyzed by X-Ray Tomography

The thermal conductivity values of ordinary concrete can be adjusted to those prescribed in constructions by entraining air bubbles to reduce the density of concrete in order to achieve good thermal insulation. This paper concerns the analysis of air bubble distribution in concrete obtained by micro X-ray μCT （computed tomography） and correlates it with its thermal conductivity （k）. The samples were prepared of ordinary concrete varying the density by air-entraining additives, ranging between 2,277 kg/m3 and 1,779 kg/m3, aiming to correlate the mechanical properties and k with the characteristics of the bubble distribution. The results show that air-entrainment leads to viable use of this material as sealer to achieve good thermal insulation, and it can be adjusted, but there seems to be a limit to air entraining. By analysis of the μCT images, it was possible to correlate the more quantity of bubbles of smaller diameter with the minor k, in dry or wet state, and to prove that there is a limit in the entrapped air content, and if it is exceeded, the coalescence occurs.

Distribution of Reinforcement in Tensile Flanges of Concrete T-shape Continuous Beam

In this paper the analysis of tensile stress distribution in flexural continuous T- beam has been presented. The observed damages in carrying deck of RC bridge over the Wieprz River in Baranow indicate that over pillar zones are not protected enough. The results of numerical analysis have shown that tensile stress in T- section beam appears not only in a web but in flanges as well. Thus reinforcing bars should be distributed within the whole effective width. This fact is mentioned in building codes, for example, in Eurocode 2： ＂Design of concrete structures＂, both in part 1.1 ＂General rules and rules for building＂ and in part 2 ＂Reinforced and prestressed concrete bridges＂, but there are not detailed rules how to place the bars in flanges of T-section.

Bond of Seawater Scoria Aggregate Concrete to Stainless Reinforcement

This study investigates the bond between seawater scoria aggregate concrete(SSAC)and stainless reinforcement(SR)through a series of pull-out tests.A total of 39 specimens,considering five experimental parameters—con-crete type(SSAC,ordinary concrete(OC)and seawater coral aggregate concrete(SCAC)),reinforcement type(SR,ordinary reinforcement(OR)),bond length(3,5 and 8 times bar diameter),concrete strength(C25 and C30)and concrete cover thickness(42 and 67 mm)—were prepared.The typical bond properties(failure pattern,bond strength,bond-slip curves and bond stress distribution,etc.)of seawater scoria aggregate concrete-stainless rein-forcement(SSAC-SR)specimen were systematically studied.Generally,the failure pattern changed with the con-crete type used,and the failure surface of SSAC specimen was different from that of OC specimen.SSAC enhanced the bond strength of specimen,while its effect on the deformation of SSAC-SR was negative.On aver-age,the peak slip of SSAC specimens was 20%lower while the bond strength was 6.7%higher compared to OC specimens under the similar conditions.The effects of variables on the bond strength of SSAC–SR in increasing order are concrete type,bond length,concrete strength and cover thickness.The bond-slip curve of SSAC-SR specimen consisted of micro-slipping,slipping and declining stages.It can be obtained that SSAC reduced the curve curvature of bond-slip,and the decline of curve became steep after adopting SR.The typical distribution of bond stress along bond length changed with the types of concrete and reinforcement used.Finally,a specific expression of the bond stress-slip curve considering the effects of various variables was established,which could provide a basis for the practical application of reinforced SSAC.

Experimental study on concrete columns hybrid reinforced by steel and FRP bars under seismic loading

In order to study the dynamic behavior of hybrid reinforced concrete columns, shaking table tests of three concrete columns with equal initial stiffness were conducted.The longitudinal reinforcements include an ordinary steel bar,a steel-fiber reinforced polymer（FRP） composite bar（SFCB）, and hybrid reinforcement（steel bar and FRP bar, CH）. Test results show that the peak ground acceleration（PGA） responses of different columns are similar to each other. For an ordinary reinforced concrete（RC） column, the plastic strain of the steel bar develops rapidly after the PGA of the input ground motion reaches 100 cm / s^2, and the corresponding residual strain develops dramatically. For a SFCB column, even after the peak strain reaches 0. 015, the residual strain is below 5 × 10^- 4. For the hybrid column C-H,the residual strain of the FRP bar is similar to that of the SFCB column. In general, concrete columns with hybrid steel and FRP bar reinforcement can achieve smaller residual deformation, and the SFCB reinforced columns can be constructed in extreme environments, such as offshore bridges, due to good anti-corrosion performance.

BOND PERFORMANCE EXPERIMENT FOR FLY ASH CONCRETE AND STEEL BAR

The impact of fly ash content on bond performance of steel bars and their surrounding concrete is studied by means of sticking strain gauges on steel bars. The average bond stress-slip curves, the steel strain-anchor location curves, and the bond stress-anchor position curves of the pullout specimens with various fly ash contents are obtained. Results indicate that the bond performance of concrete and steel bars can be improved and the distribution of steel strain along the anchorage length tends to be more uniform by adding fly ash in concrete specimens, and both ultimate bond stress and ultimate slip deformation increase the most when 20% of specimens′ content is fly ash.

Quantitative Analysis and Affecting Factors of the Overlapping Degree of Interfacial Transition Zone between Neighboring Aggregates in Concrete

Based on the nearest surface function formula, a quantitative formula to measure the overlapping degree between the interfacial transition zone （ITZ） of neighboring aggregate particles was put forward. The formula was further deduced to quantitatively analyze the influence of the volume fraction of aggregate, ITZ thickness and the maximum aggregate diameter on the overlapping degree between neighboring ITZ. The volume of ITZ was quantitatively calculated in actual concrete by comparing the nearest surface function formula with an approximate method, that is the surface area of the aggregates multiplied by the uniform thickness of the ITZ layers. The results showed that the influencing order of these three factors on the overlapping degree between neighboring ITZ in turn was the interface thickness, aggregate volume fraction and the maximum aggregate diameter; As long as the interface thickness 50 μm and the aggregate volume fraction 50%, the calculated error between two methods mentioned above is about 10 %.

Combined effect of steel fibres and steel rebars on impact resistance of high performance concrete

The impact properties of normal concrete (NC) and reinforced concrete (RC) specimens,steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) specimens and RC+SFRC specimens with different steel fibre dosages were investigated with the drop-weight impact test recommended by ACI Committee 544.The results indicate that the number of blows to final failure is greatly increased by addition of steel fibres.Moreover,the combination of steel fibres and steel rebars demonstrates a significant positive composite effect on the impact resistance,which results in the improvement in impact toughness of concrete specimens.In the view of variation of impact test results,the two-parameter Weibull distribution was adopted to analyze the experimental data.It is proved that the probabilistic distributions of the blows to first crack and to final failure of six types of samples approximately follow two-parameter Weibull distribution.

Coupling effects of influence factors on probability of corrosion initiation time of reinforced concrete

The coupling model of major influence factors such state affecting the chloride diffusion process in concrete is as environmental relative humidity, load-induced crack and stress discussed. The probability distributions of the critical chloride concentration Cc, the chloride diffusion coefficient D, and the surface chloride concentration Cs were determined based on the collected natural exposure data. And the estimation of probability of corrosion initiation considering the coupling effects of influence factors is presented. It is found that the relative humidity and curing time are the most effective factors affecting the probability of corrosion initiation before and after 10 years of exposure time. At the same exposure time, the influence of load-induced crack and stress state on the probability of corrosion initiation is obvious, in which the effect of crack is the most one

Mechanical Properties of Sea Water Sea Sand Coral Concrete Modified with Different Cement and Fiber Types

The mechanical properties of modified sea water sea sand coral concrete(SWSSCC)under axial compression were experimentally studied.Two different parameters were considered in this test:types of cement and fiber.An experimental campaign was developed involving uniaxial compression tests and the use of digital image correlation(DIC)method to analyze the strain distribution and crack propagation of specimen.Test results indicated that the compressive strength and elastic modulus of SWSSCC were improved by adding stainless steel fibers(SSF),while polypropylene fibers(PF)enhanced the SWSSCC peak deformation.It was found that the elastic modulus and strength of SWSSCC using ordinary Portland cement(OPC)were higher compared to specimen with low alkalinity sulphoaluminate cement(LAS).Typical strain distribution changed with the variation of fiber types.The propagation and characteristics of cracks in SWSSCC containing PF were similar to those of cracks in SWSSCC.However,the propagation of cracks and the development of plastic deformation in SWSSCC were effectively hindered by adopting SSF.Finally,an analytical stress-strain expression of specimen considering the influences of fibers was established.The obtained results would provide a basis for the application of SWSSCC.

Influences of Reinforcement on Differential Drying Shrinkage of Concrete

Shrinkage strain of concrete specimen with different reinforcement configuration was measured at various depths from the exposed surface by using several pairs of displacement sensors. Only one surface of the concrete specimen was exposed to dry condition during the experiment. The results show that differential shrinkage strain occurs in both plain and steel reinforced concrete specimens according to depths from the exposed surface. A higher reinforcement ratio results in a greater restraint against shrinkage of concrete nearby reinforcement rebar and a worse differential shrinkage strain distribution in the concrete specimen. The restraint against shrinkage of concrete becomes lower with the increasing distance from reinforcement rebar. Under the same reinforcement arrangement, a higher free shrinkage of concrete leads to a stronger restraint against shrinkage and a higher shrinkage stress formation in local concrete. The relationship between shrinkage strain and reduction of relative humidity in reinforced concrete structure is far different from that in plain concrete.

Double linear strain distribution assumption of RC beam strengthened with external-bonded or near-surface mounted fiber reinforced plastic

Rehabilitation of existing structures with fiber reinforced plastic(FRP)has been growing in popularity because they offer superior performance in terms of resistance to corrosion and high specific stiffness.The strain coordination results of 34 reinforced concrete beams(four groups)strengthened with different methods were presented including external-bonded or near-surface mounted glass or carbon FRP or helical rib bar in order to study the strain coordination of the strengthening materials and steel rebar of RC beam.Because there is relative slipping between concrete and strengthening materials(SM),the strain of SM and steel rebar of RC beam satisfies the double linear strain distribution assumption,that is,the strain of longitudinal fiber parallel to the neutral axis of plated beam within the scope of effective height(h0)of the cross section is in direct proportion to the distance from the fiber to the neutral axis.The strain of SM and steel rebar satisfies the equation εGCH=βεsteel,where the value of β is equal to 1.1-1.3 according to the test results.

Analysis of inhibition of concrete steel-rebar corrosion by Na_2Cr_2O_7 concentrations:Implications for conflicting reports on inhibitor effectiveness

Corrosion test data were measured using non-destructive electrochemical techniques and analysed for studying inhibition effectiveness by different concentrations of NazCr207 on the corrosion of concrete steel-rehar in NaC1 and in H2SO4 media. For these, specifications of ASTM G16-95 R04 were combined with the normal and the Gumbel probability density functions as model analytical methods for addressing issues of conflicting reports of inhibitor effectiveness that had generated concerns. Results show that reinforced concrete samples admixed with concentrations having 4 g （0.012 7 tool）, 8 g （0.025 4 mol） and 6 g （0.019 l tool） NaaCr207 exhibited, in that order, high inhibition effectiveness, with respective efficiency, r/, of （90.46±1.30）%, （88.41＋2.24）% and （84.87±4.74）%, in the NaC1 medium. These exhibit good agreements within replicates and statistical methods for the samples. Also, optimal inhibition effectiveness model in the H2SO4 medium was exhibited by 8 g （0.025 4 mol） Na2Cr207 concentration having r/=（78.44±1.10）%. These bear implications for addressing conflicting test data in the study of effective inhibitors for mitigating steel-rebar corrosion in aggressive environments.

Experimental Research on Early-Age Property of High-Performance Concrete Column by Embedded Sensors

This paper aims at monitoring the autogenous shrinkage （AS） of a high-performance concrete （HPC） column specimen using an embedded strain gauge just after concrete pouring. A real size specimen （40 cm×40 cm×100cm） was made to simulate the structural members in construction site. The results show that the amount of HPC AS is comparable to that of drying shrinkage and even larger than it, so AS can not be omitted for HPC. By comparing the plain HPC and reinforced HPC specimens, the influences of reinforced bars on autogenous shrinkage and temperature distribution were obtained.

Mathematical Modelling in Placing of Fresh Concrete

The main problem in working with fresh concrete is the aggregate segregation during filling of formwork. The segregation is strongly related to W/C (Water/Cement) ratio. The fresh concrete is usually considered as a Non-Newtonian fluid since it is a mixture of aggregate, cement and water. The flow behavior of the fresh concrete to W/C ratio plays a crucial role in the quality of the high performance concretes by affecting the flow behavior of the fresh concrete. The aggregates in the fresh concrete usually cause segregation in the final product depending on the flow condition. In this study, the mechanism of segregation in such systems was theoretically investigated. The mould filling of fresh concrete was numerically investigated and aggregates were considered as Lagrangian particles and segregation was identified from trajectories of such particles. It was found that the aggregates were trapped at the dead zones leading to segregation in the system. The particle size and geometry of the mould was found to have significantly affect the segregation in the system.