Mechanical Behavior Based on Aggregates Microstructure of Ultra-high Performance Concrete

We developed ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)incorporating mullite sand and brown corundum sand(BCS),and the quartz sand UHPC was utilized to prepare for comparison.The properties of compressive strength,elastic modulus,ultrasonic pulse velocity,flexural strength,and toughness were investigated.Scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation were also conducted to reveal the underlying mechanisms affecting macroscopic performance.Due to the superior interface bonding properties between mullite sand and matrix,the compressive strength and flexural toughness of UHPC have been significantly improved.Mullite sand and BCS aggregates have higher stiffness than quartz sand,contributing to the excellent elastic modulus exhibited by UHPC.The stiffness and volume of aggregates have a more significant impact on the elastic modulus of UHPC than interface performance,and the latter contributes more to the strength of UHPC.This study will provide a reference for developing UHPC with superior elastic modulus for structural engineering.

Influence Mechanism of Curing Regimes on Interfacial Transition Zone of Lightweight Ultra-High Performance Concrete

This study aims to clarify the effects of curing regimes and lightweight aggregate(LWA)on the morphology, width and mechanical properties of the interfacial transition zone(ITZ) of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC), and provide reference for the selection of lightweight ultra-high performance concrete(L-UHPC) curing regimes and the pre-wetting degree LWA. The results show that, under the three curing regimes(standard curing, steam curing and autoclaved curing), LWA is tightly bound to the matrix without obvious boundaries. ITZ width increases with the water absorption of LWA and decreases with increasing curing temperature. The ITZ microhardness is the highest when water absorption is 3%, and the microhardness value is more stable with the distance from LWA. Steam and autoclaved curing increase ITZ microhardness compared to standard curing. As LWA pre-wetting and curing temperatures increase, the degree of hydration at the ITZ increases, generating high-density CSH(HD CSH) and ultra-high-density CSH(UHD CSH), and reducing unhydrated particles in ITZ. ITZ micro-mechanical properties are optimized due to hydration products being denser.

Design of Eco-friendly Ultra-high Performance Concrete with Supplementary Cementitious Materials and Coarse Aggregate

Aiming to investigate the mix design of eco-friendly UHPC with supplementary cementitious materials and coarser aggregates, we comprehensively studied the workability, microstructure, porosity, compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC. Relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus was obtained eventually. It is found that the compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC increase by 19.01%, 10.81%, and 5.99%, respectively, when 40 wt% cement is replaced with supplementary cementitious materials. The relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus of UHPC is an exponential form.

Dynamic Mechanical Behaviour of Ultra-high Performance Fiber Reinforced Concretes

Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concretes （UHPFRC） were prepared by replacing 60% of cement with ultra-fine industrial waste powder. The dynamic mechanical behaviour of UHPFRC with different fiber volume fraction was researched on repeated compressive impact in four kinds of impact modes through split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB）. The experimental results show that the peak stress and elastic modulus decrease and the strain rate and peak strain increase gradually with the increasing of impact times. The initial material damage increases and the peak stress of the specimen decreases from the second impact with the increasing of the initial incident wave. Standard strength on repeated impact is defined to compare the ability of resistance against repeated impact among different materials. The rate of reduction of standard strength is decreased by fiber reinforcement under repeated impact. The material damage is reduced and the ability of repeated impact resistance of UHPFRC is improved with the increasing of fiber volume fraction.

Preparation of Heavyweight Ultra-high Performance Concrete Using Barite Sand and Titanium-rich Heavy Slag Sand

The heavyweight ultra-high performance concrete(HUHPC)was prepared with barite sand partially replaced by titanium-rich heavy slag sand(THS)at replacement proportion of 0%,30%,50%,70%and 100%in this work.The results show that THS incorporation can effectively improve the mechanical properties and reduce the volume shrinkage of HUHPC.The HUHPC with 50%THS replacement reaches an apparent density of 2890 kg/m^(3)(for fresh HUHPC),28 d compressive strength of 129 MPa,28 d flexural strength of 23 MPa,28 d flexural toughness of 28.4,56 d volume shrinkage of 359×10^(-4) and,as expected,excellent durability.Microstructural investigation demonstrates that the internal curing of pre-wetted THS promotes the hydration of the surrounding cement paste thereby strengthening the interfacial transition zone,resulting in the“hard shell”formation around aggregate to“protect”the aggregate.Additionally,the“pin structure”significantly improves the cement paste-aggregate interfacial connection.The combination of“hard shell protection”and“pin structure”remarkably improve the mechanical properties of HUHPC produced with porous THS aggregate.

Different Curing Systems on Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete with Coarse Aggregate

High durability and high tensile strength makes ultra-high performance concrete( UHPC) an ideal material for bridges,while its early shrinkage in the construction of cast-in-situ mass concrete leads structure crack-easily,which restricts the application of UHPC in deck system. Whether reasonable amount of coarse aggregate can influence the strength of UHPC and improve the shrinkage performance or reduce the cost is still in doubt. Besides,in order to improve its constructability and workability, whether autoclaved curing system of UHPC can be changed remains to be further researched. In response to these circumstances, a systematic experimental study on the strength of UHPC mixed with coarse aggregate in different ratios has been presented in this paper. The three curing systems,namely standard curing,180-200 ℃/1. 1 MPa autoclaved curing,and hot water curing were tested to reveal the relationship between UHPC's properties and curing systems,and the UHPC ' s microstructure was also preliminarily studied by scanning electron microscope( SEM). The experimental research can draw the following conclusions. Under the condition of the same mix ratio, autoclaved curing guarantees the highest compressive strength,followed by hot water curing and standard curing. The compressive strength of concrete increases with the temperature in the range of 25 to 90 ℃ hot water curing,and high temperature in precuring period can speed up the strength development of UHPC,but the sequence of precuring period does not obviously affect the results. In 90 ℃ hot water and autoclaved curing,the strength is over 150 MPa,and it has little relation with gravel ratio. While the value increases first and then decreases in a lower temperature curing with the increasing of gravel amount,even only about 80 MPa at room temperature. The strength increases moderately along with the increase of the curing age by standard curing,especially in the initial stage.

Automatic detection and assessment of crack development in ultra-high performance concrete in the spatial and Fourier domains

Automatic detection and assessment of surface cracks are beneficial for understanding the mechanical performance of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC).This study detects crack evolution using a novel dynamic mode decomposition(DMD)method.In this method,the sparse matrix‘determined’from images is used to reconstruct the foreground that contains cracks,and the global threshold method is adopted to extract the crack patterns.The application of the DMD method to the three-point bending test demonstrates the efficiency in inspecting cracks with high accuracy.Accordingly,the geometric features,including the area and its projection in two major directions,are evaluated over time.The relationship between the geometric properties of cracks and load-displacement curves of UHPC is discussed.Due to the irregular shape of cracks in the spatial domain,the cracks are then transformed into the Fourier domain to assess their development.Results indicate that crack patterns in the Fourier domain exhibit a distinct concentration around a central position.Moreover,the power spectral density of cracks exhibits an increasing trend over time.The investigation into crack evolution in both the spatial and Fourier domains contributes significantly to elucidating the mechanical behavior of UHPC.

Effect of Shrinkage Reducing Agent and Steel Fiber on the Fluidity and Cracking Performance of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Due to the low water-cement ratio of ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC),fluidity and shrinkage cracking are key aspects determining the performance and durability of this type of concrete.In this study,the effects of different types of cementitious materials,chemical shrinkage-reducing agents(SRA)and steel fiber(SF)were assessed.Compared with M2-UHPC and M3-UHPC,M1-UHPC was found to have better fluidity and shrinkage cracking performance.Moreover,different SRA incorporation methods,dosage and different SF types and aspect ratios were implemented.The incorporation of SRA and SF led to a decrease in the fluidity of UHPC.SRA internal content of 1%(NSRA-1%),SRA external content of 1%(WSRA-1%),STS-0.22 and STE-0.7 decreased the fluidity of UHPC by 3.3%,8.3%,9.2%and 25%,respectively.However,SRA and SF improved the UHPC shrinkage cracking performance.NSRA-1%and STE-0.7 reduced the shrinkage value of UHPC by 40%and 60%,respectively,and increased the crack resistance by 338%and 175%,respectively.In addition,the addition of SF was observed to make the microstructure of UHPC more compact,and the compressive strength and flexural strength of 28 d were increased by 26.9%and 19.9%,respectively.

Incremental dynamic analysis of concrete gravity dams including base and lift joints

The growth in computer processing power has made it possible to use time-consuming analysis methods such as incremental dynamic analysis（IDA） with higher accuracy in less time.In an IDA study,a series of earthquake records are applied to a structure at successively increasing intensity levels,which causes the structure to shift from the elastic state into the inelastic state and finally into collapse.In this way,the limit-states and capacity of a structure can be determined.In the present research,the IDA of a concrete gravity dam considering a nonlinear concrete behavior,and sliding planes within the dam body and at the dam-foundation interface,is performed.The influence of the friction angle and lift joint slope on the response parameters are investigated and the various limit-states of the dam are recognized.It is observed that by introducing a lift joint,the tensile damage can be avoided for the dam structure.The lift joint sliding is essentially independent of the base joint friction angle and the upper ligament over the inclined lift joint slides into the upstream direction in strong earthquakes.

A Study on the Flexural Performance of UHPC Precast Deck-Joint Interface by the Exposure of Steel Fiber

As a solution against the serviceability problem caused by the cracks occurring at the UHPC precast deck-joint interface, this study proposes a method exposing the steel fiber at the interface and evaluates the corresponding flexural performance of the lap spliced construction joint. After having slowed down the strength development of the concrete placed in the joint of the precast deck by means of a curing retardant, the concrete at the interface is crushed so as to expose the steel fibers and the change in the flexural performance is observed experimentally according to the exposure of the steel fibers. The results show that, even if the ultimate strength and stiffness of the UHPC precast deck including the joint are mostly determined by the arrangement details of the rebar lap splice, the exposure of the steel fibers can secure stable ductile behavior and reduce the width of the cracks generated at the precast deck-joint interface under service load.

A comparative study for the impact performance of shaped charge JET on UHPC targets

With the development of two-stage munitions(a precursor shaped charge(SC)and a following kinetic energy projectile)to attack the hard concrete targets,as well as the increasing applications of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)in both civil and military protective structures,a comparative study on the impact performance of SC formed jet on UHPC target is performed experimentally and numerically at present.Firstly,a series of jet penetration/perforation test on the UHPC,45# steel and UHPC/45# steel composite targets are conducted.By assessing the penetration depth and borehole(crater and tunnel)diameter,the influences of target material and configuration as well as the standoff distance of SC on the impact performance of jet are experimentally discussed.Then,by adopting the 2 D multi-material Arbitrary Lagrange-Euler(ALE)algorithm,Fluid-Structure Interaction(FSI)method and erosion algorithm implemented in the finite element code LS-DYNA,the formation and impact performance of jet in the present test are well reproduced.Finally,based on the validated numerical algorithms,constitutive models and the corresponding parameters,the influences of target material(UHPC,NSC and 45# steel),standoff distance,target configuration(stacked and spaced)and weight efficiency on the impact performance of jet are further discussed.The derived conclusions could provide helpful references for evaluating the ballistic performance of jet and designing the protective structures.

套筒灌浆连接预制混凝土框架柱接头斜截面抗剪性能试验研究

套筒灌浆连接是预制混凝土框架结构中应用较广泛的连接方式。开展了6个套筒灌浆连接预制混凝土柱接头的抗剪试验,主要研究了轴压比(0,0.2,0.4,0.6)、混凝土强度等级(C30,C40,C50)对柱接头斜截面抗剪性能影响。研究表明:所有试件接头均发生斜截面剪切破坏,且斜截面破坏发生时接缝界面保持完好;柱接头抗剪承载力随着混凝土强度、轴压比的提高而增大;在轴压比0.4下,与C40试件相比,C30试件的抗剪承载力降低14%,C50试件的抗剪承载力提高13%;混凝土强度等级为C40时,轴压比为0,0.2试件的抗剪承载力分别比轴压比为0.4试件降低17%,8%,轴压比为0.6试件的抗剪承载力比轴压比为0.4试件提高7%;预制柱接头的初始刚度随轴压比的增大而增大。最后,基于试验结果,对中国GB 50010—2010《混凝土结构设计规范》(2015年版)、欧洲规范《Eurocode 2:Design of Concrete Structures》中混凝土柱接头斜截面抗剪承载力计算公式进行了评价。

开槽侧板加强型连接梁柱节点子结构抗连续倒塌性能研究

为了优化侧板加强型节点的抗连续倒塌性能,提出了一种开槽侧板加强型梁柱连接节点形式。通过静力加载试验,得到了新型节点子结构的破坏模式、竖向抗力发展机制、应变分布、延性水平和动力承载力等。试验结果表明:钢梁翼缘在盖板附近首先开裂并向腹板外排螺栓中部延伸贯穿,导致竖向承载力快速下降为峰值荷载的20%左右。相比传统侧板加强型和圆弧扩盖板型梁柱节点,新型节点的峰值承载力分别提高了62.1%和19.6%,塑性弦转角分别提高了203.6%和25.8%。通过有限元分析得到了试件的断裂路径发展过程,进一步地通过参数化分析发现:扩大过焊孔构造对改善峰值后塑性弦转角及残余强度提升无明显作用;随着螺栓群远离钢梁翼缘起始断裂位置,最小残余强度比不断增大,但峰值后塑性弦转角呈先增大后减小的趋势;当螺栓群内移45mm时,峰值后塑性弦转角及最小残余强度比分别达到0.149rad和0.88,提高了38.2%和200.8%。

Behavior and strength of headed stud shear connectors in ultra-high performance concrete of composite bridges

This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation on the static behavior of headed stud shear connectors in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) of composite bridges. Four push-out specimens were tested. It was found that no cracking, crushing or splitting was observed on the concrete slab, indicating that UHPC slab exhibited good performance and could resist the high force transferred from the headed studs. The numerical and experimental results indicated that the shear capacity is supposed to be composed of two parts stud shank shear contribution and concrete wedge block shear contribution. The stiffness increment of a stud in UHPC was at least 60% higher than that in normal strength concrete. Even if the stud height was reduced from 6d to 2d, there was no reduction in the shear strength of a stud. Short stud shear connectors with an aspect ratio as small as 2 could develop full strength in UHPC slabs. An empirical load-slip equation taking into account stud diameter was proposed to predict the load-slip response of a stud. The reliability and accuracy of the proposed load-slip equation was verified by the experimental and numerical load-slip curves.

集中配筋连接预制剪力墙抗震性能试验研究

针对现有预制混凝土剪力墙接缝施工容错率低、混凝土现场浇筑作业量大和钢筋锚固过长等不足,提出一种使用超高性能混凝土(UHPC)的集中配筋连接预制剪力墙。通过对比1片现浇剪力墙试件、3片不同接缝形式的集中配筋连接预制剪力墙试件的拟静力试验结果,揭示该类预制剪力墙的破坏规律和抗震性能、竖缝对墙体抗震性能的影响和连接钢筋的受力特点。采用ABAQUS软件对试件进行有限元模拟,分析轴压比和集中配筋率对试件抗震性能的影响。研究结果表明:预制试件与现浇试件具有相同的破坏规律,均为弯剪破坏;这2类试件的滞回曲线均较饱满,骨架曲线走势基本一致,耗能能力接近,且预制试件的最小承载力仅比现浇试件低5.6%,表明预制试件的抗震性能与现浇试件的抗震性能基本相同;竖缝对剪力墙承载力的影响较小,使剪力墙的延性和耗能能力有一定的削弱;不同竖缝形式预制墙的抗震性能相近但各有特点,竖缝形式预制墙采用UHPC出筋搭接具有更好的整体性,采用U形键槽的预制墙具有更大的刚度和更强的耗能能力;连接钢筋的应力分布具有典型受弯构件的特征;随着轴压比增加,模型的刚度和承载力不断增加,在轴压比从0.05增加到0.30时,最大的峰值荷载增幅发生在轴压比从0.05到0.10时,从承载力的提高、刚度、耗能和墙角抬高等方面考虑,试件的集中配筋率保持在90%~110%为宜。

水下修复材料的黏结强度与变形性能研究进展

介绍了常用的几种水下修复材料的性能,分析了其作用机理,强调了黏结强度和变形性能的重要性,指出了各水下修复材料在接缝修复中存在的问题及优缺点,并提出了未来重点研究方向。

壁式钢管混凝土柱-钢梁嵌入式双侧板节点抗震性能研究及设计建议

以壁式钢管混凝土柱-钢梁嵌入式双侧板节点为研究对象,进行两个足尺试件的拟静力试验,分析节点的破坏模式、滞回曲线、骨架曲线,并研究节点承载力、延性、耗能能力和刚度退化等指标。试验结果表明:试件破坏模式分别为侧板外梁端形成塑性铰、节点核心区侧板开裂及轻微鼓曲;试件滞回曲线稳定饱满,曲线呈现梭形,试件延性系数为3.11~3.53,等效黏滞阻尼系数大于0.4,具有良好的耗能能力;刚度退化较稳定,具备较好的抗侧能力。在验证有限元模型合理的基础上,通过有限元变参分析此类节点的滞回性能,结果表明:增加侧板厚度或侧板外伸长度可提高嵌入式双侧板节点的承载力及延性。最后结合试验和有限元变参分析结果,针对此类节点提出设计建议。

带波形钢板的UHPC免模板湿接缝抗弯模型试验研究

针对预制装配式桥梁中桥面板湿接缝处的受力特点和现有接缝构造形式,提出一种以预埋波形钢板为底模的超高性能混凝土(Ultra-High Performance Concrete,UHPC)免模板湿接缝构造形式,解决接缝现场支模问题。为研究新型接缝的力学性能,设计了5片试验梁,以钢纤维含量为试验参数,开展四点弯曲全过程抗弯性能试验。结果表明:各试验梁主裂缝均位于预制段,发生弯曲破坏,接缝段未产生较大破坏;提高钢纤维含量可以增强UHPC-NC(Normal Concrete)界面黏结,提升接缝的抗裂性能,但对结构的抗弯承载力影响较小;钢纤维含量为1.0%的免模板接缝梁抗裂性能仅次于UHPC整体梁,同时具有结构简单、施工简化、造价经济等优点,说明该接缝构造形式运用于实际工程中是可行和可靠的;UHPC钢纤维含量建议取1.0%。

钢管混凝土叠合柱-H型钢梁外套筒式连接节点抗震性能试验与有限元研究

以钢管混凝土叠合柱为研究对象,设计了一种高强对穿螺栓连接的外套筒式梁柱节点。为了研究该新型节点的抗震性能和破坏机理,对3个缩尺比为1∶2的节点进行了拟静力试验。观察节点损伤过程及破坏模式,分析了梁端荷载-位移滞回曲线、骨架曲线、节点延性及耗能能力,采用ABAQUS软件建立有限元模型,研究套筒宽厚比和加强肋板厚度对节点抗震性能影响。试验及有限元研究结果表明:节点滞回曲线饱满,延性系数介于3.13~4.19之间,等效黏滞阻尼系数介于0.211~0.296之间,节点域的变形较大且耗能能力较强;随着套筒厚度增大,核心区混凝土开裂减少,破坏位置由节点外移至梁端截面;减小套筒宽厚比和增大加强肋板厚度可以有效提高节点刚度。为保证外套筒式节点达到刚性节点要求,建议套筒宽厚比不大于25,加强肋板厚度不小于梁翼缘厚度。

UHPC后浇装配式节点抗震性能试验研究

在外剪内框结构体系的基础上,研究一种将UHPC运用到装配式节点后浇段、钢筋上下短接的连接方式。为探究该连接方式下节点的抗震性能,进行1个柱节点、1个墙梁节点、2个柱基结点(1个UHPC连接、1个普通混凝土连接)的低周反复试验。在试验基础上利用ABAQUS软件进行有限元模拟,探究钢筋搭接长度对于试件承载力性能的影响。研究结果表明:梁柱节点试件破坏形式表现为梁底混凝土压碎、梁柱交接处裂缝过宽。使用此种连接方式整体耗能能力较好,符合“强柱弱梁、强节点强锚固”的要求。梁墙节点试件发生黏结滑移破坏,梁端耗能能力较差,此种连接方式在墙梁节点中的应用还有待进一步研究。UHPC装配式柱基结点正、负向峰值荷载分别较现浇结点提高近26.5%、15.6%,刚度高于普通混凝土柱基结点,且能减少节点区配箍率,改善节点区域箍筋密集问题。UHPC连接装配式柱基结点和普通混凝土柱基结点的延性系数均在4以上,相差不大。在试验基础上,通过ABAQUS模拟UHPC装配式柱基节点发现,有限元结果和试验结果吻合较好;当试件钢筋搭接长度超过14d,试件的承载力不再随搭接长度改变。综上所述,此种连接方式可大幅缩短钢筋锚固长度,凭借UHPC超强的力学性能使得其抗震性能基本等同现浇,具备一定的实际运用前景。