Experimental Study on Flexural Behavior of Post-Tensioning Bonded Partially Prestressed Ultra-High Strength Concrete Beams

This paper presents the results of four partially prestressed ultra-high strength concrete beams in flexure. The test results are used to evaluate the effects of prestressing tendon depth and area on flexure behavior of specimen beams. The test results indicate that: the cracking load,yielding load,peak load and stiffness postcracking of specimen beams are enhanced by reducing prestressing tendon depth or increasing prestressing tendon area, and the flexural ductility is improved by increasing prestressing tendon depth or reducing prestressing tendon area. The effect of complex reinforcement index considering the strength of the equivalence principle and the reinforcement position on loading levels under serviceability limit state,flexural strength and displacement ductility factor are studied. The influence coefficient of prestressing tendon kpis introduced in the complex reinforcement index. As the complex reinforcement index increases, the loading levels under serviceability limit state and flexural strength increases linearly,and the displacement ductility factor decreases linearly. The test results also verify the conventional beam flexural theory based on the plane cross-section assumption for predicting ultimate flexural strength of partially prestressed ultra-high strength concrete beams is valid. After the introduction of the coefficient kp,the calculation method of cracks in code for design of concrete structure in china are appropriated for the specimen beams.

Ultra-High Strength Concrete Mixtures Using Local Materials

This paper presents the development of ultra high strength concrete （UHSC） using local materials. UHSC mixture proportions were developed using local materials so that UHSC may be made more affordable to a wider variety of applications. Specifically, local sand with a top size of 600 um, and locally available Type I/II cement and silica fume were used in this research. Each of these material selections is seen as an improvement in sustainability for UHSC. Two mixtures （one with and one without fibers） were recommended as the UHSC mixtures. The greatest compressive strengths obtained in this study were 165.6 MPa for UHSC with steel fibers and 161.9 MPa for UHSC without fibers. The compressive and flexural strengths obtained from the UHSC mixtures developed in this work are comparable to UHSC strengths presented in the literature. Producing this innovative material with local materials reduces the cost of the material, improves sustainability, and produces mechanical performance similar to prepackaged, commercially available products.

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.

The Influence of Chemical Admixtures on the Fluidity,Viscosity and Rheological Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

To achieve higher strength and better durability,ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)typically employs a relatively small water-binder ratio.However,this generally leads to an undesired increase in the paste viscosity.In this study,the effects of liquid and powder polycarboxylate superplasticizers(PCE)on UHPC are compared and critically discussed.Moreover,the following influential factors are considered:air-entraining agents(AE),slump retaining agents(SA),and defoaming agents(DF)and the resulting flow characteristics,mechanical properties,and hydration properties are evaluated assuming UHPC containing 8‰powder PCE(PCE-based UHPC).It is found that the spread diameter of powder PCE is 5%higher than that of liquid PCE.Among the chemical admixtures studied,AEs have the best effect on improving UHPC workability,while DFs have the worst effect.When the addition of AE and SA is 1.25‰and 14.7%of PCE,paste viscosity reduces by 35%and 19%,respectively compared to the paste with only 8‰PCE.A low AE dosage(1.25‰)decreases compressive strength by 4.1%,while SA(8.1%)increases UHPC compressive strength by 9.1%.Both AE and SA significantly delay the UHPC hydration process,reducing the hydration heat release peaks by 76%and 27%,respectively.

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.

Prediction of Geopolymer Concrete Compressive Strength Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Geopolymer concrete emerges as a promising avenue for sustainable development and offers an effective solution to environmental problems.Its attributes as a non-toxic,low-carbon,and economical substitute for conventional cement concrete,coupled with its elevated compressive strength and reduced shrinkage properties,position it as a pivotal material for diverse applications spanning from architectural structures to transportation infrastructure.In this context,this study sets out the task of using machine learning(ML)algorithms to increase the accuracy and interpretability of predicting the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete in the civil engineering field.To achieve this goal,a new approach using convolutional neural networks(CNNs)has been adopted.This study focuses on creating a comprehensive dataset consisting of compositional and strength parameters of 162 geopolymer concrete mixes,all containing Class F fly ash.The selection of optimal input parameters is guided by two distinct criteria.The first criterion leverages insights garnered from previous research on the influence of individual features on compressive strength.The second criterion scrutinizes the impact of these features within the model’s predictive framework.Key to enhancing the CNN model’s performance is the meticulous determination of the optimal hyperparameters.Through a systematic trial-and-error process,the study ascertains the ideal number of epochs for data division and the optimal value of k for k-fold cross-validation—a technique vital to the model’s robustness.The model’s predictive prowess is rigorously assessed via a suite of performance metrics and comprehensive score analyses.Furthermore,the model’s adaptability is gauged by integrating a secondary dataset into its predictive framework,facilitating a comparative evaluation against conventional prediction methods.To unravel the intricacies of the CNN model’s learning trajectory,a loss plot is deployed to elucidate its learning rate.The study culminates in compelling findings that underscore the CNN model’s accurate prediction of geopolymer concrete compressive strength.To maximize the dataset’s potential,the application of bivariate plots unveils nuanced trends and interactions among variables,fortifying the consistency with earlier research.Evidenced by promising prediction accuracy,the study’s outcomes hold significant promise in guiding the development of innovative geopolymer concrete formulations,thereby reinforcing its role as an eco-conscious and robust construction material.The findings prove that the CNN model accurately estimated geopolymer concrete’s compressive strength.The results show that the prediction accuracy is promising and can be used for the development of new geopolymer concrete mixes.The outcomes not only underscore the significance of leveraging technology for sustainable construction practices but also pave the way for innovation and efficiency in the field of civil engineering.

Residual Mechanical Properties and Explosive Spalling Behavior of Ultra-High-Strength Concrete Exposed to High Temperature

In order to explore the characteristics of ultra-high-strength concrete exposed to high temperature,residual mechanical properties and explosive spalling behavior of ultra-high-strength concrete( UHSC) and high strength concrete( HSC) exposed to high temperatures ranging from 20 ℃ to 800 ℃ were determined. The microstructure of the specimens after exposure to elevated temperature was analyzed by means of scanning electron microscope( SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry( MIP). The residual compressive strengths of UHSC and HSC were first increased and then decreased as temperature increased. After exposure to 800 ℃,the compressive strengths of UHSC and HSC were 24. 2 % and 22. 3 % of their original strengths at 20 ℃,respectively. The residual splitting tensile strengths of both UHSC and HSC were consistently decreased with the temperature increasing and were approximately 20% of their original strengths after 800 ℃. However,the residual fracture energies of both concretes tended to ascend even at 600 ℃. The explosive spalling of UHSC was more serious than that of HSC. Moisture content of the specimens governs the explosive spalling of both concretes with a positive correlations,and it is more pronounced in UHSC. These results suggest that UHSC suffers a substantial loss in load-bearing capacity and is highly prone to explosive spalling due to high temperature. The changes in compressive strength are due to the changes in the density and the pore structure of concrete. The probability and severity of explosive spalling of UHSC are much higher than those of HSC due to the higher pore volume in HSC.

MODIFICATION THE CEMENTIOUS MATERIAL OF ULTRA-HIGH-STRENGTH SLEEPER CONCRETE

This paper presents investigation results on the natural ultra-fine mineral flour of crystalline silica fume (CSF) and porous quartz sand stone (PQSS) which can modify cement mortar strength under hydrothermal synthesis reaction (HSR) in the autoclave-cured condition. The replacement of cement by CSF and PQSS can signifi cantly increase the Jflerural and compressive strength which reach 22MPa and 150MPa respectively and de-crease the porosity oj the cement mortar. The ratio oj fine aggregation, standard sand to cementions material has sig nificant influence on the mortar strength. The mechanisms involved in cement and natural mineral flour and the HSR are presented. CaO/SiO2 ratio ranges from 3. 20 to 1. 11. the main hydrate phase is C2SH and there is not Tober-morite through X-Ray diffraction qualitative analysis. The new and ultra-high strength cementious material as basic material of sleeper concrete can he used in prestressed reinforcement sleeper concrete.

Study on High Strength Concrete Confined by Continuous Carbon Fiber Sheet

Eight high strength concrete (HSC) prisms strengthened with continuous carbon fiber sheet(CFS)were tested.As a result of the confinement provided by CFS,the concrete would fail at a greater strain than the unconfined and then a significant increase in ductility can be achieved.The lateral pressure exerted by CFS would increase the compressive strength of the concrete,resulting in higher load bearing capacity.This paper proposes the stress strain curve of this kind of hybrid specimen,which agrees well with the test results.Based on the stress strain relationship and the assumptions proposed in this paper,a computer program was developed to analyze HSC columns,confined by CFS,which were subjected to axial compression and biaxial bending.The results shown in this paper indicate that the ductility of HSC column is significantly improved and the strength is also increased by some degree.

RESEARCH ON T SHAPED HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE MEMBERS SUBJECTED TO AXIAL COMPRESSION AND BIAXIAL BENDING

Based on experiments, a computer program is developed. The calculated results agree well with the experimental results. The flexural behavior of T shaped high strength concrete members subjected to axial compression and biaxial bending is studied. The main factors affecting the flexural behavior of T shaped high strength concrete members are loading angle, axial compression ratio and reinforcement ratio.

Strength of circular concrete columns under concentric compression

An experimental study, in which six columns were loaded concentrically toinvestigate the behavior of reinforced normal strength and high strength circular columns underconcentric compression, is described. The concrete strengths of the columns were 30 MPa and 60 MPa.The primary variables considered were the concrete strength and the amount of transversereinforcement. Test results indicate that smaller hoop spacing provides higher column capacity andgreater strength enhancement in a confined concrete core of columns. For the same lateralconfinement, high strength concrete columns develop lower strength enhancement than normal strengthconcrete columns. Both the strength enhancement ratio (f'_(cc) /f'_(co)) and the column capacityratio (P_(test)/P_o) were observed to show linear increase variations with rho_s f_(yt)/f'_c incircular columns.

Effects of binder strength and aggregate size on the compressive strength and void ratio of porous concrete

To test the influence of binder strength, porous concretes with 4 binder strengths between 30.0-135.0 MPa and 5 void ratios between 15%-35% were tested. The results indicated that for the same aggregate, the rates of strength reduction due to the increases in void ratio were the same for binders with different strengths. To study the influence of aggregate size, 3 single size aggregates with nominal sizes of 5.0, 13.0 and 20.0 mm （Nos. 7, 6 and 5 according to JIS A 5001） were used to make porous concrete. The strengths of porous concrete are found to be dependent on aggregate size. The rate of strength reduction of porous concrete with small aggregate size is found to be higher than that with larger aggregate size. At the same void ratio, the strength of porous concrete with large aggregate is larger than that with small aggregate. The general equations for porous concrete are related to compressive strength and void ratio for different binder strengths and aggregate sizes.

STRENGTH CRITERION FOR PLAIN CONCRETE UNDER MULTIAXIAL STRESS BASED ON DAMAGE POISSON’S RATIO

A new unified strength criterion in the principal stress space has been proposed for use with normal strength concrete （NC） and high strength concrete （HSC） in compressioncompression-tension, compression-tension-tension, triaxial tension, and biaxial stress states. The study covers concrete with strengths ranging from 20 to 130 MPa. The conception of damage Poisson＇s ratio is defined and the expression for damage Poisson＇s ratio is determined basically. The failure mechanism of concrete is illustrated, which points out that damage Poisson＇s ratio is the key to determining the failure of concrete. Furthermore, for the concrete under biaxial stress conditions, the unified strength criterion is simplified and a simplified strength criterion in the form of curves is also proposed. The strength criterion is physically meaningful and easy to calculate, which can be applied to analytic solution and numerical solution of concrete structures.

The Frost-resisting Durability of High Strength Self-Compacting Pervious Concrete in Deicing Salt Environment

A high strength self-compacting pervious concrete(SCPC) with top-bottom interconnected pores was prepared in this paper. The frost-resisting durability of such SCPC in different deicing salt concentrations(0%, 3%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) was investigated. The mass-loss rate, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, flexural strength and hydraulic conductivity of SCPC after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were measured to evaluate the frost-resisting durability. In addition, the microstructures of SCPC near the top-bottom interconnected pores after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were observed by SEM. The results show that the high strength SCPC possesses much better frost-resisting durability than traditional pervious concrete(TPC) after 300 freeze-thaw cycles, which can be used in heavy loading roads. The most serious freeze-thaw damage emerges in the SCPC immersed in the 3% of Na Cl solution, while there is no obvious damage in 20% of Na Cl solution. Furthermore, it can be deduced that the high strength SCPC can be used for 100 years in a cold environment.

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.

Effect of Freeze-thaw Cycles on Bond Strength between Steel Bars and Concrete

The effect of freezing and thawing cycles on mechanical properties of concrete （compressive, splitting tensile strength） was experimentally investigated. According to the pullout test data of three kinds of deformed steel bars, the bond stress-slip curves after freezing and thawing were obtained. The empirical equations of peak bond strength were proposed that the damage accounted for effects of freezing and thawing cycle. Meanwhile, the mechanism of bond deterioration between steel bars and concrete after freezing and thawing cycles was discussed. All these conclusions will be useful to the durability design and reliability calculation of RC structures in cold region.

Seismic performance of steel reinforced ultra high-strength concrete composite frame joints

To investigate the seismic performance of a composite frame comprised of steel reinforced ultra high-strength concrete （SRUHSC） columns and steel reinforced concrete （SRC） beams, six interior frame joint specimens were designed and tested under low cyclically lateral load. The effects of the axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio were studied on the characteristics of the frame joint performance including crack pattern, failure mode, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, strength degradation and rigidity degradation. It was found that all joint specimens behaved in a ductile manner with flexural-shear failure in the joint core region while plastic hinges appeared at the beam ends. The ductility and energy absorption capacity of joints increased as the axial load ratio decreased and the volumetric stirIup ratio increased. The displacement ductility coefficient and equivalent damping coefficient of the joints fell between the corresponding coefficients of the steel reinforced concrete （SRC） frame joint and RC frame joint. The axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio have less influence on the strength degradation and more influence on the stiffness degradation. The stiffness of the joint degrades more significantly for a low volumetric stirrup ratio and high axial load ratio. The characteristics obtained from the SRUHSC composite frame joint specimens with better seismic performance may be a useful reference in future engineering applications.

Effect of waste concrete with different strength on mechanical properties of recycled fine aggregate mortar

The influence of source concrete (SC) with different compression strengths on the workability and mechanical properties of recycled mortar made with river sand substituted by 100% fine recycled concrete aggregates (FRCA) is experimentally investigated. The basic physical performance test shows that with the increase in SC strength, FRCA exhibit lower water absorption and crushing index, meanwhile keeping higher densities. Mechanical property tests, including compressive strength, flexural strength and uniaxial compressive stress-strain tests, show that compressive strength,flexural strength and elasticity modulus of recycled sand mortars increase roughly with the increase in SC strength. The proposed mixture design method demonstrates that all of the components can be kept as the same as those in natural mortar mixture design and FRCA must be pre-wetted before making mortar mixture. Meanwhile, the reuse of higher strength SC can ensure that recycled mortar mixtures are able to achieve similar mechanical performance when compared to natural mortar designs.

Effect of Polypropylene Fibers on the Long-term Tensile Strength of Concrete

The influence of low volume fraction of polypropylene（PP） fibers on the tensile properties of normal and high strength concretes was studied. The experimental results indicate that the addition of PP fibers in concrete leads to a reduction in tensile strength during the age of 28 d. Whereas, after 28 days, there is a notable effect in tensile strength due to PP fibers restraining the formation and growth of microcracks in concrete, which improves the continuity and integrality of concrete structure, Thus, a low volume fraction of PP fibers is beneficial to enhancing the long-term tensile strength of concrete materials and improving the durability of concrete structures.

Internal Curing Using Water-releasing Material for High Strength Micro-expansive Concrete

Due to its low water content, it is difficult for expansive agent to have an effective expansive effect on high strength concrete to compensate its extensive shrinkage and form a certain expansion. To solve this problem, water-releasing material with water storage and releasing characteristics was incorporated into high strength micro-expansive concrete to provide internal curing, and expansive effect of expansive agent was improved. Migration of water from initially saturated water-releasing material to the surrounding hydrating cement paste was investigated. Based on a given efficient diffusion distance of water stored in water-releasing material, the mass and real water-cement ratio of cured cement paste were estimated. At the same time, the effect of internal curing of water-releasing material on the volume deformation of high strength micro-expansive concrete was investigated.