Resilience-incorporated seismic risk assessment of precast concrete frames with“dry”connections

A resilience-incorporated risk assessment framework is proposed and demonstrated in this study to manifest the advantageous seismic resilience of precast concrete frame(PCF)structures with“dry”connections in terms of their low damage and rapid recovery.The framework integrates various uncertainties in the seismic hazard,fragility,capacity,demand,loss functions,and post-earthquake recovery.In this study,the PCF structures are distinguished from ordinary reinforced concrete frame(RCF)structures by characterizing multiple limit states for the PCF based on its unique damage mechanisms.Accordingly,probabilistic story-wise pushover analyses are performed to yield story-wise capacities for the predefined limit states.In the seismic resilience analysis,a step-wise recovery model is proposed to idealize the functionality recovery process,with separate considerations of the repair and non-repair events.The recovery model leverages the economic loss and downtime to delineate the stochastic post-earthquake recovery curves for the resilience loss estimation.As such,contingencies in the probabilistic post-earthquake repairs are incorporated and the empirical judgments on the recovery parameters are largely circumvented.The proposed framework is demonstrated through a comparative study between two“dry”connected PCFs and one RCF designed as alternative structural systems for a prototype building.The results from the risk quantification indicate that the PCFs show reduced loss hazards and lower expected losses relative to the RCF.Particularly,the PCF equipped with energy dissipation devices at the“dry”connections largely reduces the expected economic loss,downtime,and resilience loss by 29%,56%,and 60%,respectively,compared to the RCF.

On the Preparation of Low-Temperature-Rise and Low-Shrinkage Concrete Based on Phosphorus Slag

The effects of different contents of a MgO expansive agent and phosphorus slag on the mechanical properties,shrinkage behavior,and the heat of hydration of concrete were studied.The slump flow,setting time,dry shrinkage,and hydration heat were used as sensitive parameters to assess the response of the considered specimens.As shown by the results,in general,with an increase in the phosphorus slag content,the hydration heat of concrete decreases for all ages,but the early strength displays a downward trend and the dry shrinkage rate increases.The 90-d strength and dry shrinkage of concrete could be improved with a phosphorus residue content between 0%-20%,with the best performances in terms of mechanical properties and shrinkage characteristics being achieved for a content of 20 kg/m^(3).On the basis of these results,it can be concluded that appropriate amounts of phosphorus slag and MgO expansive agent can be used to improve the compressive strength of concrete in the later stage by reducing the hydration heat and dry shrinkage rate,respectively.

Frequency-dependent Electrical Capacitance and Resistance of Ultra-high Performance Concrete and Their Responses to Compressive Strain

The frequency-dependent electrical properties and strain self-sensing behaviour of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)as cement-based stress/strain self-sensing(CBSS)smart materials were investigated in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 300 kHz.By using the electrical parameters of the equivalent electric circuit model,the quantitative relations of capacitance and conductance of CBSS with the measurement frequency were derived.The capacitance and the conductance exhibit power-law type dependence on the measurement frequency.The calculated capacitance values at frequencies beyond 2 kHz and conductance values are consistent with the experimental results.The sweep-frequency test and the fixed-frequency test were performed to examine effects of the excitation frequencies on strain self-sensing properties of CBSS.The fractional change in capacitance(FCC)and resistance(FCR)of CBSS are frequency-dependent in the frequency range from 100 Hz to the f_(B),but frequency-independent in the frequency range from the f_(B)to 300 kHz.The f_(A)and the f_(B)are 1.7-4.0 kHz and 11-78 kHz depending on the fiber dosages,respectively.FCC and FCR reach their maximum at the f_(A)and 100 Hz,respectively.The responses of capacitance and resistance of CBSS to strain show good repeatability during cyclic loading.As the fiber dosage increases,capacitance-based sensitivity to strain increases initially and then decreases at the f_(A),and resistance-based sensitivity to strain of CBSS increases with increasing fiber contents.

Analysis of a Composite Admixture Based on Ready-Mixed Concrete Waste Residuals

Reasonable treatment and utilization of waste residuals discharged during the production of ready-mixed concrete is an important problem in the cement industry.In this study,a composite admixture was prepared by using ready-mixed concrete waste residuals,furnace slag,and water granulated slag.The grinding characteristics of such material were investigated.Moreover,the effect of such admixture on cement hydration and pore structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction,thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry,scanning electron microcopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry.As shown by the results:The grinding characteristics of the waste residuals can be improved significantly by mixing them with furnace slag and water granulated slag.Furthermore,the composite admixture does not change the composition of hydration products;rather it contributes to refine the pore structure of the matrix,thus improving the mechanical properties of these cement-based materials.

Research Progress of Eco-Friendly Portland Cement Porous Concrete:A Review

With the great impetus of energy conservation and emission reduction policies in various countries,the proposal of concepts such as“Sponge City”and“Eco-City”,and the emphasis on restoration and governance of ecological environment day by day,portland cement porous concrete(PCPC),as a novel building material,has attracted more and more attention from scientific researchers and engineers.PCPC possesses the peculiar pore structure,which owns numerous functions like river embankment protection,vegetation greening as well as air-cleaning,and has been of wide application in different engineering fields.This paper reviews the salient properties of PCPC,detailedly expounds the research progress of domestic and foreign literature about this subject in the past ten years(2010–2020),conducts the statistical analysis of the distribution rule of its major properties around the world,combines with the engineering application to summarize the excellent properties of PCPC,and makes a forecast of future research direction.

A State-of-the-Art Review of Electrochemical Chloride Extraction for Concrete Structures

Electrochemical chloride extraction is a promising technique for the rehabilitation of concrete structures under chloride induced corrosion. This study consists of an extensive literature review of this treatment including application cases. It is found that the rate of chlorides removed is affected by the total charge passed, whereas increasing charge in a range between 1500 to 2000 Ah/m2 increases the amount of chlorides removed and this can be more effective by increasing current density instead of duration of treatment. Bound chlorides are extracted during treatment and, water works better than Ca(OH)2 as an electrolyte, possibly due to modifications on the concrete pore structure. Moreover, ECE is not efficient in repassivate structures but is efficient in its purpose of removing chlorides if treatment setup is well planned, which justifies the need for better international standards on the topic.

Effects of Wood Ash on Properties of Concrete and Flowable Fill

This research investigated the use of wood ash to partially replace cement or sand in conventional concrete, roller compacted concrete (RCC), and flowable fill. The main focus was to determine how the wood ash addition affected the main fresh and hardened properties of these materials. It was found that the wood ash could be successfully incorporated into the conventional concrete. In particular, the wood ash addition not only accelerated the setting, but also improved the early and the 28-day compressive strength of concrete that contained the blast furnace slag. It was also observed that the wood ash could be positively added into RCC to facilitate the compaction and reduce the risk of segregation. In addition, the wood ash can be beneficially introduced into the flowable fill mixtures to facilitate flow, to alleviate bleeding and subsidence, as well as to achieve controlled strength especially when combined with the class C or the class F fly ash.

Structural Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete for Slabs on Ground

This paper aims to contribute to the classification and specification of glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) and to deal with the question if structural glass fiber reinforced concrete as a special kind of glass fiber reinforced concrete is suited for use in load-bearing members. Despite excellent material properties, the use of glass fibers in a concrete matrix is carried out so far only in non- structural elements or as a modification for the prevention of shrinkage cracks. The aim of re- search at the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig is the use of alkali-resistant macro glass fibers as concrete reinforcement in structural elements as an alternative to steel fiber reinforcement. Slabs on ground, as an example for structural members, provide a sensible application for the new material because they can be casted as load bearing and non-load bearing and are mostly made of steel fiber reinforced concrete. In the future, structural glass fiber reinforced concrete shall provide a simple and visually appealing alternative to conventional steel bar or steel fiber reinforced concrete. The glass fibers can also be used in combination with conventional reinforcing bars or mat reinforcements. Initial investigations have announced some potential.

In-situ Monitoring the Setting Behavior of Foamed Concrete Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Method

The applicability of ultrasonic pulse velocity （UPV） method to in-situ monitor setting and hardening process of foamed concrete （FC） was systematically investigated. The UPVs of various FC pastes were automatically and continuously measured by a specially designed ultrasonic monitoring apparatus （UMA）. Ultrasonic tests were performed on FC mixtures with different density （300, 500, 800 and 1 000 kg/m3）, and different fly ash contents （0%, 20%, 40% and 60%）. The influence of curing temperatures （20, 40, 60 and 80~C） was also studied. The experimental results show that three characteristic stages can be clearly identified during the setting process of an arbitrary FC paste： dormant stage, acceleration stage, and deceleration stage. Wet density, fly ash content, and curing temperature have great impact on setting behavior. A stepwise increase of the wet density results in shorter dormant stage and larger final UPV. Hydration reaction rate is obviously promoted with an increase in curing temperature. However, the addition fly ash retards the microstn,lcture formation. To aid in comparing with the ultrasonic results, the consistence spread test and Vicat needle test （VNT） were also conducted. A correlation between ultrasonic and VNT results was also established to evaluate the initial and final setting time of the FC mixtures. Finally, certain ranges of UPV with reasonable widths were suggested for the initial and final setting time, respectively.

Analysis on Pore Structure of Non-Dispersible Underwater Concrete in Saline Soil Area

In this paper,mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)is used to test the pore structure of non-dispersible underwater concrete so as to study the influence of pouring and curing environment,age and slag powder on the pore characteristics of concrete,analyze the pore characteristics,porosity and pore distribution of concrete in different hydration stages,and reveal the relationship between pore structure and permeability of concrete.The results show that the pore-size distribution of concrete in fresh water condition is better than that in sulfate environment and mixed salt environment,and therefore,sulfate as well as mixed salt are not conducive to the development of pore structure of non-dispersible underwater concrete;chlorine salt has little effect on the pore structure of nondispersible underwater concrete;under the three conditions of sulfate,chlorine and mixed salt,the porosity of concrete mixed with slag powder is lower than that of concrete without slag powder.The results indicate that the addition of slag powder can ameliorate the pore size distribution of non-dispersed underwater concrete,reduce the porosity,and make the concrete structure more compact,which is beneficial to improve the permeability resistance of concrete at the macro level.

Direct incorporation of paraffin wax as phase change material into mass concrete for temperature control: mechanical and thermal properties

Taking advantage of heat absorbing and releasing capability of phase change material(PCM),Paraffin wax-based concrete was prepared to assess its automatic temperature control performance.The mechanical properties of PCM concrete with eight different Paraffin wax contents were tested by the cube compression test and four-point bending test.The more Paraffin wax incorporated,the greater loss of the compressive strength and bending strength.Based on the mechanical results,four contents of Paraffin wax were chosen for studying PCM concrete's thermal properties,including thermal conductivity,thermal diffusivity,specific heat capacity,thermal expansion coefficient and adiabatic temperature rise.When the Paraffin wax content increases from 10%to 20%,the thermal conductivity and the thermal diffusivity decrease from 7.31 kJ/(m·h·°C)to 7.10 kJ/(m·h·°C)and from 3.03×10−3 m2/h to 2.44×10−3 m2/h,respectively.Meanwhile the specific heat capacity and thermal expansion coefficient rise from 5.38×10−1 kJ/(kg·°C)to 5.76×10−1 kJ/(kg·°C)and from 9.63×10−6/°C to 14.02×10−6/°C,respectively.The adiabatic temperature rise is found to decrease with an increasing Paraffin wax content.Considering both the mechanical and thermal properties,15%of Paraffin wax was elected for the mass concrete model test,and the model test results confirm the effect of Paraffin wax in automatic mass concrete temperature control.

Effect of Recycled Mixed Powder on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Concrete

In this paper,recycled bricks and recycled concrete were applied to prepare eco-friendly recycled mixed powder(RMP)cementitious material,as a supplementary to replace conventional cement for improve the recycling of construction and demolition waste.Based on the effect of cementitious materials on the hydration of silicate cement,the effects of RMP on the workability,mechanical properties and microstructure of recycled mixed powder concrete(RMPC)with the different replacement ratios and the 8:4 and 6:4 mixing ratio of recycled brick powder(RBP)and recycled concrete powder(RCP)were investigated.The results showed that the fluidity of the mix decreased with increasing of the replacement ratio and the mixing ratio of RBP and RCP,but the influence of the fluidity was smaller within 15%replacement ratio.As the replacement ratio increases,the internal pore structure of RMPC tends to be loose and porous,which exhibits a significant pore volume distribution characteristic.The number of large capillaries was considerably increased at replacement ratio of 45%.The 7 d compressive strength of RMPC was slightly lower than that of ordinary concrete.The compressive and splitting tensile strengths of RMPC at 28 d increased by 4.2%and 10.1%,respectively,with increasing curing age at 15%replacement ratio and 6:4 mixing ratio.The RMPC mechanical strengths with RBP and RCP at the mixing ratio of 6:4 was higher than those of 8:2.Finally,a basis for the recycling of RBP and RCP in the construction industry can be provided by the results of this study.

Effect of GGBS on performance deterioration of non-dispersible underwater concrete in saline soil

In saline soil areas,there are a large number of ions in soil or water environments,such as Cl^(-)and SO_(4)^(2-),which have strong corrosive interactions with buildings.To study the deterioration of non-dispersible underwater concrete in sulfate,chloride,and mixed salt environments,the compressive strength and deterioration resistance coefficient of the studied concrete mixed with different amounts of ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBS)were analyzed in this paper.At the same time,the micro morphology and corrosion products distribution of the studied concrete were observed by means of SEM,plus XRD diffraction,TG-DTG and FT-IR analyses to explore the influence of corrosive solutions on the hydration products of concrete.We also analyzed the mechanism of improving the deterioration resistance of the studied concrete by adding GGBS in a saline soil environment.The results show that the compressive strength of the studied concrete in a chloride environment was close to that in a fresh water environment,which means that chloride has no adverse effect on compressive strength.The deterioration of the studied concrete was most serious in a sulfate environment,followed by mixed salt environment,and the lowest in a chloride environment.In addition,by adding GGBS,the compressive strength and deterioration resistance of the studied concrete could be effectively improved.

Consideration of Viscoelasticity in Time Step FEM-Based Restraint Analyses of Hardening Concrete

Concrete structures may suffer considerable restraint stresses during their hardening period. This is caused by several deformation impacts, especially temperature field changings due to hydration heat and volume changes due to autogenous shrinkage. Mainly affected are massive concrete members, but also the application of new concrete types or the erection of outstanding constructions requires further investigations in this context. 3D-FEM analyses of hydration heat induced temperature development in combination with the well known shrinkage give sufficient results for the deformation impact. The according elastic restraint stresses can be determined with consideration of the concrete’s rising elastic modulus and the restraint degree of the system. But due to duration of the heat flow process, the height of restraint stresses is strongly dependent from the viscoelasticity of the concrete. The viscoelastic effects consist of many components constituted by changing material properties influencing themselves. In practice, different simplified approaches are available for considering this in calculations. Their implementation in time step analyses is not generally admitted and requires expertise. In contrast, present research develops material models needing specific input parameters for every use case. This contribution focuses on a practicable approach considering the superposition of the viscoelastic behaviour of every stress increment in time step FEM analysis. The differentiation between the pure viscoelastic material behaviour (as it is given in the codes for idealistic conditions like creep or relaxation) and the according viscoelastic system response (addicted to the systems variable restraint degree) allows the transfer of this model into practice. As one application example of this approach, the compatibility check and the FEM-based recalculation of the monitoring program of a massive power plant slab will be presented.

The Impact of Marine Water on Different Types of Coarse Aggregate of Geopolymer Concrete

This research studies the impact of different types of coarse aggregate on the behavior of geopolymer concrete based on both fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) in different marine environments. Aiming to solve the problems caused by the construction and demolition waste and the depletion of natural aggregates, in the present study coarse recycled aggregates is used to produce new green concrete with a fly ash-slag based geopolymer. By this examination, the research seeks to improve the quality and productivity of concrete used in construction and hydraulic projects. For this research, four mixtures containing different types of coarse aggregate in two different water environments were used. The utilized mixtures contained natural aggregate concrete (NAC) such as basalt and crushed marble. Also, recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RAC), which totally replaced natural aggregate, was presented in this paper such as crushed concrete and crushed ceramic. For this study, in the sieve analysis;specific and unit weights, was recorded. Furthermore, the mechanical properties were determined, using a compressive test that was conducted on the 7th, 28th, 56th and 90th days at different water environments;potable water (PW) and sea water (SW). Durability test was also performed for total absorption measurement. Results indicated that geopolymer concrete exhibits better strength in marine environments than in those of potable water. Results also showed that crushed marble (CMA) exhibits higher compressive strength and durability.

Mechanical Behavior of Rectangular Steel-Reinforced ECC/Concrete Composite Column under Eccentric Compression

In order to improve the seismic performance, deformation ability and ultimate load-carrying capacity of columns with rectangular cross section, engineered cementitious composite(ECC) is introduced to partially substitute concrete in the edge zone of reinforced concrete columns and form reinforced ECC/concrete composite columns.Firstly, based on the assumption of plane remaining plane and the simplified constitutive models, the calculation method of the load-carrying capacity of reinforced ECC/concrete columns is proposed. The stress and strain distributions and crack propagation of the composite columns in different states of eccentric compressive loading are analyzed. Then, nonlinear finite element analysis is conducted to study the mechanical performance of reinforced ECC/concrete composite columns with rectangular cross section. It is found that the simulation results are in good agreement with the theoretical results, indicating that the proposed method for calculating the load-carrying capacity of concrete/ECC composite columns is valid. Finally, based on the proposed method, the effects of ECC thickness, compressive strength of concrete and longitudinal reinforcement ratio on the mechanical performance of reinforced ECC/ concrete composite columns are analyzed. Calculation results indicate that increasing the thickness of ECC layer or longitudinal reinforcement ratio can effectively increase the ultimate load-carrying capacity of the composite column with both small and large eccentricity, but increasing the strength of concrete can only increase the ultimate loadcarrying capacity of the composite column with small eccentricity.

Preparation and properties of geopolymer-lightweight aggregate refractory concrete

Geopolymer-lightweight aggregate refractory concrete (GLARC) was prepared with geopolymer and lightweight aggregate. The mechanical property and heat-resistance (950 ℃) of GLARC were investigated. The effects of size of aggregate and mass ratio of geopolymer to aggregate on mechanical and thermal properties were also studied. The results show that the highest compressive strength of the heated refractory concrete is 43.3 MPa,and the strength loss is only 42%. The mechanical property and heat-resistance are influenced by the thickness of geopolymer covered with aggregate,which can be expressed as the quantity of geopolymer on per surface area of aggregate. In order to show the relationship between the thickness of geopolymer covered with aggregate and the thermal property of concrete,equal thickness model is presented,which provides a reference for the mix design of GLARC. For the haydite sand with size of 1.18-4.75 mm,the best amount of geopolymer per surface area of aggregate should be in the range of 0.300-0.500 mg/mm2.

Non-steady State Chloride Migration and Binding in Cracked Self-compacting Concrete

We adopted a notch method to study the influence of crack width （macro level） on chloride transport and binding of cracked concrete under a non-steady state migration test. The results show that migration coefficient of cracked concrete increases with increasing crack width up to a critical value （0.43 mm）, for the whole concrete or the area close to crack; the increase of migration coefficient could be independent from crack parameter when a critical crack width is reached. For chloride binding, Langmuir isotherms of cracked concrete samples exhibit the similar decreasing trend as crack width increases from 0.27 to 1.96 mm. The increased current value could be responsible for the trend based on the hypothesis of electric force.

Effect of Chloride Content on Bond Behavior Between FRP and Concrete

For reinforced concrete structures located along the seaside, the penetration of chloride ions into concrete may be a threat to the durability of the structures. Experimental investigations were carried out to study the effect of chloride content on the bond behavior between concrete and fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) plates. Direct shear tests were conducted on the FRP strengthened concrete members. Before testing, the specimens were immersed in NaCl solutions with concentrations ranging from 3%—15% for different time (0—120 d). Then, the specimens were dried and tested to obtain the initial and ultimate debonding loads, together with strain distributions along the FRP plates of different load values. The correlations between chloride content and debonding parameters are established. Test results show that the debonding parameters are closely related to the immersing time rather than the chloride content of the solution.