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Go to Editorial ManagerThe choice of aggregate type in producing reinforced concrete depends on the availability of the source sometimes and the intended concrete requirements like lightweight or normal aggregate concrete or high strength concrete. The punching shear resistance is being considered to be influenced by numbers of parameters including aggregate size and types. These parameters have not accounted in most of codes of design and have given a little attention by researchers. Most of available knowledge are based on outcomes from experimental works on beams. In this paper, the considerable slab tests without shear reinforcement are collected from literature in which aggregate types and sizes are given and they were failed in punching. The test results are compared to those calculated by ACI, EC2 and CSCT. The deficits of shear resistance are found clear where high compressive strength is combined with reinforcement ratio.
In this investigation, the bond stresses between the reinforcement and concrete was studied by using non-material interface elements that are able to produce the bond stresses for the reinforced concrete beam gradually loaded from zero to failure. Depending on (Jawad) program, which is a non-linear analysis program of plain and reinforced concrete beams through a discrete-crack approach by using the finite element method. The stiffness matrix derivation of the interface element and the way of non-linear treatment were explained. The distribution of bond stress drawings along the steel reinforcement for different values of loading was achieved before and after cracking.
This numerical study aimed to investigate the torsional behaviour of hollow cross section reinforced concrete members strengthened with steel fibers (end hooked and corrugated), subjected to pure torsion. The numerical results were compared with experimental results and show good agreement. The experimental study was conducted on ten steel fiber reinforced concrete specimens with low longitudinal reinforcement ratio to investigate the torsional behavior under pure torsion. For this analysis, a computer program (ANSYS 18.2) was used. The brick elements 8-nodes (SOLID65) were used to concrete simulation, while the steel bars simulated as axial members (link 180). The steel fibre was represented theoretically by the stress-strain relationship. The theoretical results indicated that the adopted smeared crack model is capable of making relatively acceptable estimations of cracking and ultimate torsional capacity of the members.
Mathematical programming techniques have been used to minimize the cost of reinforced concrete counterfort retaining wall.The study presents a formulation based on elastic analysis and the ultimate strength method of design as per ACI-M318code. A computer program is generated to handle the considered problem. The formulation of optimization problem has been made by utilizing the interior penalty function method as an optimization method with the purpose of minimizing the objective function representing the cost of one-meter length of the counterfort retaining wall. This includes cost of concrete, reinforcement, and formwork. The design variables considered in this study are the dimensions and the amounts of reinforcement. It is found that the optimal spacing of counterforts equals about (0.214 to 0.366) of total height of wall. The optimum width of the base is found in the range (0.50 to 0.78) of the total height of the wall. Also the thickness of the stem is in the range(0.0284 to 0.0377) of the total height and it is less than half thickness of the base.
The trend of using natural fibers in geotechnical engineering has become of great interest to improve weak soils due to some of its advantages such as local availability, environmental friendliness, and lower cost. In this study, a set of unconfined compression strength and direct shear tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of Al-Nasiriya clayey soil reinforced with natural fibers. Three different types of natural fibers were investigated as sustainable ones, including wheat straw fiber and palm frond fiber, as well as imperata cylindrica fiber. The effects of various fiber contents (0.25 %, 0.5 %, 0.75 %, and 1 %) and lengths (20 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm) were experimentally evaluated. The results indicated that the compressive strength increased significantly with the increase of fiber content and length up to an optimum value and then decreased. The optimum fiber content and length were 0.5 % and 30 mm, respectively. Compared to the unreinforced soil, the compressive strength values at the optimum content and length increased by 102 %, 126 %, and 66 % for samples reinforced with wheat straw, palm fronds, and imperata cylindrica fibers, respectively. The shear properties improved due to soil reinforcement with natural fibers. Compared to the unreinforced soil, the internal friction angle of the samples reinforced with wheat straw, palm fronds, and imperata cylindrica fibers increased by 17.7 %, 42 %, and 9 %, respectively. Forever, the cohesion and shear strength are also improved due to inclusion of natural fibers.
Mathematical programming techniques have been used to minimize the cost of reinforced concrete T-beam floor. The floor system consists of one way continuous slab and simply supported T-beams. The study presents a formulation based on elastic analysis followed by the ultimate strength method of design with the consideration of serviceability constraints as per ACI Code. The formulation of optimization problem has been made by utilizing the interior penalty function method as an optimization method with the purpose of minimizing the objective function representing the cost of one-meter length of the floor system. The cost includes cost of concrete, reinforcement, and formwork. The design variables considered in this study are the dimensions and the amounts of reinforcement for the slab and beams, in addition to the spacing of the beams. Many examples are solved to show the effect of these design variables on the optimum solution of the floor system. The effect on the optimum design of the compressive strength of concrete, yield strength of steel, concrete cost ratios, and formwork cost ratios has also been studied.
This research is devoted to investigate the effect of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strips on the behaviour and load carrying capacity of strengthened and repaired reinforced concrete corbels. Experimental investigation were carried. The experimental program variables include location, direction, amount of CFRP strips and effect of shear span to effective depth (a/d) ratio on the behaviour of strengthened corbels. All corbels had the same dimensions and flexural reinforcement and they were without horizontal shear steel reinforcement. The experimental results obtained from the adopted strengthening and repairing CFRP techniques showed a significant improvement in the behaviour and carrying capacity of the tested corbels. An increase of about (44.5 - 60) % in the ultimate load has been obtained for specimens strengthening by inclined technique compared to the ultimate load of control corbel and (14.7 - 31.2)% for specimens strengthening horizontal technique. For corbels repaired with CFRP strips, an increase of (56%) with respect to the ultimate load of control corbel is achieved. Also the strengthened corbels show stiffer load deflection response than corresponding control corbels (unstrengthened corbels).
This study investigates the effect of the shear span-to-effective depth ratio (a/d) on the behavior of high-strength steel fiber–reinforced concrete deep beams without stirrups containing circular web openings. A circular opening of 12.6 cm diameter was positioned at the center of the shear span, and beam performance was evaluated in terms of crack patterns, load–deflection response, and stress–strain behavior. Four specimens were tested experimentally. The control specimen consisted of a solid deep beam without openings and without steel fibers, while the remaining three specimens were reinforced with 1% steel fibers and included circular openings. All specimens were reinforced with 2Ø12 mm top bars, 3Ø16 mm bottom bars, and two stirrups at the supports to prevent local failure. The beams had different shear span ratios (a/d = 0.75, 1.0, and 1.5) and corresponding total lengths of 1025 mm, 1200 mm, and 1550 mm, respectively. All specimens were simply supported and subjected to two-point loading. The experimental results revealed that the optimal shear span ratio for maximum performance was a/d = 0.75 when combined with 1% steel fiber reinforcement. In addition, the ultimate strength of beams with circular openings decreased as a/d increased, with a strength increase of approximately 5.48% at a/d = 0.75 compared with a/d = 1.0.
The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of repeated load on the strength and behavior of the spandrel beam by considering eight specimens divided into four groups based on the design methods; type of cross-section of the spandrel beam and the type of loading. Two design methods, two types of loading and two types of cross sel.1ions for spandrel beam are considered, the first is a solid rectangular section, while the other is a hollow rectangular section. The effect of repeated loads on the crack's width, deflections, torque, and angle of twist is studied using two stages of loading, the first stage is at the soft-cracking stage after the occurring of cracks in the spandrel beam and the second stage is the yielding of the bottom longitudinal reinforcement of the floor beam.
A composite beam is an accumulation of different materials so as to form a single unit to exploit the prominent quality of these materials according to their position within the cross-section of the composite beam. The present study investigates the structural behavior of six simply supported composite beams, in which a reinforced concrete T-beam is connected together with a steel channel located at the bottom of a T-beam by means of headed stud shear connectors. The used degrees of shear connection are (100%, 75%, 50%, and 38%). Three dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis has been used to conduct the numerical investigation for the general behavior of beams which are subjected to central point load. ANSYS 12.1 program code was used to estimate the ultimate loads, deflections, stresses, strains, end slip. Concrete was modeled by brick element (SOLID65), while the steel channel was modeled as brick element (SOLID45). Two-node discrete elements (LINK8) are used to represent the steel reinforcement and shear connectors. Perfect bond between the reinforcing rebars and the concrete was assumed. The load on beams was applied monotonically in increments up to failure. The reduction of the degree of shear connection from 100% to 38% causes increasing of strain, mid span deflection and end slip with an average of 3.95%, 13%, and 111% respectively, while the ultimate load decreases with an average of 7.3%. In order to observe the efficiency of the 3-D model, a comparison was made with available experimental work. Good agreement was obtained throughout this work between the finite element and available test results.
The effect of different dosages of the high range water reducing admixture–additive- (HRWRA), the commercially polymeric material (Plastocrete-N), on the corrosion resistance of embedded steel in concrete exposed to chloride solution in the absence and presence of sulfate ions was studied. In the present study, four levels of polymeric material (Plastocrete-N) (0.125%, 0.250%, 0.375%, and 0.500% by weight of cement) were used to prepare HRWRA treated concrete. The concrete specimens exposed to chloride and chloride–sulfate solutions at concentrations of (3.5% NaCl and 5% Na2SO4), at ambient temperature. The electrochemical behavior of steel in both reference and HRWRA concretes was studied under the effect of corrosive environments using corrosion measurement systems such as: a) half – cell potentials measurement system and b) accelerated corrosion test system. The results showed that a longer time of corrosion initiation (180 day) observed with 0.500% HRWRA containing concrete compared to other different HRWRA percentage including the reference concrete. It was concluded that the use of 0.500% HRWRA provided superior protection to steel reinforcement in concrete that subjected to corrosive environments. Furthermore, the steel with 0.500% HRWRA was subjected to corrosion test by mass loss, it is evident that a reduction in mass loss by about 90.2% and 85.2% in both solutions, respectively.
This research concerns with the fracture behavior of reinforced concrete beams without shear reinforcement numerically. The software ABAQUS is adapted to simulate the crack propagation using the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM), taking into account materials nonlinearities using concrete damage plasticity CDP criteria. XFEM is used to solve the discontinuity problems in the simulation. The maximum principal stress failure criterion is selected for damage initiation, and an energy-based damage evolution law based on a model- independent fracture criterion is selected for damage propagation. The traditional nonlinear finite element analysis is used to specify the crack initiation position, which is required to specify the crack location in the analysis of beams using XFEM. Three-dimensional reinforced concrete beam models are investigated subjected to three and four-point loading tests. Simply supported beams under the effect of applied static load are investigated. An elastic perfectly plastic model is used for modeling the longitudinal steel bars. The main variables considered in the study are beam depth and the shear span with beam length. The numerical results are compared with the available experimental results to demonstrate the applicability of the model. The XFEM provides the capability to predict the concrete member fracture behavior.
A series of unconfined compression and direct shear tests were carried out to investigate the compressive strength and shear strength parameters of clay soil reinforced with different contents and lengths of wheat straw and palm frond fibers and by adding different percentages of furnace slag. The bearing capacity and settlement characteristics of the rectangular footing based on a clay soil layer reinforced with wheat straw fibers, palm fronds and furnace slag at different thicknesses were also studied by conducting model footing tests. The results indicated that the compressive strength and shear strength parameters improved significantly when adding 0.5% of natural fibers and 20% of furnace slag. The maximum compressive strength of soil samples reinforced with wheat straw fiber MT1 and palm frond fiber MT2 was 365 and 407 kPa, respectively. Compared to the unreinforced sample, samples reinforced with natural fibers and furnace slag significantly improve the shear strength parameters c and ϕ . The cohesion of soil sample reinforced with wheat straw and palm frond fibers increased by 8% and 43% respectively, while the internal friction angles improved by 19% and 40% respectively. The sample treated with furnace slag MT3 showed improved significantly in cohesion by 76% and less effect in internal friction angle. Compared to unreinforced soil samples, the cohesion of soil samples reinforced with wheat straw and palm fibers and treated with furnace slag MT4 and MT5 increased by 77% and 92% respectively, and less effect in internal friction angle. Moreover, the bearing capacity and settlement characteristics of the rectangular footing improved significantly with the increase in the thickness of the top layer reinforced with natural fibers and treated with furnace slag. The ultimate bearing capacity of layer reinforced with wheat straw fibers MT1 increases to 193.2, 220.15 and 247.5 kPa at thicknesses of 0.5 B, 1.0 B, and 1.5 B respectively, while the settlement decreased by 10.4%, 15% and 20.48% respectively at same thicknesses.
The study investigates the behaviour of reinforced concrete corner joints under monotonically increasing loads which tend to increase the right angle between the two joint members. The experimental results for two case studies are considered, and the ANSYS computer code is employed to create three-dimensional models for corner joints within the context of the finite element method. The effect of reinforcement details at the corner joint is studied for commonly used detailing systems, and the nonlinear response is traced throughout the entire load range up to failure. The results obtained are generally in good agreement with the experiments, and show that the detailing system has a significant effect on corner joint behaviour, with efficiencies ranging from as low as 54% up to 147%.
This work deals with the effect of using Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) as a partial replacement of coarse aggregate in Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC), on the structural behavior (flexure and shear) of reinforced concrete one-way slabs. To the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of limited studies concerning the behavior of recycled aggregate concrete one-way slabs subjected to line loading with significant replacement of conventional aggregates by recycled concrete aggregate (up to 75 %). Three replacement ratios were considered: 25 %, 50 %, and 75 %. The mixes (with natural stone coarse aggregate, NCA) have an averaged compressive strength of ($F_{cu} = 42 \text{ MPa}$) at the age of 28 days with a tolerance of ($\pm 1.5 \text{ MPa}$). While, the mixes (with RCA) have an averaged compressive strength of ($38.5, 36.5, \text{ and } 34 \text{ MPa}$) for the three replacement ratios respectively, at the age of 28 days with a tolerance of ($\pm 2 \text{ MPa}$). All the slabs were cast with length of ($1600 \text{ mm}$), width of ($600 \text{ mm}$), while the thickness was variable. For this purpose, sixteen reinforced concrete one-way slabs were cast and divided into five groups (G1 to G5). Different parameters that affect the behavior of one-way slabs were studied and include type of failure, replacement ratios of NCA by RCA, amount of main reinforcement, thickness and locations of line loadings along the span. Hardened concrete specimens results show that the **compressive strength** $F_{cu}$, **tensile strength** $F_t$, **modulus of rupture** $F_r$, and **modulus of elasticity** $E$ were decreased as the RCA replacement increased. The experimental results of slabs show that the **ultimate capacity** of slabs decreased as the RCA replacement increased, the **deflection** and **strain** increase as the RCA replacement increases and the **crack width** increases as the RCA replacement increases. From the results of ultimate capacity, cracking load and moment, deflections, crack width and pattern and concrete surface strains, it can be concluded that the recycled concrete aggregate can be used as a partial replacement of natural coarse aggregate to produce self-compacting concrete mixes. Also, the behavior of one way slabs cast with SCC containing RCA is acceptable.