yes / This paper introduces a novel symbolic regression approach, namely biogeographical-based programming (BBP), for the prediction of elastic modulus of self-compacting concrete (SCC). The BBP model was constructed directly from a comprehensive dataset of experimental results of SCC available in the literature. For comparison purposes, another new symbolic regression model, namely artificial bee colony programming (ABCP), was also developed. Furthermore, several available formulas for predicting the elastic modulus of SCC were assessed using the collected database. The results show that the proposed BBP model provides slightly closer results to experiments than ABCP model and existing available formulas. A sensitivity analysis of BBP parameters also shows that the prediction by BBP model improves with the increase of habitat size, colony size and maximum tree depth. In addition, among all considered empirical and design code equations, Leemann and Hoffmann and ACI 318-08’s equations exhibit a reasonable performance but Persson and Felekoglu et al.’s equations are highly inaccurate for the prediction of SCC elastic modulus.

This paper presents the experimental results and observation of elliptical concrete filled tube (CFT) columns subjected to axial compressive load. A total of twenty-six elliptical CFT specimens including both stub and slender composite columns are tested to failure to investigate the axial compressive behaviour. Various column lengths, sectional sizes and infill concrete strength are used to quantify the influence of member geometry and constituent material properties on the structural behaviour of elliptical CFT columns. As there is no design guidance currently available in any Code of Practice, this study provides a review of the current design rules for concrete filled circular hollow sections in Eurocode 4 (EC4). New equations based on the Eurocode 4 provisions for concrete filled circular hollow sections were proposed and used to predict the capacities of elliptical CFT columns.

Yes / The test results on eight two-span deep beams made of self-compacting concrete (SCC) are presented and discussed in this paper. The main parameters investigated were the shear span-to-depth ratio, and the amount and configuration of steel reinforcement. All beams failed due to a major diagonal crack formed between the applied mid-span load and the intermediate support separating the beam into two blocks: the first one rotated around the end support leaving the other block resting on the other two supports. Both concrete compressive strength and web reinforcement had a major effect in controlling the shear capacity of the beams tested. For the shear span-to-depth ratio considered, the vertical web reinforcement had more influence on the shear capacity of the specimens than the horizontal web reinforcement. The shear provisions of the ACI 318M-11 are unconservative for most of the beams tested. Comparisons of test results with the strut-and-tie model (STM) suggested by ACI 318M-11, EC2 and CSA23.4-04 showed that the predictions are reasonable for continuous deep beams made with low and medium compressive strength. Although the equation suggested by ACI 318M-11 is very simple, its prediction is more accurate than the STM suggested by different design codes. / This research investigation was funded by the Higher Education Ministry in The Libyan Government.

Yes / The current design codes, such as ACI 318-14, EC2 and CSA23.3-04, in addition to previous research investigations suggested different expressions for concrete effectiveness factor for use in limit state design of concrete structures. All these equations are based on different design parameters and proposed for normal concrete deep beams. This research evaluates the use of different effectiveness factor equations in the upper and lower bond analyses of continuously-supported self-compacting concrete (SCC) deep beams. Moreover, a new effectiveness factor expression is suggested to be used for upper and lower bound solutions with the aim of improving predictions of the load capacity of continuously-supported SCC deep beams. For the range of deep beams considered, the strut-and-tie method with the proposed effectiveness factor formula achieved accurate predictions, with a mean of 1.01, a standard deviation of 6.7% and a coefficient of variation of 6.8%. For the upper-bound analysis, the predictions of the proposed effectiveness factor equation were more accurate than those of the formulas suggested by previous investigations. Overall, although the proposed effectiveness factor achieved very accurate predictions, further validation for the proposed formula is needed since the only data available on continuous SCC deep beams are those collected form the current study.

Yes / The present study investigated long-term drying shrinkage strains of self-compacting concrete (SCCs). For all SCCs mixes, Portland cement was replaced with 0–60% of fly ash (FA), fine and course aggregates were kept constant with 890 kg/m3 and 780 kg/m3, respectively. Two different water binder ratios of 0.44 and 0.33 were examined for both SCCs and normal concrete (NCs). Fresh properties of SCCs such as filling ability, passing ability, viscosity and resistance to segregation and hardened properties such as compressive and flexural strengths, water absorption and density of SCCs and NCs were also determined. Experimental results of drying shrinkage were compared to five existing models, namely the ACI 209R-92 model, BSEN-92 model, ACI 209R-92 (Huo) model, B3 model, and GL2000. To assess the quality of predictive models, the influence of various parameters (compressive strength, cement content, water content and relative humidity) effecting on the drying shrinkage strain as considered by the models are studied. The results showed that, using up to 60% of FA as cement replacement can produce SCC with a compressive strength as high as 30 MPa and low drying shrinkage strain. SCCs long-term drying shrinkage from 356 to 1000 days was higher than NCs. ACI 209R-92 model provided a better prediction of drying shrinkage compared with the other models. / Financial support of Higher Education of Libya (469/2009).

Yes / This paper presents an experimental study into the axial compressive behaviour of self-compacting concrete filled elliptical steel tube columns. In total, ten specimens, including two empty columns, with various lengths, section sizes and concrete strengths were tested to failure. The experimental results indicated that the failure modes of the self-compacting concrete filled elliptical steel tube columns with large slenderness ratio were dominated by global buckling. Furthermore, the composite columns possessed higher critical axial compressive capacities compared with their hollow section companions due to the composite interaction. However, due to the large slenderness ratio of the test specimens, the change of compressive strength of concrete core did not show significant effect on the critical axial compressive capacity of concrete filled columns although the axial compressive capacity increased with the concrete grade increase. The comparison between the axial compressive load capacities obtained from experimental study and prediction using simple methods provided in Eurocode 4 for concrete-filled steel circular tube columns showed a reasonable agreement. The experimental results, analysis and comparison presented in this paper clearly support the application of self-compacting concrete filled elliptical steel tube columns in construction engineering practice.

The construction of Songlin rock-filled concrete gravity dam, located in the Yunnan province, China began in the end of 2015. In this master thesis the finite element method (FEM) based software Abaqus has been used to perform a computational analysis on tension stresses, compression stresses and sliding stability for static conditions. One overflow section and one non-overflow section of the dam have been analysed. The results of the analysis have been evaluated by comparing with Chinese standards for dam safety and is intended to help engineers with making decisions in the construction process of the dam. The measured compressive stress values of both the overflow and non-overflow section are not evaluated to be within safe levels, further evaluation is required to ensure the safety of the dam. The dam is considered to be safe from vertical tension in the analysed region, however an extended evaluation including the whole dam base is recommended. The analysed cross-sections for sliding stability can be considered safe, but further analysis is required to make a conclusion of the sliding stability of the full dam base.

Aborda-se, neste trabalho, a tecnologia do concreto auto-adensavel CAA aplicada a producao de pre-fabricados. Destaca-se a contribuicao feita ao Metodo IBRACON, largamente utilizado no pais para a dosagem do concreto comum, a partir de uma nova metodologia de dosagem proposta para o CAA, que considera duas inovacoes principais. A primeira foi o conceito de correcao da coesao do concreto fresco por substituicao de finos pozolanicos ou nao pozolanicos correspondentes, de maior area especifica, de modo que formulacoes mais pobres em cimento exigem maior teor de substituicao quando comparadas com composicoes mais ricas, para manter as mesmas caracteristicas de trabalhabilidade. Com isso, foi possivel acrescentar um 4° quadrante de correlacao dos parametros envolvidos na mistura ao Diagrama de Dosagem do metodo original. A segunda inovacao foi incorporar alguns ensaios de trabalhabilidade especificos. Para tanto, realizou-se uma analise critica dos principais testes disponiveis, apresentando suas vantagens e limitacoes, correlacionando com os parametros reologicos fundamentais, bem como com uma aplicacao pratica, validando-os para a qualificacao do CAA para a producao. Dessa forma, foram estudados tracos com dois niveis de auto-adensabilidade, sem adicoes e com metacaulim ou filer calcario, para resistencias compreendidas entre 50-70MPa, em um amplo programa experimental que totalizou 11 familias de concretos e mais de 55 tracos, no geral. Foram avaliados tambem os cuidados especificos para a producao do CAA, analisando aspectos de produtividade e viabilidade de implantacao, a partir de um estudo voltado a uma empresa especializada. Concluiu-se que o CAA e uma opcao vantajosa para o setor, sobretudo com emprego de adicoes minerais, porem e extremamente necessario haver algumas modificacoes de equipamentos e procedimentos para sua adequacao em fabrica. / This work focus the technology of the self-compacting concrete SCC, applied to the precast production. The main innovation was the contribution made to the IBRACON Method, which is widely utilized in Brazil for conventional concrete design, from the new proposed design methodology for SCC, which considers two main innovations. The first one was the concept of correction of the cohesion of the fresh concrete by substitution of pozzolanics or no pozzolanics corresponding mineral additives, with higher specific area, where the poorest formulations in cement requires higher content of substitution when compared with richer compositions, to maintain the desired characteristics of workability. It enables to add a 4th quadrant to the Dosage Diagram of the original method. The second innovation was to incorporate of some workability tests of the fresh concrete, that become important for the qualification of the self-compacting concrete for a practical application. Thus, it carried out a critical analysis of the main available tests, presenting its advantages and limitations, correlating with the parameters of rheology, and with a practical application, validating them for the qualification of SCC for production. Therefore, it was studied mixes of SCC with two levels of self-compactability, without additives and with metacaolin or limestone filler, for mechanical resistances between 50- 70MPa, in a wide experimental program with 11 families of concretes and more of 55 mixes. It was also evaluated the specific cares for the production of SCC, analyzing aspects of productivity and feasability of implementation, based in a case study. It was concluded that SCC is a worthwhile option for the sector, especially using mineral additives, however it is extremely necessary some equipment and procedure modifications in order to adapt the factories to this new technology.

Submitted by Jadson Francisco de Jesus SILVA (jadson@uefs.br) on 2018-01-30T22:07:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Uiliana M?rcia da Silva Merc?s Farias_2017.pdf: 5844655 bytes, checksum: 1df6b86cb5dfd9f89a7bbd299fa1bf93 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-30T22:07:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Uiliana M?rcia da Silva Merc?s Farias_2017.pdf: 5844655 bytes, checksum: 1df6b86cb5dfd9f89a7bbd299fa1bf93 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-20 / The use of waste from Dimension Stone Industry as an inert material can be a good way to promote the sustainability of the construction sector. The Cariri stone is one of the dimension stones explored in state of Ceara, in Brazil. Thus, this work was developed with the main goal of studying a self-compacting concrete production (SCC) using Cariri stone sawdust waste (CSSW) in partial replacement with the natural fine aggregate. The SCC was designed using the method proposed by Melo (2005) considering two w/c ratios (0.57-0.70), and 10% of CSSW. The study was carried out in three stages: material characterization, mortar phase evaluation and SCC phase evaluation. In the fresh state, SCC was evaluated for fluidity, plastic viscosity, blocking capacity and segregation resistance, using V funnel, J-Ring, L-box and segregation column. In the hardened state, the SCC was evaluated for axial compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and water absorption, void index and specific density. The results showed that CSSW improve SCC cohesiveness and homogeneity, and it is feasible to apply up to 10% of CSSW in SCC production. / No sentido de promover a sustentabilidade do setor da constru??o civil, procura-se alternativas para diminuir o impacto ambiental gerado, atrav?s da descoberta de novos materiais alternativos, como os res?duos da ind?stria de beneficiamento de rochas ornamentais. Dentre os tipos de rochas ornamentais exploradas no Brasil, destaca-se um calc?rio laminado conhecido como ?Pedra Cariri?, que ? explorado no estado do Cear?. Assim, esse trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de estudar a produ??o de concreto autoadens?vel (CAA) utilizando res?duos de serragem de pedra Cariri (RSPC) em substitui??o parcial ao agregado mi?do natural. Utilizando a metodologia de Melo (2005) para produ??o de CAA, foram definidas as rela??es a/c (0,57-0,70). O estudo se deu em tr?s etapas: caracteriza??o dos materiais, fase argamassa e fase CAA. No estado fresco, o CAA foi avaliado quanto ? fluidez, viscosidade pl?stica, habilidade passante e resist?ncia ? segrega??o, por meio do ensaio de espalhamento, funil V, Anel J, Caixa L e coluna de segrega??o. No estado endurecido, o CAA foi avaliado quanto ? resist?ncia ? compress?o axial, ? resist?ncia ? tra??o por compress?o diametral e ? absor??o de ?gua, ?ndice de vazios e massa espec?fica. Os resultados indicaram a possibilidade da aplica??o de at? 10% de RSPC na produ??o de CAA.

RésuméEn raison des spécificités relatives à la formulation des bétons autoplaçants (BAP) et en particulier ceux concernant leur volume élevé en pâte et la présence d'ajouts et substituts minéraux en grande quantité, leur comportement à l'état frais et à l'état durci ainsi que leur durabilité sont fortement influencés par ces deux paramètres.Certains sédiments traités acquièrent des propriétés pouzzolaniques et peuvent être utilisés en tant qu'ajouts ou substituts au ciment. Ceci peut faire de la technologie des bétons une voie privilégiée pour leur valorisation.La présente étude vise à apporter une contribution à la valorisation de la vase traitée du barrage de Chorfa et de Fergoug, (situé à l'ouest algérien) en tant que substitut minéral partiel au ciment CPA CEMI 42.5 dans la composition des mortiers et des bétons autoplaçants. Il s'agit de comparer l'influence de l'incorporation de cette vase calcinée à celle de la pouzzolane naturelle de Béni-Saf (situé, également à l'ouest algérien) dans les BAP sur leurs caractéristiques physico-mécaniques et sur leur durabilité à court, moyen et long terme.L'étude est menée sur quatre BAP, le premier à base de 20 % de pouzzolane naturelle de Béni-Saf (BAP-PZ), le deuxième et le troisième incorporant 20 % de la vase calcinée issue des sédiments de dragage du barrage de Fergoug (BAP-VF) et de celui de Chorfa (BAP-VC) et enfin un BAP témoin sans ajouts pour le besoin de comparaison.Outre l'intérêt économique que présentent les BAP à base de la vase calcinée, notre étude a montré que ces derniers représentent des performances très comparables à celles obtenues sur des BAP à base de pouzzolane naturelle (BAP-PZ).En effet, Concernant les résistances à la compression, notre étude indiquent que les BAP à base de vase ((BAP-VC) et (BAP-VF)) présentent les meilleurs résultats notamment à long terme.Les résultats des essais de l'attaque acide (HCl et H2SO4), l'attaque sulfatique (Na2SO4 et MgSO4) et de carbonatation accélérée, montrent que la vase calcinée a une influence sensiblement meilleure que celle de la pouzzolane sur les propriétés physico-mécaniques et la durabilité des bétons dans lesquels elle est incorporée.Mots clés : Barrage de Chorfa - Barrage de Fergoug –Vase calcinée – pouzzolane – BAP à base de vase – BAP à base de pouzzolane – Résistances mécaniques –Durabilité. / AbstractBecause of the specificities of self-compacting concrete (SCC), especially regarding their high volume paste content and the presence of large amounts of mineral admixtures and substitutes, the behavior in fresh and hardened state and the durability of these concretes are strongly influenced by these two parameters.Some treated sediments acquire pozzolanic properties and can be used as additions orsubstitutes to the cement. This possibility makes of concrete technology a privileged way of enhancement.The present study aims to contribute to the enhancement of the treated mud of Chorfa and Fergoug dam (situated in west of Algeria) as a mineral partial substitute for CPA CEMI 42.5 cement in the composition of an economic and preferment mortars and self-compacting concretes. The aim is to compare the influence of the incorporation of this calcined mud to the natural pozzolana of Beni Saf (situated, also in west of Algeria) in (SCC) on their physical, mechanical behavior and their durability of these concretes in short, medium and long term.The study was conducted on four SCCs, the first based on 20% natural pozzolana Beni Saf (SCC-PZ), the second based on 20% of the calcined mud of Fergoug dam (SCC-VF) and of Chorfa dam (SCC-VC) and a control SCC without additions to the need for comparison .Apart from the economic interest of the SCCs based on calcined mud, our study showed that these concretes have comparable performances to that obtained on SCC based on natural pozzolana (SCC-PZ).In fact, concerning compressive strengths, our study indicate that the SCC with calcined mud ((SCC-VC) and (SCC-VF)) present the best results especially at long termThe results of the different following tests: the acid attack (HCl and H2SO4), carbonation and sulphate attack (Na2SO4 and MgSO4) show that the calcined mud has an influence roughly better than the natural pozzolana on the physic - mechanical behavior and durability of the SCC which it is incorporated.Key words: Dam of Chorfa – Dam of Fergoug – Calcined mud – Pozzolana – SCCcontaining mud - SCC containing pozzolana – Mechanical strength –Durability.