External prestressed carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) straps can be used to strengthen shear deficient reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The strengthening system is associated with a number of parameters including the number of straps, strap locations, strap stiffness, and strap prestress. The initial goal of this research was to identify the optimum values for these parameters in order to design an efficient and effective shear retrofitting system. The shear friction theory (SFT) and modified compression field theory (MCFT) were identified as potential predictive theories to model the shear behaviour of RC beams retrofitted with CFRP straps. Possible modifications to the theories to reflect CFRP prestressed straps were investigated. Two popular optimisation algorithms namely the genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimisation (PSO) were coded and tested with six test functions. These algorithms were used to find the optimum shear retrofitting configurations and also to reduce the computational cost associated with the SFT and MCFT evaluations. An experimental investigation was carried out to validate the SFT and MCFT predictions for various CFRP strap configurations. The investigation consisted of an unstrengthened control beam and five CFRP strengthened beams. The shear behaviour of the beams was significantly influenced by the CFRP strap configurations. A critical load level where the beam stiffness started to deteriorate significantly was identified. It was found that there was a correlation between this load level and the yielding of the internal shear links and a rapid increase in crack openmg. The SFT and MCFT were validated using the experimental results. The peak shear capacities predicted using the SFT were more consistent with the stiffness deteriorating loads identified in the experimental investigation than with the ultimate loads of the beams. The reinforcement forces and crack opening values found from the SFT were consistent with the experimental results. The MCFT predicted the total shear response, ultimate shear capacity, crack opening, and internal and external reinforcement forces in the beams. The accuracy of the MCFT predictions reduced slightly when either the strap configuration was highly nonuniforrn or the initial prestress level in the straps was relatively low. The shear link yielding load levels predicted by the MCFT were found to be similar to the SFT predictions. By using the coded optimisation algorithms in combination with the SFT or MCFT, the optimum CFRP strap configurations were found for a selected case study. Both theories predicted an offset for the optimum strap locations from the locations associated with equal spacings along the shear span. A reasonable agreement between the SFT and MCFT predictions for the optimum shear strengths and strap locations was observed. A parametric study demonstrated that the concrete strength, internal shear link locations, beam depth, and shear span to depth ratio of the beam do not significantly influence the optimum strengthening configurations for the CFRP strap system. External prestressed carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) straps can be used to strengthen shear deficient reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The strengthening system is associated with a number of parameters including the number of straps, strap locations, strap stiffness, and strap prestress. The initial goal of this research was to identify the optimum values for these parameters in order to design an efficient and effective shear retrofitting system. The shear friction theory (SFT) and modified compression field theory (MCFT) were identified as potential predictive theories to model the shear behaviour ofRC beams retrofitted with CFRP straps. Possible modifications to the theories to reflect CFRP prestressed straps were investigated. Two popular optimisation algorithms namely the genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimisation (PSO) were coded and tested with six test functions. These algorithms were used to find the optimum shear retrofitting configurations and also to reduce the computational cost associated with the SFT and MCFT evaluations. An experimental investigation was ca1Tied out to validate the SFT and MCFT predictions for various CFRP strap configurations. The investigation consisted of an unstrengthened control beam and five CFRP strengthened beams. The shear behaviour of the beams was significantly influenced by the CFRP strap configurations. A critical load level where the beam stiffness started to deteriorate significantly was identified. It was found that there was a correlation between this load level and the yielding of the internal shear links and a rapid increase in crack opening. The SFT and MCFT were validated using the experimental results. The peak shear capacities predicted using the SFT were more consistent with the stiffness deteriorating loads identified in the experimental investigation than with the ultimate loads of the beams. The reinforcement forces and crack opening values found from the SFT were consistent with the experimental results. The MCFT predicted the total shear response, ultimate shear capacity, crack opening, and internal and external reinforcement forces in the beams. The accuracy of the MCFT predictions reduced slightly when either the strap configuration was highly nonuniform or the initial prestress level in the straps was relatively low. The shear link yielding load levels predicted by the MCFT were found to be similar to the SFT predictions. By using the coded optimisation algorithms in combination with the SFT or MCFT, the optimum CFRP strap configurations were found for a selected case study. Both theories predicted an offset for the optimum strap locations from the locations associated with equal spacings along the shear span. A reasonable agreement between the SFT and MCFT predictions for the optimum shear strengths and strap locations was observed. A parametric study demonstrated that the concrete strength, internal shear link locations, beam depth, and shear span to depth ratio of the beam do not significantly influence the optimum strengthening configurations for the CFRP strap system.

A variety of retrofitting methods are used to upgrade existing structures. For example, steel plates and Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) jackets are externally bonded to members to increase their capacity in flexure and shear. However, due to the issue of corrosion these strengthening systems may lose their efficiency with time. FRP materials have been used to strengthen many structural components of different shapes and types. FRP jackets, FRP Strips, and FRP rods have commonly been used to rehabilitate existing structural components. The many advantages of using FRP as strengthening materials have made this material an attractive alternative: advantages such as lightweight, high strength, and ease of setting up. Among the many applications using FRP, Near Surface Mounted -- Fiber Reinforced polymer (NSM-FRP) is a promising technique used to strengthen concrete members. However, de-bonding issues have to be overcome to make this technique efficient and reliable. The NSM-FRP technique consists of making a groove along the surface of the concrete member to be retrofitted with depth less than the cover of the member. After cleaning the groove, epoxy paste is used to fill two-thirds of the groove's depth. The FRP element is then mounted in the groove. Finally, the groove is filled with epoxy and the excessive epoxy is leveled with surface of the concrete. This technique makes the FRP material completely covered by epoxy in the cover of the concrete. This method can be used for strengthening both the positive and negative moment regions of girders and slabs. Groove size, paste, concrete, and rods properties are the main variables that control the efficiency of the NSM-FRP rods. The main objective of this research project is to determine the behavior of reinforced concrete beams that are strengthened with NSM-CFRP reinforcement bars. In this research project, the bond characteristics of NSM-CFRP reinforcement bars are first determined from pullout tests. Then, NSM-CFRP rods are installed in reinforced concrete beams and the beams are tested. Loads, strains, and deflections are measured and theoretical and measured capacities are compared. Finally, the reliability and efficiency of using NSM-CFRP rods technique in retrofitting existing structures is observed.

yes / This paper presents test results of six concrete beams reinforced with longitudinal carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars and without vertical shear reinforcement. All beams were tested under a two-point loading system to investigate shear behavior of CFRP reinforced concrete beams. Beam depth and amount of CFRP reinforcement were the main parameters investigated. All beams failed due to a sudden diagonal shear crack at almost 45°. A simplified, empirical expression for the shear capacity of FRP reinforced concrete members accounting for most influential parameters is developed based on the design-by-testing approach using a large database of 134 specimens collected from the literature including the beams tested in this study. The equations of six existing design standards for shear capacity of FRP reinforced concrete beams have also been evaluated using the large database collected. The existing shear design methods for FRP reinforced concrete beams give either conservative or unsafe predictions for many specimens in the database and their accuracy are mostly dependent on the effective depth and type of FRP reinforcement. On the other hand, the proposed equation provides reasonably accurate shear capacity predictions for a wide range of FRP reinforced concrete beams.

A study was undertaken to determine if light-weighting orbital launch vehicles (rockets) improves lifetime environmental impacts of the vehicle. Light-weighting is performed by a material substitution where metal structures in the rocket are replaced with carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP’s). It is uncertain whether light-weighting the rocket in the same way as traditional vehicles are light-weighted would provide similar environmental benefits. Furthermore, the rocket system is significantly different from traditional vehicles and undergoes an atypical lifecycle, making analysis non-trivial. Seventy rocket configurations were sized using a Parametric Rocket Sizing Model (PRSM) which was developed for this research. Four different propellant options, three staging options, and eighteen different lift capacities were considered. Each of these seventy rockets did not include CFRP’s, thus establishing a baseline. The seventy rockets were then light-weighted with CFRP’s, making a total of seventy pairs of rockets. An environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed on each of the rockets to determine lifetime environmental impacts. During the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI), a Carbon Fiber Production Model was developed to determine the environmental burdens of carbon fiber production and to address issues identified with carbon fiber’s embodied burdens. The results of the LCA were compared across all rockets to determine what effects light-weighting had on environmental impact. The final conclusion is that light-weighting reduces lifetime environmental impacts of Liquid Oxygen-Rocket Propellant 1 and Nitrogen Tetroxide-Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine rockets, while it likely benefits Liquid Oxygen-Liquid Hydrogen rockets. Light-weighting increases lifetime environmental impacts of Solid Propellant rockets.

Im Luftfahrtbereich haben sich kohlenstofffaserverstärkte Kunststoffe (CFK) wegen ihrer hohen spezifischen Festigkeiten und Steifigkeiten längst als Konstruktionswerkstoffe etabliert. In der Großserienfertigung von Automobilkarosserien kommt diese Materialgruppe jedoch nur zögerlich zum Einsatz. Offensichtlich sprechen noch viele Argumente für den Einsatz von metallischen Werkstoffen: Denn auch Leichtmetalle und pressgehärtete Stähle ermöglichen immer höhere Leichtbaugrade, ohne dabei signifikante Kostensteigerungen zu generieren. Zudem sind Fertigungs- und Montageabläufe für Metallkarosserien etabliert und weitgehend frei von Entwicklungsrisiken. Vor diesem Hintergrund erscheint es schwer, mit neuen Leichtbaumaterialien und den zugehörigen Bauweisen einen Durchbruch erzielen zu können. Dabei zeigt das Produktsegment der Supersportwagen schon deutlich, dass zusätzliche Leichtbaupotentiale durch beanspruchungsgerecht gestaltete und optimierte CFK-Strukturen für den Automobilbau eröffnet werden. Bislang lassen sich derartig optimierte CFK-Strukturen jedoch kaum wettbewerbsfähig in Großserie realisieren. An dieser Stelle ergeben sich Chancen und zugleich neue Herausforderungen für die Produktentwickler: Zum einen sind Faserverbundbauweisen zu erarbeiten, mit denen die Leichtbaupotentiale von CFK weitgehend ausgereizt werden. Zum anderen ist die automatisierte Fertigung bei hohen Taktraten zu ermöglichen. Die Lösung beider Teilaufgaben setzt den Einsatz geeigneter materialspezifischer Konstruktionsmethoden voraus.

Neste trabalho avaliou-se a influência da forma da seção transversal e da excentricidade do carregamento sobre o efeito de confinamento em pilares de concreto encamisados com polímeros reforçados com fibras (PRF). Para estas avaliações foi utilizada a análise experimental, por meio de ensaios de pilares sob flexo-compressão, e a análise numérica com o método dos elementos finitos. Observou-se que ocorreram reduções significativas dos efeitos de confinamento em pilares de seção quadrada e retangular quando a relação entre o raio de arredondamento dos cantos e o maior lado da seção transversal diminuiu. A influência da relação entre o lado maior e menor, no caso de pilares de seção retangular, não foi tão significativa se comparada ao efeito redutor do raio de arredondamento mencionado anteriormente. Ocorreram ganhos de resistência em todos os pilares ensaiados, indicando que o encamisamento com PRF pode ser utilizado mesmo em situações em que a força de compressão seja aplicada com pequenas excentricidades. O efeito da excentricidade sobre o confinamento dependeu da forma da seção transversal considerada. Em pilares de seção circular a excentricidade reduziu levemente os efeitos de confinamento. Nos pilares de seção quadrada a excentricidade não reduziu significativamente os efeitos de confinamento, sendo que para os menores raios de arredondamento o efeito de confinamento foi até maior na presença da excentricidade. Nos pilares de seção retangular observou-se que aplicando a excentricidade na direção da menor inércia o comportamento foi semelhante ao dos pilares de seção quadrada. Porém, aplicando a excentricidade na direção da maior inércia observou-se um grande efeito de confinamento, maior inclusive que no pilar centrado. / In this work the influence of the cross section shape and eccentricity of the compressive load on the confinement of concrete columns wrapped by fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) was evaluated. Experimental analysis, through flexural compression tests of columns, and numerical analysis developed through the finite element method were used to study these effects. Significant reductions of confinement effects were noticed in square and rectangular cross sections when the ratio of the round off radius to the major side of the column was reduced.The ratio between the major and minor side in rectangular columns was not so important to define the effectiveness of confinement as was the fore mentioned factor. Increases of strength were noticed in all columns tested, showing that FRP wrapping can be successfully used even with small eccentricities of loading. The effect of the eccentricity on the confinement showed to be dependent on the cross section shape. In circular columns the eccentricity of loading reduced the confinement effects. For the square cross section columns tested the confinement was not significantly affected by the eccentricity. In fact, for square columns with low round off radius, the eccentricity increased the confinement effects. Rectangular columns subjected to eccentric loading in the direction of the minor inertia showed a behavior similar to square columns. On the other hand, with the eccentricity applied in the direction of the major inertia, an important confinement effect was observed, more important than in the case of concentric loading.

In the Middle East region and many countries in the world, older reinforced concrete (RC) columns are deemed to be weak in seismic resistance because of their low amount of reinforcement, low grades of concrete, and large spacing between the transverse reinforcement. The capacity of older RC columns that are also slender is further reduced due to the secondary moments. Appropriate retrofit techniques can improve the capacity and behavior of concrete members. In this study, externally bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) retrofit technique was implemented to improve the behavior of RC columns tested under constant axial load and cyclic lateral load. The study included physical testing of five half-scale slender RC columns, with shear span to depth ratio of 7. Three specimens represented columns in a 2-story, and two specimens represented columns in a 4-story building. All specimens had identical cross sections, reinforcement detail, and concrete strength. Two specimens were control, two specimens were retrofit with CFRP in the lateral direction, and one specimen retrofit in the longitudinal and lateral directions. A computer model was created to predict the lateral load-displacement relations. The experimental results show improvement in the retrofit specimens in strength, ductility, and energy dissipation. The effect of retrofitting technique applied to two full-scale prototype RC buildings, a 2-story and a 4-story building located in two cities in Iraq, Baghdad, and Erbil, was determined using SAP2000.

Metal implants are a type of hard tissue replacement currently used. Metals used for implants include: stainless steel, titanium, chrome, and cobalt alloys. Such implants often fail at the interface with bone. Metal implants fail when the surface of the implant is coated with an osteoconductive material. An osteoconductive material provides scaffolding for cellular migration, cellular attachment, and cellular distribution. A reason for metal implant failure could be the vastly different material properties than bone. Motivation for the research was to find a suitable bone substitute other than metal. Materials considered were: zirconia toughened alumina, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy, and glass fiber reinforced epoxy. Those materials have been used in previous biological applications and can be cast into complex configurations. Objectives of the study were to compare material properties of the composites to bone. A method to create porosity was then tested in the material that was similar to bone in critical material property. Some of the materials were statistically similar to bone in yield strength. Method to create interconnected porosity in those materials resulted in 49% void space.

The performance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns during recent earthquakes has clearly demonstrated the possible failures associated with inadequate confining reinforcement. The confinement reinforcement requirements of older codes were less stringent than present standards. Many studies were conducted by applying different retrofitting techniques for RC columns that have inadequate confinement reinforcement. A new retrofitting technique by means of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) was developed and tested in many countries in the last decade. This technique is performed by CFRP wrapping the critical region of columns. The effectiveness of CFRP retrofitting technique was shown in many studies conducted worldwide. In Turkey, the frame members are considerably deficient from the seismic detailing point of view. Therefore, in order to use the CFRP retrofitting technique effectively in Turkey, experimental evidence is needed. This study investigates the performance of CFRP retrofitted RC columns with deficient confining steel and low concrete strength. It was concluded by experimental and analytical results that the CFRP retrofitting method can be implemented to seismically deficient columns. Moreover, two design approaches were proposed for CFRP retrofit design of columns considering safe design regulations.

Due to their practical application, flat-plates have been commonly used slab type in constructions in recent years. According to the investigations that were performed since the beginning of the 20th century, the vicinity of the slab-column connection is found to be susceptible to punching failure that causes serious unrepairable damage leading to the collapse of the structures. The objective of this study is to enhance the punching shear strength of slab-column connections in existing deficient flat plate structures. For this purpose, an economical and easy to install strengthening method was applied to &frac34 / scale flat-slab test specimens. The proposed strengthening scheme employs the use of in house-fabricated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) dowels placed around the column stubs in different numbers and arrangements as vertical shear reinforcement. In addition, the effect of column aspect ratio on strengthening method was also investigated in the scope of this study. Strength increase of at least 30% was obtained for the CFRP retrofitted specimens compared to the companion reference specimen. Three-dimensional finite element analyses of test specimens were conducted by using the general purpose finite element analyses program. 3-D finite element models are successful in providing reasonable estimates of load-deformation behavior and strains. The experimental punching shear capacities and observed failure modes of the specimens were compared with the estimations of strength and failure modes given by punching shear strength provisions of ACI 318-08, Eurocode-2, BS8110-97 and TS500. Necessary modifications were proposed for the existing provisions of punching shear capacity in order to design CFRP upgrading.