Modelling behaviour of cracked tensile concrete is a complicated issue. Due to bond with reinforcement, the cracked concrete between cracks carries a certain amount of tensile force normal to the cracked plane. Concrete adheres to rein-forcement bars and contributes to overall stiffness of the structure. The phe-nomenon, called tension-stiffening, has significant influence on the results of short-term deformational analysis. Assumption of a tension-stiffening law has great influence on numerical results of load – deflection behaviour of reinforced concrete members subjected to short – term loading. Under wrong assumption of this law, errors in calculated deflections, particularly for lightly members, may exceed 100 %. Most known tension-stiffening relationships relate average stresses to average strains. However, some experimental and theoretical investi-gations have shown that tension-stiffening may be affected by other parameters. The scientific supervisor of the thesis has proposed a tension-stiffening model depending on reinforcement ratio. This model has been developed using experi-mental data reported in the literature. Besides, concrete shrinkage effect was not taken into account. The main objective of this PhD dissertation is to propose a tension-stiffening law for bending RC members subjected to short-term loading with eliminated concrete shrinkage effect. / Gelžbetonis yra kompozitinė medžiaga, kurios komponentai yra betonas ir plieninė armatūra. Kaip žinoma, betono stipris tempiant yra 10-20 kartų mažesnis nei stipris gniuždant. Atrodytų, kad tempiamojo betono įtaka, atlaikant įrąžas skerspjūvyje, yra nereikšminga. Iš tiesų, nustatant lenkiamųjų elementų stiprumą normaliniame pjūvyje, tempiamo betono įtempių galima nevertinti. Kita vertus, skaičiuojant įlinkius, neįvertinus tempiamojo betono įtakos, gali būti daroma didesnė nei 100 % paklaida. Adekvatus supleišėjusio tempiamojo betono įtakos įvertinimas, nustatant trumpalaike apkrova veikiamų gelžbetoninių elementų deformacijas, yra bene svarbiausia ir sudėtingiausia problema. Plyšio vietoje betonas negali atlaikyti tempimo įtempių, todėl visą įrąžą atlaiko armatūra. Kadangi plyšyje ir gretimuose pjūviuose armatūra praslysta betono atžvilgiu, kontakto zonoje atsiranda tangentiniai įtempiai. Šie įtempiai perduodami betonui, todėl jis atlaiko tempimo įtempius. Armatūros ir betono sąveika ruožuose tarp plyšių standina gelžbetoninį elementą. Supleišėjusio betono gebėjimas atlaikyti tempimo įtempius vadinama tempimo sustandėjimu (angl. tension stiffening). Šis efektas dažniausiai modeliuojamas supleišėjusio betono įtempių ir deformacijų diagrama, taikant vidutinių plyšių koncepciją. Tuomet neatsižvelgiama į diskrečius plyšius, o supleišėjęs betonas traktuojamas kaip ortotropinė medžiaga su pakitusiomis savybėmis. Dauguma tempimo sustandėjimo modelių įvertina betono įtempių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

The ability to adjust structural response to external loading and ensure structural safety and serviceability is a characteristic of Smart Systems. The key to achieving this is through the development and implementation of smart materials. An example of a smart material is a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA). Reinforced concrete structures are designed to sustain severe damage and permanent displacement during strong earthquakes, while maintaining their integrity, and safeguarding against loss of life. The design philosophy of dissipating the energy of major earthquakes leads to significant strains in the steel reinforcement and, consequently, damage in the plastic hinge zones. Most of the steel strain is permanent, thus leading to large residual deformations that can render the structure unserviceable after the earthquake. Alternative reinforcing materials such as superelastic SMAs offer strain recovery upon unloading, which may result in improved post-earthquake recovery. Shape Memory Alloys have the ability to dissipate energy through repeated cycling without significant degradation or permanent deformation. Superelastic SMAs possess stable hysteretic behavior over a certain range of temperature, where its shape is recoverable upon removal of load. Alternatively, Martensite SMAs also possess the ability to recover its shape through heating. Both types of SMA demonstrate promise in civil infrastructure applications, specifically in seismic-resistant design and retrofit of structures. The primary objective of this research is to investigate experimentally the performance of concrete beams and shear walls reinforced with superelastic SMAs in plastic hinge regions. Furthermore, this research program involves complementary numerical studies and the development of a proposed hysteretic constitutive model for superelastic SMAs applicable for nonlinear finite element analysis. The model considers the unique characteristics of the cyclic response of superelastic materials.

The self-compacting concrete (SCC) has been characterized as a great evolution in the concrete technology, being able to fill all empty spaces of the formwork and selfcompacting only by action of its own weight. If steel fibers are added to SCC, without prejudice its properties in the fresh state, new advantages and possibilities of applications will provide concretes more efficient. In this context, a SCC with addition of industrial waste is used, and steel fibers with l/d ratio equal to 50 are incorporated, in a volume fraction of 1%, in order to assess the behavior of reinforced self-compacting concrete beams, with and without the addition of steel fibers, subject to normal and tangential stresses, and compare them with the behavior of conventional reinforced concrete beams. For that, were made reinforced concrete beams of dimensions (12,5 x 23,5 x 132) cm, which were tested by four-point bending, to the 28 days of age. To compare the results, were produced conventional concretes of different compositions, with and without steel fibers. The tests results in the fresh state shown that was possible the obtaining of concrete with self-compacting properties, even with the addition of steel fibers, from a mix already existent of SCC. The addition of the steel fibers to the SCC promoted slight gain in the load capacity of the beam, with lower displacements in the middle span, lower deformations in the reinforcement bars and improved cracking control, compared to the others beams produced with concrete compacted by vibration, with and without steel fibers. / O concreto auto-adensável (CAA) vem se caracterizando como uma grande evolução na tecnologia do concreto, sendo capaz de preencher todos os espaços vazios da fôrma e adensar-se apenas pela ação de seu peso próprio. Se ao CAA adicionam-se fibras de aço, sem prejuízo de suas propriedades no estado fresco, novas vantagens e possibilidades de aplicação proporcionarão concretos mais eficientes. Dentro desse contexto, um CAA com adição de resíduo industrial é usado, e fibras de aço com relação l/d = 50 são incorporadas, em uma fração volumétrica de 1%, com intuito de avaliar o comportamento de vigas de concreto auto-adensável armado, com e sem o reforço de fibras de aço, submetidas às solicitações normais e tangenciais, e compará-las com o comportamento de vigas de concreto armado convencional. Para isso, foram confeccionadas vigas de concreto armado de dimensões (12,5 x 23,5 x 132) cm, as quais foram ensaiadas por flexão a quatro pontos, aos 28 dias de idade. Para comparação dos resultados, foram produzidos concretos convencionais de diferentes composições, com e sem a adição das fibras de aço. Os resultados dos ensaios no estado fresco mostraram que foi possível a obtenção de concreto com propriedades auto-adensáveis, mesmo com adição de fibras de aço, a partir de uma dosagem de CAA já existente. A adição das fibras de aço ao CAA promoveu sensível ganho na capacidade resistente da viga, com menores flechas, menores deformações das armaduras, longitudinal e transversal, e melhorado controle da fissuração, em comparação às demais vigas produzidas com concretos adensados por vibração, com e sem fibras de aço.

The ability to adjust structural response to external loading and ensure structural safety and serviceability is a characteristic of Smart Systems. The key to achieving this is through the development and implementation of smart materials. An example of a smart material is a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA). Reinforced concrete structures are designed to sustain severe damage and permanent displacement during strong earthquakes, while maintaining their integrity, and safeguarding against loss of life. The design philosophy of dissipating the energy of major earthquakes leads to significant strains in the steel reinforcement and, consequently, damage in the plastic hinge zones. Most of the steel strain is permanent, thus leading to large residual deformations that can render the structure unserviceable after the earthquake. Alternative reinforcing materials such as superelastic SMAs offer strain recovery upon unloading, which may result in improved post-earthquake recovery. Shape Memory Alloys have the ability to dissipate energy through repeated cycling without significant degradation or permanent deformation. Superelastic SMAs possess stable hysteretic behavior over a certain range of temperature, where its shape is recoverable upon removal of load. Alternatively, Martensite SMAs also possess the ability to recover its shape through heating. Both types of SMA demonstrate promise in civil infrastructure applications, specifically in seismic-resistant design and retrofit of structures. The primary objective of this research is to investigate experimentally the performance of concrete beams and shear walls reinforced with superelastic SMAs in plastic hinge regions. Furthermore, this research program involves complementary numerical studies and the development of a proposed hysteretic constitutive model for superelastic SMAs applicable for nonlinear finite element analysis. The model considers the unique characteristics of the cyclic response of superelastic materials.

Corrosion of steel reinforcement has been identified as one of the major problems facing many existing reinforced concrete structures including bridges. The exposure to aggressive environmental conditions such as those with high concentrations of chloride ions due to the use of de-icing salt in cold regions or high concentrations of carbon dioxide due to increased greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate the initiation process of corrosion. As corrosion initiates, the structural performance in terms of load-carrying capacity, ductility, and service life deteriorate over time. Coupling the effect of reinforcement corrosion with service loads may further weaken the structural performance of reinforced concrete bridges due to the presence of transverse load-induced cracks. Accordingly, a research program was conducted to evaluate the structural performance of reinforced concrete beams subjected to coupled effects of service loads and reinforcement corrosion. The research project consisted of combined experimental and numerical investigations. The experimental phase consisted of tests of nine small-scale beams and six large-scale beams. The beams were designed, constructed, instrumented, and loaded under a four-point load test. The primary test variables were the applied corrosion current density, level of corrosion, and level of sustained loading as percentage of beam ultimate capacity (0% Pu, 40% Pu, and 60% Pu). The corrosion level of steel reinforcement was quantitatively assessed using gravimetric weight measurements and three-dimensional laser scanner technique. Test results indicated that failure of corroded RC beams was brittle due to premature rupture of corroded steel bars, which was attributed to the development of localized corrosion at the sections with flexural cracks in beams. Furthermore, it was found that beams subjected to higher levels of service loads, experienced further reductions in ultimate load capacity and ductility. In addition, tensile tests were used to evaluate the effect of corrosion on the mechanical performance of steel bars retrieved from the corroded beams. It was found that the tensile strength of corroded steel bars, based on nominal sectional area, was reduced with the increase of corrosion levels. In contrast, the tensile strength, based on minimum sectional area, was not influenced by the non-uniform distribution and localization of corrosion. In fact, there was a slight increase in strength with the increase of corrosion levels. The numerical phase consisted of finite element analyses of beams using DIANA FE analysis software. A simplified approach was implemented to introduce the damage induced by corrosion into two-dimensional nonlinear FE models, based on the experimental testing of corroded beams and corroded steel bars. The analyses were reasonably accurate in predicting cracking patterns, residual load capacity, residual ductility, and failure modes of corroded beams. Subsequently, the validated model was used to conduct a parametric study on the level of service loads, level of corrosion, strength of concrete, and tensile reinforcement ratio. It was found that the FE model of corroded beams was strongly influenced by the level of service loads, level of corrosion, and tensile reinforcement ratio.

No description available.

yes / This paper presents an analytical method for estimating the flexural strength of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with externally bonded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates. The method is developed from the strain compatibility and equilibrium of forces. Based on the size of external FRP laminates, several flexural failure modes may be identified, namely tensile rupture of FRP laminates and concrete crushing before or after yielding of internal steel reinforcement. Upper and lower limits to the size of FRP laminates used are suggested to maintain ductile behaviour of strengthened reinforced concrete sections. Comparisons between the flexural strength obtained from the current method and experiments show good agreement. Design equations for calculating the size of FRP laminates externally bonded to reinforced concrete sections to enhance their flexural strength are proposed.

When subjected to a combination of moment and shear force, a reinforced concrete (RC) beam with either little or no transverse reinforcement can fail in shear before reaching its full flexural strength. This type of failure is sudden in nature and usually disastrous because it does not give sufficient warning prior to collapse. To prevent this type of shear failure, reinforced concrete beams are traditionally reinforced with stirrups. However, the use of stirrups is not always cost effective since it increases labor costs, and can make casting concrete difficult in situations where closely-spaced stirrups are required. The use of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) could be considered as a potential alternative to the use of traditional shear reinforcement. Concrete is very weak and brittle in tension, SFRC transforms this behaviour and improves the diagonal tension capacity of concrete and thus can result in significant enhancements in shear capacity. However, one of the drawbacks associated with SFRC is that the addition of fibers to a regular concrete mix can cause problems in workability. The use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is an innovative solution to this problem and can result in improved workability when fibers are added to the mix. The thesis presents the experimental results from tests on twelve slender self-consolidating fiber reinforced concrete (SCFRC) beams tested under four-point loading. The results demonstrate the combined use of SCC and steel fibers can improve the shear resistance of reinforced concrete beams, enhance crack control and can promote flexural ductility. Despite extensive research, there is a lack of accurate and reliable design guidelines for the use of SFRC in beams. This study presents a rational model which can accurately predict the shear resistance of steel fiber reinforced concrete beams. The thesis also proposes a safe and reliable equation which can be used for the shear design of SFRC beams.

Neste trabalho estudou-se o reforço de vigas T de concreto armado tanto por meio de adição de armadura longitudinal ao bordo tracionado envolvida por um material compósito (argamassa com fibras curtas de aço), quanto pela aplicação de uma capa de pequena espessura de microconcreto de alta resistência ao bordo comprimido. Para estudar as possibilidades da aplicação prática destas duas técnicas de reforço avaliou-se o comportamento das vigas reabilitadas verificando a influência: da atuação de um pré-carregamento durante a execução do reforço, das deformações diferidas diferenciais (fluência e retração) existentes entre os materiais novos e antigos e, dos mecanismos de resistência mobilizados na transmissão de esforços na junta - formada pela ligação do substrato ao concreto do reforço - ou entre as barras de aço tracionadas preexistentes e adicionadas em função da ausência de estribos envolvendo-as. Para redimensionar as peças reforçadas no bordo tracionado foram realizados ensaios complementares para identificar, dentre as várias fibras disponíveis comercialmente, qual a que proporcionaria ao material compósito, um confinamento suficiente que evitasse a ruptura prematura da viga pela tendência de deslizamento relativo entre as barras de aço tracionadas devida à ausência de estribos neste local. Para redimensionar as peças reforçadas no bordo comprimido realizou-se ensaios complementares para determinar as propriedades viscoelásticas dos materiais usados no substrato e no reforço, tornando possível estimar as descontinuidades geradas nos estados de tensão e deformação ao longo do tempo já que tais materiais são moldados e submetidos a carregamentos em idades distintas. Os resultados dos ensaios das vigas reforçadas de seção T foram analisados e comparados com previsões teóricas feitas a partir da adaptação de métodos analíticos convencionais recomendados por norma para estruturas novas, e a partir de simulações numéricas usando um programa computacional baseado no método dos elementos finitos. Do estudo realizado foi possível: comprovar a eficiência das técnicas de reforço propostas estando as peças submetidas ou não a um pré-carregamento durante a execução da intervenção, compatibilizar alguns dos conhecimentos teóricos existentes a fim de poder usá-los na análise teórica das vigas reabilitadas, além de reunir uma série de informações úteis que podem ser exploradas na definição de estratégias e procedimentos de projeto de estruturas reabilitadas semelhantes / This paper reports on the results of a study about the behavior of reinforced concrete T-beams rehabilitated using two different techniques. The first technique consists of the addition of longitudinal reinforcement embedded in a steel fiber reinforced highperformance mortar at the bottom face of the member. The second technique consists of rehabilitation by adding a thin overlay of high-strength concrete to the compression zone. The parameters analyzed to verify the possibilities of practical applications of these techniques were: the effect of a pre-loading acting on the beams during their rehabilitation, the differential time-dependent deformations (creep and shrinkage) between the new concrete and existing base, the mechanisms of resistance mobilized along the interface formed by old and new concrete or between pre-existent steel bars and added steel bars that are not involved by stirrups. Previous tests were carried out to make it possible to redesign the intervention adequately. Theses tests yield useful information about which type and volume of steel fibers need to be added to composite mortar to avoid the premature rupture of the strengthened beam caused by relative slipping between the layers of steel tensioned bars. These tests also give information about the viscoelastic properties of the materials used to manufacture the T-beams. The test results were analyzed and compared with the results of analytic models and numeric models based on the method of the finite elements. Based on this study, it can be stated that the proposed techniques are really efficient even if the beams are submitted to a pre-loading during the process of rehabilitation. Also, existing theoretical knowledge was organized to support the theoretical analysis of the rehabilitated beams, besides gathering useful information that can be explored in the definition of strategies and procedures of similar projects of rehabilitated structures

Most materials including concrete have pre-existing flaws or defects. The fracture energy of concrete is a basic material property needed to understand fracture initiation and propagation in concrete. Whether fracture energy is size dependent or not is being discussed world over. Strictly the fracture energy if taken as a material property should be constant, and should be independent of the method of measurement, test methods, specimen shapes and sizes. A computational study on simulation of fracture in concrete using two dimensional lattice models is presented. A comparison is made with acoustic emission (AE) events with the number of fractured elements. A three-point bend specimen (TPB) is modeled using regular triangular lattice network. It was observed that the number of fractured elements increases near the peak load and beyond the peak load. AE events also increase rapidly beyond the peak load. Singular Fractal Functions (S.F.F) has been employed to interpret the size effect of quasi-brittle materials like concrete. The usual size dependent fracture energy of High Strength Concrete (HSC) beam is reported. The results are presented which are obtained directly from the experiments related to size effect in concrete carried out in the Structural engineering laboratory, Department of Civil engineering, IISc. Various fracture parameters studied in this experimental program are (a) Nominal strength N (b) Fracture energy, Gf (c)Fracture toughness, KIc, (c) Crack mouth opening displacement, CMOD (d) Size effect on the strength of concrete. Three-point-bend (TPB) specimen was chosen for the experimental study. Six different concrete mixes viz. A-mix, B-Mix, C-mix, D-Mix, E-mix, F-Mix were used. Acoustic Emission (AE) experiments are conducted to relate acoustic emission energy to fracture energy. It is interesting to note that both acoustic emission energy and fracture energy have similar characteristics. The advantage of the above relationship is that now it is possible to evaluate fracture energy by non-destructive testing methods. The b-value analysis of AE was carried out to study the damage in concrete structures. The Guttengberg-Richter relation for frequency versus magnitude can be applied to the AE method to study the scaling of the amplitude distribution of the acoustic emission waves generated during the cracking process in the test specimen at laboratory or in engineering structures. In the next part of this chapter b-value at various stages of damage of a reinforced concrete beam are obtained experimentally under typical cyclic loadings. The b-values at different levels of damage are tabulated. As fracture is size dependent, it may not be very useful unless its size dependency is eliminated. An effort is made to obtain size independent fracture energy by a hybrid technique.