Long-term bond performance of GFRP bars in concrete under temperature ranging from 20 °C to 80 °C

Eighty pull-out specimens were used to study the effect of temperature ranging from 20 °C to 80 °C in dry environment on bond properties between Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars and concrete. The pullout-test specimens were subjected during 4 and 8 months to high temperatures up to 80 °C and then compared to untreated specimens (20 °C). Experimental results showed no significant reduction on bond strength for temperatures up to 60 °C. However, a maximum of 14% reduction of the bond strength was observed for 80 °C temperature after 8 months of thermal loading. For treated specimens, the coefficient β in the CMR model, which predicts the bond–stress–displacement behavior, seems to be dependant with the temperature.     

Effects of calcination temperature of kaolinite clays on the properties of geopolymer cements

The aim of this work is to determine the most convenient calcination temperature of kaolinite clays in view of producing geopolymer cements. In this light, the clay fractions of three kaolin minerals were used. The clay fractions were characterized (chemical and thermal analyses and X-ray diffraction) and then calcined in the temperature range of 450 and 800 °C. The obtained amorphous materials were dissolved in a strongly alkaline solution in order to produce geopolymer cements whose pastes were characterized by determining their setting time, linear shrinkage and compressive strength. Hardened geopolymer cement paste samples were also submitted to X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The setting time of geopolymer cement pastes produced from the clay fractions calcined at 450 °C was very long (test samples could be handled easily only after 21 days at the ambient atmosphere of the laboratory). For the clay fractions calcined between 500 and 700 °C, the setting time of geopolymer cement pastes reduced with increasing temperature and varied between 130 and 40 min. Above 700 °C, the setting time began to increase. The linear shrinkage of the hardened geopolymer cement paste samples aged between 21 and 28 days attained its lowest value around 700 °C. Above 700 °C, the linear shrinkage began to increase. The compressive strength of the hardened geopolymer cement paste samples was between 11.9 and 36.4 MPa: it increased with samples from the clay fractions calcined between 500 and 700 °C but dropped above 700 °C.It can be concluded that the most convenient temperature for the calcination of kaolinite clays in view of producing geopolymer cements is around 700 °C.     

Critical embedment length and bond strength of fully encapsulated rebar rockbolts

A series of rock bolt pull tests were carried out in the laboratory to determine the critical embedment length of a specific type of fully cement-grouted rebar bolt. The rebar bolt is 20 mm in diameter, and it is widely used in underground excavations in Norway. Three water-cement (w/c) ratios were used in the tests. It was discovered that the critical embedment length of the rock bolts was approximately 25 cm for the water-cement ratio 0.40 (the corresponding uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the grout is 37 MPa), 32 cm for the ratio 0.46 (UCS 32 MPa), and 36 cm for the ratio 0.50 (UCS 28 MPa), for the specific type of cement, Rescon zinc rock bolt cement. It was found that the bond strength of the rock bolt is not a constant but is related to the embedment length. The bond strength was linearly proportional to the UCS of the grout.     

Performance of thermally damaged fibre reinforced concretes

Mechanical characteristics of Fibre Reinforced High Performance Concrete (FR-HPC) subjected to high temperatures were experimentally investigated in this paper. Three different concretes were prepared: a normal strength concrete (NSC) and two High Performance Concretes (HPC1 and HPC2). Fibre reinforced concretes were produced by addition of steel or polypropylene fibres in the above mixtures at dosages of 40 kg/m³ and 5 kg/m³, respectively. A total of nine concrete mixtures were produced and fibres were added in six of them. At the age of 120 days specimens were heated to maximum temperatures of 100, 300, 500 and 700 °C. Specimens were then allowed to cool in the furnace and tested for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity. Reference tests were also performed at air temperature (20 °C). Residual strength of NSC and HPC1 was reduced almost linearly up to 700 °C and 500 °C, respectively whereas the residual strength of HPC2 was sharply reduced up to 300 °C. Explosive spalling was observed on both HPC. Addition of steel fibres increased the residual strength up to 300 °C, but spalling still occurred in HPC1 and HPC2. Such an explosive behavior was not observed when polypropylene fibres were added in the mixtures; however, in this case the residual mechanical characteristics of all concretes were significantly reduced.     

Behavior of FRP-confined concrete after high temperature exposure

This paper presents the results of an experimental program to investigate the effect of high temperature on the performance of concrete externally confined with FRP sheets. For this purpose, a two-phase experimental program was conducted. In the first phase, 42 standard 100 × 200 mm concrete cylinders were prepared. Out of these specimens, 14 cylinders were left unwrapped; 14 specimens were wrapped with one layer of CFRP sheet; and the remaining 14 specimens were wrapped with one layer of GFRP sheet. Some of the unconfined and FRP-confined specimens were exposed to room temperature; whereas, other cylinders were exposed to heating regime of 100 °C and 200 °C for a period of 1, 2 or 3 h. After high temperature exposure, specimens were tested under uniaxial compression till failure. The test results demonstrated that at a temperature of 100 °C (a little more than the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the epoxy resin), both CFRP- and GFRP-wrapped specimens experienced small loss in strength resulting from melting of epoxy. This loss of strength was more pronounced when the temperature reached 200 °C. In the second phase of the experimental program, three 100 × 100 × 650 mm concrete prisms were prepared and then overlaid by one layer of CFRP and GFRP laminates for conducting pull-off strength tests as per ASTM D4541 – 09. The objective of this testing was to evaluate the degradation in bond strength between FRP and concrete substrate when exposed to elevated temperature environments. One prism was exposed to room temperature whereas the other two specimens were exposed to heating regime of 100 °C and 200 °C for a period of 3 h. It was concluded that a significant degradation in the bond strength occurred at a temperature of 200 °C especially for CFRP-overlaid specimens.     

High temperature behaviour of polypropylene fibres reinforced mortars

The aim of this paper is primarily experimental and is intended to analyse the behaviour of two cementitious materials, before and after heat treatment: one unreinforced (i.e. without fibres) and the other reinforced (with polypropylene fibres).At room temperature and after heating up to 500 °C, the bending strength is improved by the presences of fibres. The residual young modulus is slightly higher for the fibres reinforced samples.As the temperature increases, the strength gain due to fibres inclusion is reduced. Beyond 500 °C, the bending strength is lower for the fibre reinforced cementitious material compared to those without fibres. Fracture energy is also improved for the fibre mortars at room temperature. At 400 °C this improvement decreases gradually with the introduction of polypropylene fibres. Beyond this temperature and due to the introduction of polypropylene fibres, the fracture energy is reduced.Another test is developed: rapid heating due to exposure to a flame. The temperature in the front side reaches in few seconds 1000 °C. At this temperature and after one hour of exposure, the opposite side reached 140 °C. After cooling, the punching shear strength of the fibre mortar is definitely weaker than of the mortar without fibre.     

Mechanical properties of normal and high strength concretes subjected to high temperatures and using image analysis to detect bond deteriorations

The effect of high temperatures, up to 250 °C, on mechanical properties of normal and high strength concretes with and without silica fume was investigated, and image analysis was performed on split concrete surfaces to see the change in bond strength between aggregate and mortar. Specimens were heated up to elevated temperatures (50, 100, 150, 200, 250 °C) without loading and then the residual compressive and splitting tensile strength, as well as the static modulus of elasticity of the specimens were determined. For normal strength concrete residual mechanical properties started to decrease at 100 °C, while using silica fume reduced the losses at high temperatures. In terms of percent residual properties, high strength concrete specimens performed better than normal strength concrete specimens for all heating cycles. Image analysis studies on the split surfaces have been utilized to investigate the effect of high temperatures on the bond strength between aggregate and mortar. Image analysis results showed that reduced water–cement ratio and the use of silica fume improved the bond strength at room temperature, and created more stable bonding at elevated temperatures up to 250 °C.     

Effect of alkali-silica reaction and freezing and thawing action on concrete–steel bond

An experimental program was conducted to investigate the effect of stresses and cracks, caused by alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and freezing and thawing (F/T), on bond between reinforcing steel and concrete. Pullout test cylinders, reinforced with 18 mm steel bars, were used to evaluate bond behavior. Concrete prisms (50 × 50 × 300 mm) were also cast to evaluate expansion and reduction in ultrasonic velocity due to ASR and F/T cycles, respectively. Specimens were cured for 40 days before being either immersed in sodium hydroxide solution of 0.5 normality in order to accelerate ASR, or subjected to different cycles of F/T. Bond behavior, expansion, and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests were carried out as ASR progressed or under F/T cycles.The progress of ASR resulted in significant losses in critical bond stress and ultimate bond strength capacity reaching as high as 44% and 24%, respectively, accompanied by a significant increase in free-end slip at failure. The loss in bond due to ASR was higher for specimens prepared using concrete with lower concrete strength and higher percentage of reactive aggregate. F/T action caused a significant reduction in critical bond stress and ultimate bond strength that reached as high as 100% and 55%, respectively, and an increase in free-end slip at failure. Neither ASR nor F/T cycles affected trends in the behavior of bond stress versus free end slip curves.     

Strengths and flexural strain of CRC specimens at low temperature

Crumb rubber concrete (CRC) is made by adding rubber crumbs into conventional concrete. This study undertakes an experimental study on the cubic compressive strength, axial compressive strength, flexural strength and splitting tensile strength of CRC specimens at both ambient temperature 20 °C and low temperature ?25 °C. The flexural stress–strain responses were also recorded. The averaged size of rubber crumbs used in the study is about 1.5 mm. Four levels of rubber contents are investigated, which are 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% by volume, respectively. The mix design aimed at 40 MPa of compressive strength and 100 mm of slump for all the CRC specimens. The results show that CRC increases its magnitude in strengths when temperature decreases, which is similar to the case of conventional concrete, but still exhibits ductility in low temperature. The conclusion from this study is that CRC may be more beneficial in its application in low temperature environments than in ambient temperature environments.     

Concrete cover effect on reinforced concrete bars exposed to high temperatures

The mechanical properties of structural reinforcement steel have been investigated after the exposure to high temperatures. Plain steel, reinforcing steel bars embedded into mortar and plain mortar specimens were prepared and exposed to 20, 100, 200, 300, 500, 800 and 950 °C temperature for 3 h individually. The S420 deformed steel bars with diameters of ∅10, ∅16 and ∅20 were used. The mortar was prepared with CEM I 42.5 N cement and fly ash. The tension tests on reinforcements taken from cooled specimens were performed, and the variations in yield strength, ultimate strength and in resilience of three different dimensioned reinforcements were determined. A cover of 25 mm provides protection against high temperatures up to 400 °C. The high temperature exposed plain steel and the steel with 25-mm cover has the same characteristics when the reinforcing steel is exposed to a temperature 250 °C above the exposure temperature of plain steel.     

Modeling mechanical performance of lightweight concrete containing silica fume exposed to high temperature using genetic programming

In this study, the mechanical performance of lightweight concrete exposed to high temperature has been modeled using genetic programming. The mixes incorporating 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% silica fumes were prepared. Two different cement contents (400 and 500 kg/m³) were used in this study. After being heated to temperatures of 20 °C, 200 °C, 400 °C and 800 °C, respectively, the compressive and splitting tensile strength of lightweight concrete was tested. Empirical genetic programming based equations for compressive and splitting tensile strength were obtained in terms of temperature (T), cement content (C), silica fume content (SF), pumice aggregate content (A), water/cement ratio (W/C) and super plasticizer content (SP). Proposed genetic programming based equations are observed to be quite accurate as compared to experimental results.     

Preparation of load-bearing building materials from autoclaved phosphogypsum

Previous studies have been carried out on calcined phosphogypsum (PG) for making the building materials. The present study was focused on autoclaved PG and its use in making load-bearing wall bricks. Autoclaved PG was prepared from original waste PG with steam pre-treatment. The crystalline phase, morphology, and thermal characteristics of original waste PG and autoclaved PG were investigated by XRD, SEM, and SDT. Then bricks of the size of Chinese standard brick were prepared from different types of PG in the PG-fly ash–lime–sand system. Results showed that the compressive strength of bricks from autoclaved PG by lower-pressure steam of 0.12 MPa, 120 °C for 16 h was much higher. The flexural strength and compressive strength of the bricks could reach 4.0 MPa and 15.0 MPa, respectively. The durability of the bricks was investigated by 15 freezing–thawing cycles at temperatures from ?20 °C to 20 °C, and the weight loss was only 0.029% after all of cycles. Hemihydrates (CaSO₄ · 0.5H₂O) were dehydrated products from dihydrates in original PG with lower-pressure steam treatment, and hemihydrates were susceptible to absorbing the humidity and were transformed into densified re-crystallization gypsum (CaSO₄ · 2H₂O) that contributed to the final strength of bricks. Microstructural characteristics of bricks were investigated by XRD and SEM. Tobermorite was the significant hydrated product, which contributed to the strength of bricks. The use of autoclaved PG for making load-bearing wall bricks was recommended instead of conventional burnt clay bricks.     

Influence of soaking and polymerization conditions on the properties of polymer concrete

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effect of soaking time and polymerization temperature on the mechanical and physical properties of polymer-impregnated concrete. Soaking time was controlled in 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 h, polymerization temperature was set at 70, 80 and 90 °C for 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 h in impregnation process, respectively. Cylindrical concrete specimens with water/cement ratios of 0.45 and 0.65 were impregnated with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) mixtures. The polymer loading increases as immersion time increases until 12 h. Based on compressive strength and surface absorption, optimum polymerization temperature is 70 °C for Mix A (high cement content) and 80 °C for Mix B (low cement content). Polymer impregnation not only increases concrete strength and resistivity but also greatly decreases surface absorption comparing with normal concrete. SEM and MIP observations indicate that the micro-pores and meso-pores of PIC specimens are filled with PMMA and the total pore volume and maximum pore size are reduced significantly.     

Shear strength of RC beams subjected to cyclic thermal loading

The experiments were performed for assessing the influence of cyclic thermal loading on the shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) beam specimens. One hundred eleven RC beams of 100 × 150 × 1200 mm size reinforced in tension zone with two bars of 8, 10 and 12 mm diameters were tested under four point loading. The beams were subjected to a number of thermal cycles varying from 7 to 28 cycles with peak temperature taken as 100, 200 and 300 °C. The effects of thermal cycles on the crack pattern, failure mechanism, first crack load and the shear strength of beams have been discussed. The shear strength of the beams has been found to increase by up to 10% at lower temperature cycles of 100 and 200 °C but reduces by up to 14% at higher temperature (300 °C) depending on the severity of thermal loading. The results of study emphasize the need for developing appropriate guidelines for the design of RC structural elements used in comparatively high temperature environment with cyclic thermal loading conditions.     

Temperature effects on mechanical behaviour of engineered stones

In this research, three types of artificial or engineered stones were compared against two types of natural stones (a limestone and a granite) in what concerns to temperature, thermal ageing and thermal shock effects on flexural strength and Young’s modulus. Temperatures of the thermal treatments, in the range from 20 to 200 °C, were intentionally chosen to simulate some practical applications of this kind of materials, for example, when they are used as kitchen tops. The results reveal the different characteristics of the materials. When tested at temperatures up to 100 °C, engineered stones show much higher values of flexural strength compared to the natural stones; and when tested at ambient temperature after being submitted to rapid cooling (thermal shock) from 200 °C down to 20 °C, engineered stones continue to show higher values of flexural strength compared to the natural stones. For the temperature range from 20 to 200 °C, thermal shock and thermal ageing effects on Young’s modulus are not very pronounced. Young’s modulus (E) of each of the materials was determined at ambient temperature, and the engineered stones keep almost the same value of E after thermal ageing or thermal shock up to 160 °C.     

Granulated foam glass–ceramic material from zeolitic rocks

The objective of this research work was to investigate the production of granulated foam glass–ceramic material from zeolitic rocks. The investigations have shown that grinding raw materials to particle size less than 0.5 mm and adding 13.8% of alkali content provide production of material with the following properties: particle density – 340 kg/m³, strength – 1.6 MPa and water adsorption – 13% at firing temperature of 850 °C. Expanded zeolite with alkali content is a material of glass–ceramic composition with amorphous part of 38.6% and crystalline part of 61.4% that gives higher strength in comparison with sponge glass.     

Fracture behavior of a four-point fixed glass curtain wall under fire conditions

The cracking and subsequent fallout of glazing could significantly affect compartment fire dynamics by creating a new opening for air to enter. Twenty-four 1200×1200×6 mm³ soda-lime glass panes in eight different fixing forms were heated by a 500×500 mm² N-heptane pool fire to investigate the influence of fixing conditions on glass breakage and fallout. The time of crack initiation, behavior of crack propagation, heat release rates, central gas temperatures, glass surface temperatures and loss of integrity of the glazing assembly were investigated. The relationship between fixing form and crack behavior is discussed, based on the experimental results. The results show that all the cracks initiated at the supporting point and intersected rapidly, causing glass fallout. Mechanical stress caused by supporting pins and thermal stress caused by glass temperature difference (ranging from 48 °C to 159 °C) are the causes of breaking for this kind of curtain wall. It is concluded that various fixing locations have a significant effect on glass breaking. Among the eight cases, the glass panes whose supporting points were located at 10 cm (Case 1) or 5 cm (Case 8) from the edges performed best: these support locations are recommended in practical engineering because of the good fire resistance and structural beauty of such panes.     

Lightweight granular material from zeolite rocks with different additives

This paper presents the results of investigations related to the development of a novel low temperature technology for obtaining light porous granular materials based on zeolite rock. Using a process temperature as low as 850 °C, porous, granulated material was obtained, having a compressive strength of 3–6 MPa, a bulk density of 380–600 kg/cm³ and a water absorbtion of 3–8%. Optionally, ash microspheres or foamed vermiculite can be added in fractions of 3–5% to increase strength.     

Performance of fully encapsulated rebar bolts and D-Bolts under combined pull-and-shear loading

The performance of two types of rock bolts, fully encapsulated rebar and D-Bolt, under combined pull and shear loading were studied in the laboratory. A new test approach was developed to apply the pull and shear loads to the rock bolt at the same time so that the bolt is displaced in a direction different from the bolt axis. Five displacing angles between 0° (pure pull) and 90° (pure shear) were employed in the tests. The test results show that the linear elastic stiffness of both the D-Bolt and the rebar bolt is mobilised quickly after a small displacement. When the displacing angle is larger than 40°, grout crushing may occur underneath the bolt shank, resulting in reduction in the stiffness of the bolt. The ultimate load of the bolts remains approximately constant no matter what the displacing angle is for both the D-Bolt and the rebar bolt. The displacement capacity of the D-Bolt, however, is dependent on the displacing angle. The ultimate displacement of a 1-m long D-Bolt section varies from 140 mm under pure pull (0°) to approximately 70 mm when the displacing angle is larger than 40°. The ultimate displacement of the rebar slightly increases from 29 mm under pure pull to 53 mm under pure shear. In general, the displacement capacity of the D-Bolt is larger than that of the rebar bolt. It is approximately 3.5 times the rebar under pure pull and 50% higher than rebar under pure shear. The test results show that the displacing angle of the bolt is larger than its loading angle, which is also confirmed by the analytical solutions.     

An experimental investigation of mechanical properties of structural cast iron at elevated temperatures and after cooling down

This paper presents the results of an extensive experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of structural cast iron at elevated temperatures and after cooling down to room temperature. A total of 135 tests were carried out. The specimens were subjected to tension (83 tests), compression (48 tests) or were heated for measurement of the thermal expansion (4 tests). The tests in tension include 35 steady-state tests up to 900 °C, 32 transient tests (5 °C/min and 20 °C/min heating rates, applied stress from 20% to 80% of 0.2% proof stress) and 16 tests after cooling down (heated up to 800 °C and cooled down with two different methods: quenching and air flow cooling). 32 steady-state tests (up to 900 °C) and 16 transient tests (5 °C/min and 20 °C/min heating rates, applied stress from 50% to 120% of 0.2% proof stress) were carried out for specimens in compression. The paper evaluates and proposes elevated temperatures material models.