Model tests of freeze-thaw behavior of geocell-reinforced soils

Freeze-thaw cycles are a major cause for destabilizing pavements in cold regions. Among countermeasures for freeze-thaw damages, use of geocells to reinforce pavement bases is an effective solution in practice. However, as opposed to widespread applications, research concerning freeze-thaw behavior of geocell-reinforced bases is limited, probably due to a lack of proper devices for conducting experimental tests. This paper presents a new model-test device capable of performing both freeze-thaw tests and plate loading tests on geocell-reinforced soils. A thermodynamic numerical model was developed to assist with the design of freeze-thaw component of the device, while the design of plate loading component was developed by referring to features of existing devices. Eleven tests were run on geocell-reinforced and unreinforced sands to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed device. The test results showed the device successfully provided vertical heat transfer in sands during freeze and thaw. After five freeze-thaw cycles, geocells reduced peak frost heave and thaw settlement of sands by 18% and 34%, respectively, and increased the stiffness and bearing capacity by 40% and 253%, respectively. It was found a temperature drop occurred at the interface between cooling plate and sands, which was due to the existence of thermal contact resistance.     

Experimental study of embankments with different reinforcement materials and spacing between layers

Worldwide, waste tires are being discarded in landfills at a huge environmental cost, therefore, their use as a three-dimensional reinforcement material is a wise solution to reduce their environmental impact, and fire risk in the case of shredded tires. In this research a series of experimental model tests of embankments reinforced with Geocell and tires were conducted to compare the performance of these types of reinforcement. The models tested had different Geocell embedment depths, number of Geocell layers, vertical spacing between Geocell layers and density or soil stiffness. Testing consisted of applying pressure at the crest of the embankment and monitoring the pressure distribution, as well as the vertical and horizontal deformations inside of the embankment. The results suggested that when compared with unreinforced embankments, reinforced embankments effectively improve the bearing capacity, thereby, reducing vertical and lateral displacements. This study also showed that an optimal embedment depth and spacing between Geocell reinforcement layers can further improve the slope performance. Comparisons between Geocell reinforced embankments and waste tire reinforced embankments, showed that waste tire reinforcement has a superior performance over the Geocell-reinforced embankments. This difference in performance between the two types of reinforcement is more apparent if the embankment backfill has lower stiffness. i.e. lower density.     

Scale effect on the behavior of geocell-reinforced soil

Existing studies confirmed that the response of geocell-reinforced beds is directly affected by contributory factors, including soil's grains, geocell's characteristics, and surface loading geometries. In this paper, a series of plate load tests has been carried out for the further understanding of the behaviour of geocell-reinforced soil. Four different soil grains sizes, two different geocell's opening sizes and three different loading plate sizes were the considered variables. During the tests, the applied loading and soil surface settlements were recorded to evaluate the systems' response. As it was expected, the geocell-reinforced soil exhibited higher bearing capacity than the unreinforced status, up to 524%. The results further focused on the important role of scale effect on the response of reinforced foundations. The optimum nominal cells size of geocells was obtained about 15 times of medium grain size of soil. Also, it was found that in order to obtain the highest reinforcement benefits, the footing's width should be in the range 13–27 (20 in average) times of medium grain size of the backfill. Finally, to provide more stable and reliable geocell-reinforced backfill, it is recommended that the cells size of geocells should be selected smaller than 0.67 times of footing width.     

Responses of single and group piles within MSE walls under static and cyclic lateral loads

To investigate the behavior of piles and the performance of the mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls under static and cyclic lateral loading, six reduced-scale model tests of single and group piles within the MSE walls were conducted inside a test box. In the single pile tests, a hollow aluminum tube as a pile was placed at a distance of 2D or 4D (D is pile diameter) behind the wall facing, while in the group pile tests, the piles were only placed at the distance of 2D with a spacing of 3.3D between the piles. The piles were subjected to static lateral loading only and cyclic lateral loading followed by static loading until failure. The test results showed that the lateral load capacity of each pile in the group pile test was approximately 60% that of the single pile, while the wall facing displacements and the geogrid strains in the group pile test were larger than those in the single pile test. The lateral pile capacity, the wall facing displacement, the strain in the geogrid, and the lateral earth pressure behind the wall facing in the static and cyclic loading tests were evaluated at the pile head displacement equal to 20%D.     

Experimental evaluation of wicking geotextile-stabilized aggregate bases over subgrade under rainfall simulation and cyclic loading

Wicking geotextile has been increasingly utilized in field projects to mitigate water-related roadway problems. The previous studies showed that the wicking geotextile could provide mechanical stabilization, serve as capillary barrier, and enhance lateral drainage. The wicking geotextile differentiates itself from non-wicking geotextiles by providing capillary or wicking drainage in unsaturated conditions, whereas non-wicking geotextiles only provide gravitational drainage under saturated or near-saturated conditions. Although the previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of soil water content reduction by the wicking drainage, it is not well understood how the wicking geotextile stabilization improves overall performance of aggregate bases over subgrade under traffic or cyclic loading. This paper presents an experimental study where large-scale cyclic plate loading tests were conducted under different conditions: (1) non-stabilized base, (2) non-wicking geotextile-stabilized base, and (3) wicking geotextile-stabilized base, over soft and moderate subgrades. Rainfall simulation was carried out for each test section. After each rainfall simulation, a drainage period was designed to allow water to drain from the section. The amounts of water applied and exiting from the test section were recorded and are compared. Cyclic loading was applied after each drainage period. The test results show that the combined hydraulic and mechanical stabilization effect by the wicking geotextile reduced the permanent deformation of the aggregate base over the subgrade as compared with the non-stabilized and non-wicking geotextile-stabilized sections.     

Experimental and numerical investigations of the behaviour of footing on geosynthetic reinforced fill slope under cyclic loading

This paper investigates the cyclic loading responses of a strip footing supported by a geosynthetic reinforced fill embankment. A series of large-scale model footing tests were conducted first to investigate the accumulation of permanent footing displacement and residual vertical soil stress over large number of load cycles. The embankment fill was a heavily compacted silty sand and the reinforcement was a flexible geogrid, so that the model test configurations were representative of actual field conditions. Both permanent displacement and residual stress accumulated asymptotically with load cycles and majority of the build-up occurred over the first few hundred cycles. The potential effect of load interruptions was part of the study. Depending on how cyclic load interruption was implemented, it may or may not induce a trailing effect on subsequent cyclic loading responses. To have more in-depth understanding, these footing tests were also investigated numerically based on a soil model that can capture the unload-reload stress-strain loop over large number of load cycles. Reasonably good agreement between experimental observations and numerical predictions was also achieved.     

弯剪受力下化学植筋式群锚连接试验研究

通过五个化学植筋式型钢-混凝土后锚固连接节点的弯剪受力试验,研究了该类连接节点的极限承载力、破坏形态和内力分布等问题。试验结果表明该类节点均表现为钢筋破坏,破坏前兆明显,即受拉侧锚板被拉离基材表面。仅钢筋周围混凝土发生小锥体损坏,其它位置无明显开裂。弯矩对连接承载力起控制作用,植筋埋深15d以上时可以保证钢筋充分发挥强度,增加植筋数量对提高后锚固连接件承载力效果显著,内力沿钢筋长度的分布在屈服前基本为线性变化,破坏时前半段钢筋可达到屈服,而钢筋末端的应变很小。     

Influence of geosynthetic stiffness on bearing capacity of strip footings seated on thin reinforced granular layers over undrained soft clay

Thin granular fill layers are routinely used to aid the construction of shallow footings seated over undrained soft clay foundations and to increase their load capacity. The influence of time- and strain-dependent reduction in reinforcement stiffness on the bearing capacity and load-settlement response of a footing seated on a thin reinforced granular fill layer over undrained soft clay foundations is examined in this paper using finite-difference method (FDM) numerical models. The time- and strain-dependent stiffness of the reinforcement described by a two-component hyperbolic isochronous tensile load-strain model is shown to influence the bearing capacity and load-settlement response of the reinforced granular base scenario. The additional benefit of a reinforced granular layer diminishes as the time-dependent stiffness of the geosynthetic reinforcement increases. An analytical solution for the ultimate bearing capacity of strip footings seated on thin unreinforced and reinforced granular layers over undrained clay is proposed in this study. The main practical outcome from this study are tables of bearing capacity factors to be used with the analytical solution. The bearing capacity factors were back-calculated from the numerical analyses and account for the influence of rate-dependent properties of geogrid reinforcement materials and clay foundations with soft to very soft undrained shear strength.     

Experimental investigation on flexural behavior of concrete-filled pentagonal flange beam under concentrated loading

The flexural behavior of simply supported concrete-filled pentagonal flange beams (CFPFBs) under mid-span loading is experimentally and numerically investigated. There are two CFPFB specimens tested to failure under static load condition to determine the beam flexural capacity. One of the test specimens is designed with a pair of transverse stiffener at mid-span while the other is without any stiffener to resist the load. Both the test specimens have identical geometrical and material properties. From the experimental results, the flexural capacity of the specimen with stiffener is found to be 10% higher than that of the specimen without stiffener. The failure behavior shows the importance of transverse stiffener to enhance the ultimate flexural capacity and to avoid the localized web distortion of the beam. In the numerical study based on finite element (FE) analysis, the concrete and steel materials are modeled using the eight-node solid and four-node shell element respectively. A comparison of the ultimate capacity of the CFPFBs with and without stiffener reveals that the FE models simulate very well the flexural behavior of the test specimens and the difference of maximum load is found to be less than 10%.     

植筋搭接混凝土梁静力及疲劳受弯试验研究

为研究植筋锚固在混凝土构件受拉区的受力性能,进行了5根采用植筋技术进行受拉主筋搭接的钢筋混凝土梁受弯试验。其中3根试验梁先静力加载至60%设计荷载,卸载后再加载至破坏,2根试验梁承受2×106次疲劳荷载后再静力加载至破坏。静力试验结果表明,植筋搭接梁在加载再卸载后有较大的残余变形,反映了植筋胶及粘结界面的弹塑性特性。不同搭接长度的植筋搭接梁其抗弯刚度差异不大,但其开裂荷载和极限承载力却有较大差异。将植筋搭接梁的试验结果与块体试件植筋锚固单向拉拔试验的结果比较表明,在相同植筋条件下,梁式试件破坏时钢筋的应力远小于块体试件单向拉拔试件破坏时钢筋的应力。在梁底部纵筋搭接区范围有较多的交叉斜裂缝。这些现象表明基材的应力状态及植筋的混凝土保护层厚度对粘结锚固性能有很大影响。疲劳试验结果表明,在疲劳加载的早期裂缝就基本出齐,从5×105次至2×106次加载过程中裂缝发展不大,也没有新的裂缝产生。在本文的试验条件下,疲劳加载对梁的抗     

门式钢管脚手架极限承载力影响因素的有限元分析

新型门式钢管脚手架倒塌事故频发,不仅有产品质量和施工技术方面的原因,还因为缺乏科学的实验研究和理论分析,对其稳定承载能力没有充分的认识,尚未建立比较准确的计算公式。本文基于ANSYS有限元分析,通过设置不同的排数、层数、交叉支撑及剪刀撑,建立了八种门式钢管脚手架整体模型,通过数值计算得到各模型的稳定承载能力、失稳模态及应力应变等情况,并加以对比分析,认为交叉支撑在提高门式钢管脚手架整体稳定承载力中起着非常重要的作用,适当设置交叉支撑,可使承载力大幅提高。在没有设置交叉支撑的情况下,竖向剪刀撑和水平剪刀撑对其整体稳定起关键作用。本文也可为进一步的理论分析提供基础数据。     

反复荷载作用下混凝土多孔砖墙体受力性能试验研究

为系统研究混凝土多孔砖砌体结构的受力性能,并为编制CECS 257：2009《混凝土砖建筑技术规范》提供支持,对13片混凝土多孔砖墙体进行低周反复荷载试验,分析混凝土多孔砖墙体的破坏特征、承载能力、耗能能力及滞回特征等受力性能。试验结果表明：混凝土多孔砖墙体的破坏方式与普通砖墙体略有不同,主要表现为裂缝有可能产生在砖块内部,而不仅仅产生在砖块与砂浆的交界面上;墙体的承载力较高、耗能能力较好;竖向压应力对墙体的水平承载力影响较大;无构造柱墙体的水平承载力和耗能能力小于带构造柱墙体。基于试验结果,提出了地震作用下混凝土多孔砖墙体受剪承载力及变形能力的计算方法,并给出了混凝土多孔砖墙体的恢复力模型。图10表6参11     

Mechanical behavior of stirrup-confined circular concrete-filled steel tubular stub columns under axial loading

通过井字形拉筋、米字形拉筋和圆环箍筋等3组拉筋约束形式带拉筋圆钢管混凝土短柱轴压性能对比试验,研究不同拉筋约束形式、拉筋体积配箍率对圆钢管混凝土轴压短柱的承载力和延性等的影响;采用合理的混凝土三轴受力本构模型和钢材本构模型,应用ABAQUS非线性有限元分析软件对带拉筋圆钢管混凝土轴压短柱进行三维有限元分析,有限元计算结果与试验结果吻合较好;在此基础上,分析了带拉筋圆钢管混凝土轴压短柱中钢管、拉筋或箍筋、核心混凝土之间的组合作用。结果表明：井字形拉筋圆钢管混凝土轴压短柱的承载力最高,延性最好,钢管、拉筋和核心混凝土之间的组合作用最强;提高体积配箍率可以有效提高圆钢管混凝土短柱的轴压承载力和延性。     

往复荷载作用下型钢再生混凝土界面黏结性能及影响因素分析

为研究往复荷载作用下型钢再生混凝土界面的黏结滑移性能,设计了14个型钢再生混凝土试件并对其进行往复加载试验,分析了型钢再生混凝土的黏结破坏过程,研究了其界面黏结应力分布,在此基础上考察了不同设计参数对型钢再生混凝土界面黏结强度的影响。结果表明:往复荷载作用下型钢再生混凝土界面的黏结破坏过程可分为4个阶段(微滑移阶段、滑移发展阶段、黏结力陡降阶段和残余阶段),对应4个受力特征点(微滑移点、黏结荷载极限点、残余点和破坏点);与单向推出荷载作用相比,往复荷载作用下试件的极限黏结强度最大降低40%左右;加载初期,在正向卸载和正向加载时,黏结应力峰值在固定端附近,且随型钢埋置长度的增大而逐渐减小;在负向加载和负向卸载时,加载端附近黏结应力逐渐变大,试件由两端向中间逐渐破坏;型钢再生混凝土的特征黏结强度随着再生混凝土取代率的增加而降低,随着型钢保护层厚度、体积配箍率和再生混凝土强度的增加而提高。最后建立了型钢再生混凝土的特征黏结强度计算式,并将计算值与试验值进行对比,两者吻合较好。     

加载方式对钢管自密实混凝土加固RC圆柱受力性能影响的研究

将实际工程中钢管自密实混凝土加固柱的加载方式归纳成非对称加载、全截面加载、荷载仅施加于混凝土等3种。进行这3种加载方式对钢管自密实混凝土加固RC圆柱受力性能影响的试验研究,并采用ABAQUS有限元软件对加固柱的荷载-变形曲线进行数值仿真分析,计算结果与试验结果吻合良好。通过ABAQUS有限元软件分析在后浇自密实混凝土强度、钢管壁厚以及钢管屈服强度不同参数影响下,3种加载方式对加固柱受力性能的影响。结果表明:非对称加载和荷载仅施加于混凝土上时,钢管后期横向应力远大于全截面加载方式,套箍作用更明显;增大钢管壁厚和钢管屈服强度能改善加固柱延性,但对全截面加载方式延性改善最为明显;加载方式主要影响试件的套箍作用、刚度以及延性,对承载力提升不明显。     

圆钢管约束超高性能混凝土短柱轴压受力性能研究

为研究钢管约束超高性能混凝土（UHPC）短柱的套箍效应和轴压承载力,进行了12根钢管约束超高性能混凝土短柱的轴压试验,分析其破坏模式、变形及受力全过程。试验结果表明：钢管约束超高性能混凝土轴压短柱破坏模式与套箍系数相关,随着套箍系数的增大,轴压短柱分别出现剪切破坏、混合破坏和腰鼓破坏;套箍系数较小（0.43~0.52）的短柱,其破坏全过程中弹塑性段较短,表现出较明显的脆性破坏,当套箍系数较大（1.21~1.80）时,短柱破坏时的塑性明显增强。基于试验验证的有限元模型,参数分析表明,钢管套箍效应产生的承载力提高系数介于1.2~1.4之间;在0.43≤ξ≤1.08范围内,承载力提高系数随套箍系数增大而增大,建议径厚比的取值范围为12.0~23.0。通过对现有钢管约束混凝土承载力计算方法分析,提出了钢管约束超高性能混凝土轴压短柱承载力计算方法,其计算结果与试验结果吻合良好。