Analytical prediction of transfer length in prestressed self-consolidating concrete girders using pull-out test results

While self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is comparable to conventional concrete (CC) in terms of strength, the comparability of SCC’s bond to steel is less well-defined. A keen understanding of SCC’s bond strength is essential to advance SCC within the prestressed concrete industry. This study presents an analytical method for predicting the transfer length of steel strands in prestressed girders using pull-out test results. The experimental data from a series of 56 pull-out tests is utilized to derive bond stress–slip relationships for 12.7 mm steel strands embedded in SCC and CC. Modification factors are used to correlate pullout bond stresses to transfer bond stresses in prestressed members, and the modified relationships are integrated in three-dimensional finite element models to predict transfer lengths in prestressed SCC girders. The analytical predictions correlate well with experimental results and transfer length requirements of current US design codes.     

Failure behavior of unbonded bi-directional prestressed concrete panels under RABT fire loading

Although the number of terror-and explosion-related incidents associated with military and terrorist activities is increasing globally, the existing design procedure for civil infrastructures does not consider a protective design for extreme loading scenarios such as blast, impact, and fire loading. Major infrastructure, for example bridges, tunnels, prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCVs), and liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks are often constructed using prestressed concrete, because it enhances the structural capacity. Concrete is often used as a construction material because of its low thermal conductivity, which makes it a good fire resistant material. However, the fire-resistant behavior of the high-strength concrete (HSC) and prestressing (PS) tendons used in prestressed concrete (PSC) is different than that of ordinary reinforced concrete (RC). Also, there has been limited research comparing PSC to RC under extreme loading conditions. This study presents experimental testing of unbonded bi-directionally prestressed concrete panels with dimensions 1000×1400×300 mm³ that were tested under RABT fire loading to simulate a jet aircraft crash-fire accident. A prestressing force of 430 kN was applied to the PSC specimens using unbonded threaded bars. After a RABT fire test, residual flexural strength tests were performed on the fire-damaged PSC and on RC specimens for comparison. Results of the RABT fire and residual flexural strength tests indicated that the fire-damaged PSC specimens showed severe thermal spalling damage induced by PS relaxation and deterioration of strength/stiffness, respectively. These study results can be used as basic research data for future research in numerical simulation of fire and the design of PSC structures under the fire scenario.     

Thermal expansion of self-consolidating normal and lightweight aggregate concrete at elevated temperature

In this study, the effects of aggregate type on the coefficient of thermal expansion of self-consolidating concrete produced with normal (SCC) and lightweight aggregate (SCLC) at elevated temperature were investigated. In experiments, two aggregate types, crushed limestone and pumice, were used. Different combinations of water/powder ratio and superplasticizer dosage levels were prepared for the SCC and SCLC mixtures. The total powder content (cement and mineral additives) was constant in the experiments. Thermal test was performed to accurately characterize the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of SCC and SCLC aged 28 days using the dilatometer. The CTEs of SCC and SCLC were defined by measuring the linear change in length of concrete specimens subjected to a range of temperatures. Test temperatures were varied from 20 to 1000 °C at a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The results, in general, showed that SCC has higher CTE than normal weight concrete and that lightweight aggregate reduced the CTE of SCC due to their porous structure. The aggregate type has significant influence on the thermal expansion of SCC.     

Production of low cost self compacting concrete using bagasse ash

Self compacting concrete (SCC) is a development of conventional concrete, in which the use of vibrator for compaction is no more required. This property of self compacting concrete has made its use more attractive all over the world. But its initial higher supply cost over conventional concrete, has hindered its application to general construction. Therefore, for producing low cost SCC, it is prudent to look at the alternates to help reducing the SSC cost. This research is aimed at evaluating the usage of bagasse ash as viscosity modifying agent in SCC, and to study the relative costs of the materials used in SCC.In this research, the main variables are the proportion of bagasse ash, dosage of superplasticizer for flowability and water/binder ratio. The parameters kept constant are the amount of cement and water content.Test results substantiate the feasibility to develop low cost self compacting concrete using bagasse ash. In the fresh state of concrete, the different mixes of concrete have slump flow in the range of 333 mm to 815 mm, L-box ratio ranging from 0 to 1 and flow time ranging from 1.8 s to no flow (stucked). Out of twenty five different mixes, five mixes were found to satisfy the requirements suggested by European federation of national trade associations representing producers and applicators of specialist building products (EFNARC) guide for making self compacting concrete. The compressive strengths developed by the self compacting concrete mixes with bagasse ash at 28 days were comparable to the control concrete. Cost analysis showed that the cost of ingredients of specific self compacting concrete mix is 35.63% less than that of control concrete, both having compressive strength above 34 MPa.     

Bond behaviour of reinforcement in self-compacting concretes

This experimental work examines the bond strength between reinforcement steel and concrete, and the top-bar effect in self-compacting concretes. Eight different concretes were used, four self-compacting (SCC) and four normally-vibrated (NVC). Tests were conducted on 200 mm cube specimens and 1500 mm high columns. It was found that, at moderate load levels, SCC performed with more stiffness, which resulted in greater mean bond stresses. The ultimate bond stresses are also somewhat greater although, due probably to the negative effects of the bleeding having less impact on failure, the differences between SCC and NVC are reduced considerably, and even disappear completely for concretes of more than 50 MPa. On the other hand, the top-bar effect is much less marked in SCC, and therefore a change in the factor that takes into account this effect in the formulas used for calculating the anchorage length of the reinforcement is proposed for these concretes.     

Evaluation of the transfer length of prestressed near surface mounted CFRP rods in concrete

The transfer length of a prestressed near surface mounted (NSM) fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) rod is the distance over which the rod must be bonded to the epoxy to develop the prestressing force in the rod. The transfer length is intended to provide bond integrity for the strengthened concrete member. This paper presents experimental results and an empirical equation to estimate the transfer length of prestressed NSM Carbon FRP (CFRP) rod in concrete beams. Twenty-two reinforced concrete specimens were strengthened with NSM CFRP rods. Two types of CFRP rods were used: spirally wound and sand blasted rods. Four prestressing levels were used: 40%, 45%, 50% and 60% of the tensile strength of the CFRP rod. The strain behavior in the CFRP rod was monitored by gauges mounted on the CFRP rod along the length of the beam. The test results showed that the transfer length of the prestressed NSM CFRP rod was about 35 times the diameter of the CFRP rod. The maximum bond stress of the CFRP rod in epoxy was found to range from 11 to 16 MPa for the sand blasted rods and from 12 to 23 MPa for the spirally wound rods. An empirical expression based on curve fitting of the measured data was proposed to predict the prestressing stress in the CFRP rod along the length of the beam.     

预应力高强混凝土梁抗震性能试验研究

对三根混凝土强度等级为C80,纵筋为1860级钢绞线和HRBF500级钢筋的预应力混凝土梁进行低周反复加载试验,在此基础上对其抗震性能进行分析和研究。结果表明,预应力高强混凝土梁的破坏状态为受压区混凝土压碎,受拉钢筋和钢绞线均未拉断;由于高强混凝土脆性较大的特点,试件在反复荷载作用下破坏较为突然,承载力退化较快;试件的滞回环较饱满,有一定的耗能能力;试件的屈服强度和极限强度随换算配筋率的增大而增加,延性系数则随换算配筋率的增大有所减小。试验所采用的中等配筋率的预应力高强混凝土梁,在低周反复荷载下有一定的变形能力;预应力高强混凝土梁有较好的变形恢复能力;较小的预应力强度比有利于提高预应力混凝土构件的耗能能力。     

Bond strength of deformed bars in large reinforced concrete members cast with industrial self-consolidating concrete mixture

The bond strength of reinforcing bars embedded in full-scale heavily reinforced concrete sections made with industrial self-consolidating concrete (SCC) was investigated and compared with that of normal concrete (NC). The flowability of SCC mix through the dense reinforcement was visually monitored from a transparent formwork. The bond stress was tested for bars located at three different heights (150 mm, 510 mm, and 870 mm from the bottom of the pullout specimens) and at different tested ages (1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days). The bond stress-free end slip relationship, the top bar effect and the effect of age on bond stress was investigated in both SCC and NC pullout specimens. Bond stresses predicted based on some major codes were compared with those obtained from experiments. The results indicated that casting SCC was much faster and easier and could be done with less labor effort and no concrete blockage among the heavy reinforcements compared to NC. The results also indicated that the bond stress was slightly higher in the SCC pullout specimen compared to the NC pullout specimen. The difference was more pronounced in the top bars and at 28 days of testing.     

预应力钢绞线超高强混凝土管桩受弯性能研究

为解决普通预应力超高强混凝土管桩水平承载力低和变形能力差的问题,提出了预应力钢绞线超高强混凝土管桩。通过3种常用桩型6根试件的足尺受弯性能试验、有限元分析,对比了预应力钢绞线超高强混凝土管桩与普通预应力超高强混凝土管桩在抗裂性能、受弯承载力、变形能力及破坏特征等方面的差异。研究结果表明：以钢绞线替代钢棒作为主筋可以有效提高管桩受弯状态下的变形能力和承载力;预应力钢绞线超高强混凝土管桩均以受压区混凝土压碎破坏,而普通预应力超高强混凝土管桩均以预应力钢棒拉断破坏;所建立的数值模型可以合理预测管桩的受弯性能,模拟得到的桩身裂缝分布与试验结果吻合较好。     

Seismic performance of precast hollow bridge piers with different construction details

Currently the design scheme of precast hollow concrete bridge piers will be adopted in bridge design in China, but there is no code including specific design details of precast segmental piers in high seismic risk area. For comparative study of seismic performance of the hollow bridge piers which had different design details, six specimens of hollow section bridge pier were designed and tested. The specimens consist of the monolithic cast-in-place concrete bridge pier, precast segmental prestressed pier with cast-in-place joint and precast segmental concrete bridge pier with dry joints. Results show that all specimens have good displacement capacity. The bridge pier with bonded prestressed strands exhibits better energy dissipation capacity and higher strength. The un-bonded prestressed strand bridge pier displays less residual plastic displacement and energy dissipation capacity. The bridge pier with both bonded prestressed strands at the edge of the section and un-bonded in the center of the section not only exhibits more ductility capacity and less residual plastic displacement, but also shows better energy dissipation capacity. Compared with experimental results of prestressed bridge columns, analytical result demonstrates the developed numerical analysis model would provide the reasonable and accurate results.     

都汶高速公路先张法预应力混凝土空心梁板施工技术研究

预应力混凝土结构,受力和截面刚度比钢筋混凝土合理,以其承受荷载较大及施工技术日臻完善,越来越多地应用在公路和铁路桥梁工程。先张法预应力可用于公路桥梁13m、16m、20m等跨径小于25m的空心梁板。重点对先张法预应力混凝土空心梁板的钢绞线伸长量、钢绞线张拉、混凝土浇筑等关键过程进行深入细致地研究,并对如何处理混凝土中断浇筑及混凝土凝结时间检测的重要意义进行了分析。     

Comparison of test specimen preparation techniques for pervious concrete pavements

The objective of this study was to evaluate different pervious concrete test specimen preparation techniques in an effort to produce specimens having properties similar to in-place pervious concrete pavement. Cylinders and slabs were cast using pervious concrete from three different paving projects using different procedures. The comparisons of cast specimens to pavement cores were based on infiltration rate, density, and porosity. Of the cylinder consolidation procedures tested, the standard Proctor hammer provided the least variability of results and yielded properties similar to the in-place pavement. However, 600 mm square slabs were even more consistent with the in-place pavement density and porosity.     

先张法预应力混凝土空心梁板技术研讨

预应力混凝土结构比钢筋混凝土结构跨径大,承受的荷载大,预应力混凝土越来越多地应用于工程中。先张法与后张法相比,施工工艺简单、施工进度快、效率高、成本低。对先张法预应力混凝土空心梁板的一个长线台的钢绞线伸长量计算、钢绞线张拉、混凝土浇筑等关键过程进行深入细致地研究。     

预应力混凝土梁疲劳性能研究现状

对预应力混凝土梁疲劳性能的研究进展进行了详细阐述,论述了等幅疲劳荷载下预应力混凝土梁的疲劳性能及疲劳加载后的静力性能,对控制其疲劳破坏形态的影响因素以及在疲劳加载过程中的受力筋应变变化、裂缝开展和挠度变化规律进行了总结。讨论了变幅疲劳荷载下预应力混凝土梁的疲劳寿命及加载顺序对疲劳寿命的影响,分析了变幅疲劳加载过程中的刚度退化,同时对腐蚀后预应力混凝土梁的疲劳性能进行分析,总结了钢绞线、普通钢筋腐蚀损伤对试验梁疲劳破坏形态、极限承载力及疲劳寿命的影响。在对文献进行总结分析的基础上,根据当前研究所存在的问题,提出了今后预应力混凝土结构疲劳性能研究的方向。结果表明:预应力混凝土梁疲劳破坏始于受力筋疲劳断裂,受压区混凝土一般不会发生破坏,变幅疲劳加载及腐蚀损伤对其疲劳性能有较大影响。     

Effect of Grade of Concrete on the Performance of Self-Compacting Concrete Beams Subjected to Elevated Temperatures

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a new generation concrete that consolidates without any external effort. Due to its advantages over the conventional concrete, the usage of SCC increases day by day. Understanding the behaviour of SCC is important in the design of structures subjected to elevated temperature. A study was carried out to understand the behaviour of SCC beams of various grades exposed to elevated temperatures under flexural loading. The beams were exposed to a temperature of 900°C. The heated specimens were cooled either by air or water. The research work was carried out for different grades of concrete. It is found from the results that the loss of strength of SCC beams of higher grades was more than that of the lower grade SCC beams. It was also found that the reduction in compressive, tensile and flexural strength of the specimens depends on type of heating and cooling conditions.     

Composite tubes as an alternative to steel spirals for concrete members in bending and shear

Glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) tubes are compared to steel spiral reinforcement in circular concrete members with longitudinal reinforcement and prestressing, using six beam tests. Two 324 mm diameter and 4.2 m long prestressed specimens were tested in bending. Four 219 mm diameter reinforced specimens were also tested, including two 2.43 m long beams tested in bending and two 0.6 m long beams tested in shear. In each set, one specimen was essentially a concrete-filled GFRP tube, while the other control specimen included steel spiral reinforcement of comparable hoop stiffness to that of GFRP tube. The strength of control specimens was governed by crushing and spalling of concrete cover. Unlike spiral reinforcement, GFRP tubes confined larger concrete areas and also contributed as longitudinal reinforcement, leading to increases in flexural and shear strengths, up to 113% and 69%, respectively.     

超效缓凝砂浆与缓粘结预应力混凝土构件试验研究

配制出了能满足缓粘结预应力体系要求的超效缓凝砂浆,通过手工方式制成了缓粘结预应力筋并进行了模拟工艺试验,证明了这一新型预应力体系的可行性;同时,用这种预应力筋浇制成了16根缓粘结预应力受弯构件,对这些构件进行了试验,从开裂弯矩、极限弯矩、裂缝形式和荷载-挠度曲线等各个方面,把缓粘结预应力构件与传统的后张法(有粘结无粘结)预应力构件进行了对比分析,得出了缓粘结预应力构件在张拉两个月后,其工作性能与有粘结预应力构件几乎一样的结论,为这一新型预应力体系的工程设计提供了依据。     

Utilization of Rice Husk Ash as viscosity modifying agent in Self Compacting Concrete

Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) is defined by two primary properties: Deformability and Segregation resistance. Deformability or flowability is the ability of SCC to flow or deform under its own weight (with or without obstructions). Segregation resistance or stability is the ability to remain homogeneous while doing so. High range water reducing admixtures are utilized to develop sufficient deformability. At the same time, segregation resistance is ensured, which is accomplished either by introducing a chemical viscosity modifying admixture (VMA) or by increasing the amount of fines in the concrete. These viscosity modifying admixtures are very expensive and the main cause of increase in the cost of SCC. Therefore, for producing low cost SCC, it is prudent to look at the alternates to help reducing the SSC cost. This research is aimed at evaluating the usage of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as viscosity modifying agent in SCC, and to study the relative costs of the materials used in SCC.In this research, the main variables are the proportion of RHA, dosage of superplasticizer for flowability and water/binder ratio. The parameters kept constant are the amount of cement, water, fine and coarse aggregate contents.Test results substantiate the feasibility to develop low cost SCC using RHA. In the fresh state of concrete, the different mixes of concrete have slump flow in the range of 595–795 mm, L-box ratio ranging from 0 (stucked) to 1 and flow time ranging from 2.2 to 29.3 s. Out of nine mixes, four mixes were found to satisfy the requirements suggested by European federation of national trade associations representing producers and applicators of specialist building products (EFNARC) guide for making SCC. The compressive strengths developed by the SCC mixes with RHA were comparable to the control concrete. Cost analysis showed that the cost of ingredients of specific SCC mix is 42.47% less than that of control concrete.     

Effects of various admixtures and shear keys in wood–concrete composite beams

Wood–concrete composite beams are a layered system, which essentially utilize a concrete layer in compression and a wood layer in tension. This layered system offers a way to construct or rehabilitate wood floors in historic timber structures while increasing the floors’ stiffness and load carrying capacity. This research paper investigates past problems with poor consolidation of the concrete, transverse shrinkage cracks in the concrete, swelling of the wood, moisture loss from the concrete, and the resulting reduced composite efficiency. The research presented herein describes how these problems can be mitigated and thereby increase the composite efficiency of the wood–concrete composite system. By painting the specimens with a water proofing paint, the swelling of the wood can be reduced, which helps to maintain a tight interface between the wood and concrete. To improve consolidation, a self-leveling concrete was designed with a 28-day compressive strength of 34.5 MPa and a slump of 279.4 mm. Nylon fibers and Type I steel fibers were used as admixtures to the fresh concrete to determine their effect on the composite efficiency and the reduction of shrinkage cracks. Twelve full size specimens were constructed and tested to failure. It was found that the most common mode of failure was combined bending and tension at mid span in the wood. An average composite efficiency of 83.4% was reached in the full size test specimens when placed in four point bending.     

碳纤维增强复合材料布加固损伤预应力混凝土梁剥离性能试验分析

碳纤维增强复合材料(CFRP)布用于普通混凝土结构加固性能研究较为深入,而对于预应力混凝土结构加固性能的研究相对较少。为了研究CFRP布加固损伤预应力混凝土结构黏结性能对其受力性能的影响,通过对3根CFRP布加固不同损伤程度的高强预应力钢筋混凝土梁进行静载试验,研究损伤程度及预应力度对其黏结性能的影响。试验发现,试件破坏前CFRP布均发生剥离,达到破坏时,CFRP布完全剥离、拉断或受压区混凝土被压碎。通过CFRP布应变-荷载曲线及试件挠度-荷载曲线分析表明,试件的剥离荷载与其损伤程度呈反比,而与预应力度呈正比。