Energy dissipation capacity of fibre reinforced concrete under biaxial tension–compression load. Part I: Test equipment and work of fracture

The objective of this research was to analyse the differences in the dissipated energy under uniaxial tension and biaxial tension–compression load of fibre reinforced concretes using the Wedge Splitting Test. Under biaxial load the specimens were subjected to compressive stress ratios from 10% to 50% of the concrete compressive strength perpendicular to the direction of the tensile load.Under biaxial tension–compression load the energy dissipation capacity of the specimens decreases compared to the uniaxial tension load case on average 20–30%. It is believed that the decrease is a result of the damage mechanism of the concrete matrix and deterioration of the fibre–matrix and/or aggregate–cement paste interfaces in case the section is additionally loaded with compression stresses. This indicates that dimensioning of concrete elements under biaxial stress states using material parameters obtained from tests conducted on specimens under uniaxial tensile load is unsafe and could potentially lead to a non-conservative design.In the second part of this paper the extent of the fracture process zone under uniaxial tension and biaxial tension–compression load will be examined with the Acoustic Emission technique and the reasons for decrease of the energy dissipation capacity under biaxial load will be further discussed.     

玄武岩-碳纤维/矿渣混凝土力学性能正交试验

应用正交试验法开展了16组玄武岩-碳纤维(BF-CF)/矿渣混凝土和1组C40级基准混凝土的塌落度、立方体抗压强度和劈裂抗拉强度试验,研究了BF、CF和矿渣三种因素对BF-CF/矿渣混凝土力学性能的影响。结果表明:BF-CF/矿渣混凝土立方体抗压强度和劈裂抗拉强度均高于C40基准混凝土,立方体抗压强度最大提高了21.0%,劈裂抗拉强度最大提高了35.3%。BF和CF的掺入均会减小混凝土的塌落度,BF对于塌落度的减小更加明显,BF对塌落度的最大降幅为67.1%;矿渣代砂率是影响BF-CF/矿渣混凝土立方体抗压强度的显著因素,随着矿渣代砂率的增大,立方体抗压强度先增大后减小,矿渣对立方体抗压强度的最大提高幅度为7.6%;BF是影响BF-CF/矿渣混凝土劈裂抗拉强度的显著因素,劈裂抗拉强度随BF体积率的增加而增大,BF对劈裂抗拉强度的最大增幅为12.0%,CF对劈裂抗拉强度的提升不明显。对正交试验的结果进行回归分析得出BF-CF/矿渣混凝土立方体抗压强度和劈裂抗拉强度预测模型,模型精度较高。      

Dynamic compressive and splitting tensile properties of concrete containing recycled tyre rubber under high strain rates

In order to raise the efficiency of resource utilization, recycling waste rubber particles into concrete as aggregate has been widely accepted. When the size and content of the rubber particles are appropriate, rubberized concrete can achieve many excellent properties. This study investigated the impact of rubber replacement on dynamic compressive and splitting tensile properties of concrete. The split Hopkinson pressure bar tests of rubberized concrete containing 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% volume replacement for sand were completed. The failure modes, stress curves and dynamic strength values of rubberized concrete under high strain rates were recorded. The results reveal that the dynamic compressive and splitting tensile strength of rubberized concrete decrease with increasing rubber content. Meanwhile, peak strain increases with increasing rubber content. Dynamic increase factors (DIFs) of compressive and splitting tensile strength also were calculated, where rubberized concrete shows a stronger strain rate sensitivity. The analysis of specific energy absorption illustrates that rubberized concrete with 15% rubber replacement has the best impact toughness. In addition, ratios of dynamic compressive–tensile strength of rubberized concrete were calculated, which are between 3.82 and 5.39.     

Tensile basic creep versus compressive basic creep at early ages: comparison between normal strength concrete and a very high strength fibre reinforced concrete

The paper presents experimental results concerning the comparison of tensile and compressive basic creep behaviours at early ages of two different concretes: a normal strength concrete (NSC) and a very high strength fibre reinforced concrete (HPFRC). This research project has been done in the context of a bilateral collaboration between Polytechnique Montreal and IFSTTAR. Observations on the HPFRC showed specific compressive creep similar to the specific tensile creep. Moreover, the specific creep curves obtained under compressive and tensile loading had always positive values, i.e. they were in same direction of the applied load on specimens. Measurements made on the NSC revealed specific compressive creep with positive values (in the loading direction). However, specific tensile creep presented negative values (opposite direction of loading) for a long period. A physical explanation based on the existence of two mechanisms with opposite effect is proposed to describe these basic creep results. The first mechanism is a coupling between the microcracking process and the water transfers that lead to additional self-drying shrinkage; the second mechanism is the self-healing of concrete induced by the microcracking.     

Measurement and prediction of the strength of rubberized concrete

Illegally discarded piles of automobile tires are sources of potential hazards. Current disposal methods are wasteful and costly as they require either consumption of landfill space or continuous costly maintenance. A solution to the problem of scrap-tire disposal is the potential use of tire chips and crumb rubber as mineral aggregate substitutes in Portland cement concrete mixes. In this study, some of the engineering properties of rubberized concrete were examined and a neural network was developed to predict its compressive and tensile strengths. Rubberized concrete was found to possess good esthetics, acceptable workability, and a smaller unit weight than normal concrete. However, rubberized concrete did not perform as well as normal concrete under repeated freeze-thaw cycles. It exhibited lower compressive and tensile strength than that of normal concrete. Unlike normal concrete, rubberized concrete had the ability to absorb a large amount of plastic energy under compressive and tensile loads. It did not demonstrate the typical brittle failure, but rather a ductile, plastic failure mode. Test results were analyzed so that a model can be developed to predict the strength of rubberized concrete. Two neural network models were developed to predict the reduction in the compressive and tensile strength as a result of replacing mineral aggregate with rubber aggregate. A maximum difference of 9·2% between test results and model prediction was detected during the testing of the neural networks.     

The application of pseudo-ductile cementitious composites in the anchorage zone of post-tensioned concrete members

In China, fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) has been employed in practice for many years. In this paper, after a brief introduction to the current status of FRC applications in China, we will focus on recent research related to the use of pseudo-ductile cementitious composites (PDCC) to resist tensile splitting at the anchorage zone of post-tensioned concrete members. To simulate the situation at the anchorage zone, rectangular concrete columns were loaded under concentrated compression. Tests were performed on members made with (i) plain concrete, (ii) plain concrete and steel stirrups, as well as (iii) concrete with PDCC at the anchorage zone. According to the test results, PDCC is effective in improving the ultimate load under concentrated compression as long as failure is governed by tensile splitting. In some cases, it is found to be more effective than the steel stirrups. However, when the PDCC compressive strength is much lower than that of the concrete, compressive crushing failure may occur instead of tensile splitting, and the load capacity will then be decreased. For members that fail in splitting, a simple design method is proposed and the predicted failure load provides a close estimate of the experimental value. Based on the present study, the use of PDCC to replace all or part of the steel stirrups in the anchorage zone is proved to be feasible.     

冻融循环作用下玄武岩纤维-矿渣粉-粉煤灰混凝土压拉强度试验与细观结构

对玄武岩纤维-矿渣粉-粉煤灰混凝土(BF-SP-FAC)进行了单轴抗压试验、劈裂抗拉试验、冻融循环试验、气孔结构测试试验和SEM分析。研究了不同冻融次数下BF-SP-FAC冻融损伤量、抗压强度、抗拉强度的变化,分析了气孔结构参数(含气量、气孔比表面积、气泡间距系数和气泡平均弦长)与BF-SP-FAC抗压强度、抗拉强度、冻融损伤量的关系,运用灰关联熵分析法讨论了BF-SP-FAC气孔结构参数对抗压强度、抗拉强度、冻融损伤量影响的主次关系。结果表明:相同冻融次数下,与其他纤维掺量相比,玄武岩纤维掺量为0.18vol%时,BF-SP-FAC抗冻性能较好,抗压强度和抗拉强度最高;在相同玄武岩纤维掺量下,随含气量、气泡间距系数、气泡平均弦长的增大,BF-SP-FAC抗压强度和抗拉强度减小,而冻融损伤量增大;随气孔比表面积的增加,BF-SP-FAC抗压强度和抗拉强度增大,而冻融损伤量减小。气孔比表面积是影响BF-SP-FAC强度的最主要因素,而气泡平均弦长是影响BF-SP-FAC冻融损伤量的主要因素,最小灰熵关联度分别为0.998和0.993。气孔结构参数与强度、冻融损伤关系的建立,可预估混凝土的强度与冻融损伤。      

The role of 0–2 mm fine recycled concrete aggregate on the compressive and splitting tensile strengths of recycled concrete aggregate concrete

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of 0–2 mm fine aggregate on the compressive and splitting tensile strengths of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) concrete with normal and high strengths. Normal coarse and fine aggregates were substituted with the same grading of RCAs in two normal and high strength concrete mixtures. In addition, to keep the same slump value for all mixes, additional water or superplasticizer were used in the RCA concretes. The compressive and splitting tensile strengths were measured at 3, 7 and 28 days. Test results show that coarse and fine RCAs, which were achieved from a parent concrete with 30 MPa compressive strength, have about 11.5 and 3.5 times higher water absorption than normal coarse and fine aggregates, respectively. The density of RCAs was about 20% less than normal aggregates, and, hence, the density of RCA concrete was about 8–13.5% less than normal aggregate concrete. The use of RCA instead of normal aggregates reduced the compressive and splitting tensile strengths in both normal and high strength concrete. The reduction in the splitting tensile strength was more pronounced than for the compressive strength. However, both strengths could be improved by incorporating silica fume and/or normal fine aggregates of 0–2 mm size in the RCA concrete mixture. The positive effect of the contribution of normal sand of 0–2 mm in RCA concrete is more pronounced in the compressive strength of a normal strength concrete and in the splitting tensile strength of high strength concrete. In addition, some equation predictions of the splitting tensile strength from compressive strength are recommended for both normal and RCA concretes.     

A microscopic approach to rate effect on compressive strength of concrete

The enhancement of concrete strength under uniaxial dynamic compression is investigated in this paper. The influence of the microcrack density to the concrete compressive strength is also discussed. Based on the sliding crack model, the compressive strength is obtained by considering the interaction between microcracks using the Kachanov method. Both free water viscosity and inertia effect are included by considering their influences on the dynamic stress intensity factor of crack tip under linearly increasing load. The relationship between the dynamic strength increase factor and the strain rate is obtained. The comparison between the results by the model proposed in this paper and those by available experiments indicates a favorable agreement.     

钢纤维及陶粒掺量对轻质混凝土基本力学性能的影响

制备了3种强度等级共13组配合比的钢纤维增强轻质混凝土（Steel Fibre Reinforced Lightweight Aggregate Concrete,SFRLAC）,测量了立方体抗压强度、劈裂抗拉强度和轴心抗压强度,得到了SFRLAC轴心受压应力-应变曲线。试验结果表明,钢纤维能小幅度提高轻质混凝土（Lightweight Concrete,LC）的抗压强度,随陶粒比率（Haydite Ratio,V_h）的增大,抗压强度降低,且强度等级越低,降幅越大。钢纤维能显著提高LC的劈裂抗拉强度,钢纤维对低强度等级LC劈裂抗拉强度的贡献优于对高强度等级LC的贡献。低强度等级SFRLAC （LC30和LC40）的劈裂抗拉强度受V_h的影响较大,而高强度等级SFRLAC （LC50）与之相反。当V_h达到80%时,V_h不再是影响SFRLAC劈裂抗拉强度的主要因素,而钢纤维的增强效应显著。试块的破坏形态表明钢纤维能改善LC的塑性。V_h对抗拉强度的降低效应远大于对抗压强度的降低效应。建立了SFRLAC轴心抗压强度与立方体抗压强度的关系式。SFRLAC应力-应变曲线综合体现了钢纤维的增强效应和陶粒的削减作用,陶粒降低LC的峰值应力和韧性,钢纤维主要提高LC的韧性。     

FATIGUE UNDER CYCLIC COMPRESSIVE LOAD

For ultra-high strength steels and aluminium alloys, a fatigue crack could initiate from a notch tip under cyclic compressive load. The threshold value for fatigue crack initiation under compressive load can be as great as four times that under tensile load. The crack grew at a decreasing rate until eventually it stopped growing altogether under cyclic compressive load with a maximum length of 0.2-0.5 mm. If the minimum compressive load was near zero, i.e. compression to zero load cycling, the threshold value was near that under tensile loading and the compressive fatigue crack could continue to grow; however, the crack growth rate under compression to zero load fatigue was 10–100 times less than that under the tensile fatigue loading.     

纤维对超高性能混凝土残余强度及高温爆裂性能的影响

采用普通原材料制备56 d龄期抗压强度为140~160 MPa的空白组超高性能混凝土、钢纤维超高性能混凝土及混杂纤维超高性能混凝土,测定其遭受高温作用后的残余抗压强度和劈裂抗拉强度,并对100%含湿量的混凝土试块进行高温爆裂试验。此外,测定大小2种加热速率对超高性能混凝土高温爆裂行为的影响。结果表明:所配制混凝土的残余抗压强度均随着目标温度的升高呈现先增大再降低的趋势,800℃高温后的残余抗压强度约为常温强度的30%。钢纤维与混杂纤维混凝土的残余劈裂抗拉强度亦呈现先升高再降低的趋势,800℃高温后的残余劈裂抗拉强度分别为常温强度的15.1%和35.4%。空白组混凝土的残余劈裂抗拉强度随着目标温度的升高而单调下降,800℃高温后的强度值约为常温强度的20.3%。7.5℃/min加热速率下,100%含湿量的3种混凝土试块均发生了严重高温爆裂,单掺钢纤维可以改善超高性能混凝土的高温爆裂,但不能避免爆裂的发生,而混杂纤维对超高性能混凝土高温爆裂的改善效果并未显著优于钢纤维。2.5℃/min加热速率下,混杂纤维可避免部分超高性能混凝土试块发生爆裂。      

低模量聚酯纤维/水泥基复合材料抗冲击性能及损伤机制

研究聚酯纤维长径比、掺量对混凝土抗压强度、抗折强度、劈裂抗拉强度、断裂韧性及冲击荷载等力学性能的影响;运用复合材料理论和纤维间距理论对聚酯纤维/混凝土增韧阻裂机制进行研究,结合SEM观察微观形貌分析纤维长径比与掺量对增韧阻裂机制的影响;采用正交试验设计方法及激光扫描共聚焦显微镜(LSCM)研究冲击高度、试件厚度、长径比及掺量对纤维/混凝土抗冲击性能的影响。结果表明,长径比为300与600的聚酯纤维会降低混凝土抗压强度,低掺量长径比为150的聚酯纤维通过提高混凝土致密程度使混凝土抗压强度有所提升;在抗拉强度方面长径比为150的聚酯纤维主要以缺陷形式存在,长径比为300的聚酯纤维对改善混凝土内部拉结作用最显著,3%(与胶凝材料体积比)掺量聚酯纤维对提高混凝土抗折强度最显著;对于混凝土断裂韧性,长径比为300与600的聚酯纤维/混凝土断裂韧性提高明显,通过SEM微观形貌发现纤维拉结作用产生的微裂纹会提高混凝土耗能能力,从而提高混凝土极限荷载与破坏时中心挠度,长径比为300的聚酯纤维/混凝土抗拉强度变化规律与复合材料理论和纤维间距理论分析结果较吻合;冲击高度为影响冲击荷载大小的主要因素,纤维长径比较纤维掺量影响较大,通过LSCM三维损伤形貌分析得出长径比为150的聚酯纤维对混凝土材料损伤改善效果较显著,同等掺量下长径比为150的聚酯纤维间距较小导致混凝土局部力学性能提高,从而提高混凝土抗冲击性能。      

混凝土经历三向受压荷载历史后强度劣化及超声波探伤方法的研究

本文采用混凝土立方体试件，对其施加三轴受压荷载历史作用，分别测量载前和载后的抗压强度、劈拉强度和超声波速。基于连续介质损伤力学理论，用抗压强度和抗拉强度的劣化来定义混凝土的损伤，研究了经历过三轴受压荷载历史后损伤与超声波速降低的关系。根据试验数据拟合得到损伤的演化方程，从中可以看出损伤与超声波速的降低之间具有较好的线性相关性。研究结果表明，作为混凝土非破损检测技术中的一种重要方法，超声波探伤方法所需设备简单，操作方便，可以广泛应用于混凝土结构损伤检测。     

高温后混凝土在非比例加载下的双轴受压性能研究

混凝土在双向非比例加载下的受压试验研究不多。该文利用大型混凝土静、动三轴试验系统,对常温20℃及200℃―600℃高温后的混凝土,进行了非比例加载的双轴压试验,侧应力等级分别为0、0.2fc、0.4fc、0.6fc四种。测得了混凝土的强度及应变,并根据试验结果,系统地探讨了有侧应力作用时,混凝土在不同温度后的双轴受压强度和变形等力学性能,在此基础上,建立了以八面体应力空间表示的混凝土在非比例加载下的双轴受压破坏准则。这些结论,为受高温后的混凝土复杂结构的设计、分析提供了理论依据。     

新型复合材料“高强钢绞线网/ECC约束素混凝土”受压性能试验研究

考虑混凝土强度、工程水泥基复合材料(ECC)强度和横向高强钢绞线配筋率等因素，研究新型复合材料“高强钢绞线网/ECC约束素混凝土”(以下简称HSE约束素混凝土)的受压性能。HSE约束素混凝土轴心受压试验显示，达到最大荷载的30%左右时，约束层ECC出现约为0.01 mm的竖向裂缝；约为最大荷载的85%时，表面最大裂缝宽度约为0.07 mm；达到最大荷载时，最大裂缝宽度仅为0.20 mm；说明该新型复合材料具有很好的裂缝分散和控制能力。之后荷载缓慢下降至最大荷载75%左右，第一根横向钢绞线断裂；达到破坏时裂而不碎，约束层和核心混凝土未发生黏结破坏，完整性良好。HSE约束素混凝土与素混凝土相比，其开裂应力提高了88%~116%；轴心抗压强度提高了21%~49%、轴心压应变增加了约45%；极限压应变提高了106%~175%。ECC强度和混凝土强度及横向钢绞线配筋率的提高，均增大其开裂和最大荷载及极限压应变。      

Size effect of concrete members applied with flexural compressive stresses

In this study, two types of special experiments are carried out to understand flexural compressive strength size effect of concrete members. The first type is an ordinary cylindrical specimen (CS) with a fully penetrated and vertically standing plate type notch at the mid-height of the specimen, which is loaded in compression at the top surface (e.g., in the parallel direction to the notch length). The second type is a general double cantilever beam (DCB), which is compression loaded in axial direction (e.g., in the parallel direction of the notch). For CS, an adequate notch length is taken from the experimental results obtained from the compressive strength experiment of various initial notch lengths. The trial tests to select the effective initial notch length show that CS with an initial notch length approximately greater than four times the maximum aggregate size fails without an additional increased load and in stable manner under Mode I failure mechanism. Therefore, the initial notch length to the maximum aggregate size ratio of 4.0 is used for all size specimens. For DCB, the eccentricity of loading points with respect to the axial axis of each cantilever and the initial notch length are varied. In both specimens, the compressive loads apply flexural compressive stresses on the crack tip region of the specimens. These two types of specimens fail by Mode I crack opening mechanism. By testing 3 geometrically proportional size specimens for CS and DCB, the experimental datum for flexural compression size effect of concrete are obtained. Using the obtained flexural compressive strength size effect datum, regression analyses are performed using Levenberg-Marquardt's least square method (LSM) to suggest new parameters for the modified size effect law (MSEL). The analysis results show that size effect is apparent for flexural compressive strength of specimens with an initial notch. For CS, the effect of initial notch length on flexural compressive strength size effect is apparent. For DCB, flexural compressive size effect is dependent on the eccentricity of loading points with respect to the axial axis of the cantilever beam. In other words, if DCB specimen is applied with greater tensile stress at the crack tip, the size effect of concrete becomes more distinct. The results show that the flexural compressive strength size effect of initial notch length variation of DCB exists but directly dependent on the loading location. This is due to the fact that the sizes of fracture process zone (FPZ) of all DCB specimens are similar regardless of the differences in the specimen slenderness ratio, but the flexural compressive and tensile stress combinations resulting in stress concentration at the crack tip region has direct effect on size effect of concrete members.     

Predicting the tensile creep of concrete

Over a four year period, six phases of testing were performed to observe the influence of age at loading, applied stress level, mix composition and relative humidity on the tensile creep of concrete. From these investigations it was possible to develop a model which allowed the prediction of tensile creep based on a knowledge of the compressive strength of the concrete (determined at the age of loading), the applied stress level and the relative humidity. Subsequently, this model was validated using the results from three independent investigations. Compressive creep as well as tensile creep was also obtained. This allowed a comparison of compressive creep with tensile creep and illustrated that on the basis of equal stresses, tensile creep is on average between 2 and 3 times greater than compressive creep (the maximum ratio is in excess of 8). For this investigation, however, on the basis of stress/strength ratio the difference between tensile and compressive creep is less significant. Considering a simply supported flexural reinforced concrete element, the investigation suggests that it is unwise to consider actual compressive creep equal to actual tensile creep as is often the case in design practice.     

An experimental study on the tensile strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete

This paper deals with steel fiber reinforced concrete mechanical static behaviour and with its classification with respect to fibers content and mix-design variations. A number of experimental tests were conducted to investigate uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength. Different mixtures were prepared varying both mix-design and fiber length. Fibers content in volume was of 1% and 2%. Mechanical characterization was performed by means of uniaxial compression tests with the aim of deriving the ultimate compressive strength of fiber concrete. Four-point bending tests on notched specimens were carried out to derive the first crack strength and the ductility indexes. The tensile strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) was obtained both from an experimental procedure and by using an analytical modelling. The experimental tests showed the different behaviour of SFRC with respect of the different fiber content and length. Based on the experimental results, an analytical model, reported in literature and used for the theoretical determination of direct tensile strength, was applied with the aim of making a comparison with experimental results. The comparison showed good overall agreement.     

Variation in mechanical properties of natural and recycled aggregate concrete as related to the strength of their binding mortar

Experimental work was performed to study the effect of binding mortar strength on the mechanical properties of recycled natural aggregate concrete mixes as well as reference corresponding natural aggregate concrete mixes. The moduli of elasticity of both NAC and RAC were found to be higher than that of corresponding mortar by about 40% and 10% respectively, for all compressive strengths investigated. It was possible to reach compressive strength for RAC of 53.5 MPa. The ratios of compressive strength of NAC or RAC to that of mortar varied between (1.05–1.56) and (1.02–1.26) respectively, these ratios decreased with the increase in compressive strength. Also from the results of compressive strength, it was found that the ratios cylinder/cube compressive strengths of RAC and mortar were smaller than those of NAC. The ranges of values obtained were (0.71–0.84) and (0.69–0.75) for RAC and mortar respectively, while for NAC this ratio ranged between (0.81–0.92), these values were obtained for compressive strengths ranging between 15 to 55 MPa. It was found that it is better to relate the cylinder/cube strength ratio to the modulus of elasticity of the concrete or mortar rather than to its compressive strength. The flexural strength showed an opposite trend, the ratios of NAC and RAC to that of mortar ranged between (0.72–0.95)% and (0.61–0.80)% respectively. These ratios increased with the decrease in compressive strength of mortars. On the other hand, the splitting tensile strength of NAC was higher than that of RAC and mortar for all strength levels investigated. The ratio of NAC to mortar splitting tensile strength ranged between (1.13–1.69), while this ratio for RAC ranged between (0.87–1.36). Finally, several regressions were developed that can relate the mechanical properties of the three materials investigated.