Bond behavior between steel reinforcement and recycled concrete

In this paper the bond behavior of recycled aggregate concrete was characterized by replacing different percentages of natural coarse aggregate with recycled coarse aggregate (20, 50 and 100 %). The results made it possible to establish the differences between the conventional concrete bond strength and the recycled concrete bond strength depending on the replacement percentage. It was thus found that bond stress decreases with the increase of the percentage of recycled coarse aggregate used. In order to define the influence of recycled aggregate content on bond behavior, normalized bond strength was calculated taking into account the reduced compressive strength of the recycled concretes. Finally, using the experimental results, a modified expression for maximum bond stress (bond strength) prediction was developed, taking into account replacement percentage and compressive strength. The obtained results show that the equation proposed provides an experimental value to theoretical prediction ratio similar to that of conventional concrete.     

Bond behaviour between recycled aggregate concrete and deformed steel bars

The results of thirty pullout tests carried out on 8 and 10 mm diameter deformed steel bars concentrically embedded in recycled aggregate concrete designed using equivalent mix proportions with coarse recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) replacement percentages of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 % are reported towards investigation of bond behaviour of RCA concrete. Bond strengths of the natural aggregate concrete and the RCA concrete was found to be comparable, particularly for the 10 mm rebars, and the RCA replacement percentage had an insignificant effect on peak bond stress values. However, for both the bar sizes, when the measured bond strengths were normalized with the respective compressive strengths, then the normalized bond strengths so obtained across all the RCA replacement percentages were higher for the RCA concrete compared to the natural coarse aggregate concrete. Further, higher normalized bond strength values were obtained for the 8 mm rebars compared to the 10 mm bars. An empirical bond stress versus slip relationship between RCA concrete and deformed steel bars has been proposed on the basis of regression analysis of the experimental data and it is conservatively suggested that anchorage lengths of 8 and 10 mm diameter deformed bars in RCA concrete may be taken the same as in natural aggregate concrete.     

Bond behavior of GFRP and steel bars in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete

The bond behavior of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and steel bars embedded in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) was investigated according to embedment length and bar diameter. Post-peak bond stress-slip softening curve of the GFRP bars was obtained, and a wedging effect was quantitatively evaluated. Test results indicated that a normalized bond strength of 5 was applicable for steel bars embedded in UHPFRC, and the development lengths of normal- and high-strength steel bars were determined to be 2 and 2.5 times the bar diameter, respectively. The GFRP bars exhibited approximately 70% lower bond strength than the steel bars, and the bond stress additionally applied by the wedging effect increased almost linearly with respect to the slip. Based on dimensionless bond stress and slip parameters, an appropriate theoretical model for the bond stress and slip relationship of steel bars in UHPFRC was suggested, and it was verified through comparison with the test data.     

Bond of steel reinforcement with microwave cured concrete repair mortars

This paper investigates the effect of microwave curing on the bond strength of steel reinforcement in concrete repair. Pull-out tests on plain mild steel reinforcement bars embedded in four repair materials in 100 mm cube specimens were performed to determine the interfacial bond strength. The porosity and pore structure of the matrix at the steel interface, which influence the bond strength, were also determined. Test results show that microwave curing significantly reduces the bond strength of plain steel reinforcement. The reduction relative to normally cured (20 °C, 60% RH) specimens is between 21 and 40% with low density repair materials and about 10% for normal density cementitious mortars. The corresponding compressive strength of the matrix also recorded similar reduction and microwave curing resulted in increased porosity at the interface transition zone of the steel reinforcement. A unique relationship exists between bond strength and both compressive strength and porosity of all matrix materials. Microwave curing reduced shrinkage but despite the wide variation in the shrinkage of the repair mortars, its effect on the bond strength was small. The paper provides clear correlations between the three parameters (compressive strength, bond strength and porosity), which are common to both the microwave and conventionally cured mortars. Therefore, bond-compressive strength relationships used in the design of reinforced concrete structures will be also valid for microwave cured elements.     

变形钢筋/超高性能混凝土搭接黏结性能

超高性能混凝土(UHPC)是一种高强度、高韧性和高耐久性的水泥基复合材料。为了研究钢筋/UHPC的搭接黏结性能,进行了21组考虑搭接长度、纤维掺量和配箍率影响的钢筋搭接对拉拔出试验,3组考虑锚固长度影响的钢筋直接拔出锚固试验;试验出现了劈裂拔出破坏和钢筋拉断破坏2种破坏模式;钢筋/UHPC平均黏结强度随钢筋埋置长度的增大而减小,随配箍率的增大而增大;钢纤维掺量的增大,有利于增大对UHPC的约束作用,增加配箍率和适当增大纤维掺量均能减小钢筋/UHPC的临界搭接长度;结合前人的试验结果,拟合得到平均锚固和搭接黏结强度计算公式及临界锚固和搭接长度计算公式,根据混凝土结构设计规范,建立了钢筋/UHPC锚固和搭接长度简化算法,计算结果较为准确。      

Bond failure performances between near-surface mounted FRP bars and concrete for flexural strengthening concrete structures

Near-surface mounted (NSM) fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has been established as an effective technique for strengthening concrete member. In preview literatures, bond failure was observed usually in the strengthened beam test for increasing flexural capacity. Bond behavior is of primary importance for the transfer of stress between the concrete and the FRP reinforcement to develop composite action. In this paper, a total of 22 tests were conducted to study the bond failure performance between NSM FRP bars and concrete besides only one test as a comparison. Failure modes, load–deflection curves, strain distribution of FRP bars, and local bond stresses at the FRP-epoxy adhesive interface from the tests were analyzed in detail. Some of the factors expected to affect bond performance were presented, namely: diameter of FRP bars, type to FRP material, concrete compressive strength and bonded length. The test results reported in this paper should be useful for further establishing local bond–slip constitute relationship and further verification of numerical simulation models, in addition to gaining a better understanding of bond failures for flexural strengthening concrete structures with NSM FRP bars.     

Behavior of self compacting concrete containing ladle furnace slag and steel fiber reinforcement

Self compacting concrete mixtures with the use of ladle furnace slag as filler and steel fibers as reinforcement were produced and tested in the laboratory. Different contents of ladle furnace slag filler, ranging from 60 to 120 kg/m³, and steel fibers, ranging from 0% to 0.7%, were used. The different mixtures were tested in the fresh state for fluidity, passing ability and resistance to segregation and in the hardened state for compressive strength, fracture toughness, freeze-thawing resistance and chloride penetration resistance. The test results showed that ladle furnace slag can be used as filler for self compacting concrete, as adequate consistency and workability was achieved, while compressive strength and durability were improved. Ladle furnace slag can also be combined with steel fibers, which considerably increase fracture toughness, in order to produce a high performance self compacting concrete using a low-cost industrial by-product such as ladle furnace slag.     

Fatigue testing and performance of steel reinforcement bars

The methods of testing and the fatigue performance of six types of high strength steel reinforcement have been studied. Effects of bar diameter and butt-welding have been evaluated with an emphasis on long endurances. There is no evidence of the commonly assumed endurance limit at around 2×10⁶ cycles and fractures occurred at up to 97×10⁶ cycles. The performance can be represented by the expression σ _r ⁹ N=K, where σ_r is stress range and N is cycles to failure. The value of K is dependent on type of test, bending or axial, and bar diameter. It is concluded that it is appropriate to design using the performance for axial testing in air. The method of expressing performance is uniform with classification of welded connections and gives a safe representation of behaviour.     

Bond between deformed reinforcement and normal and high-strength concrete with and without fibers

This paper describes an experimental study that consisted of pullout tests of deformed reinforcing bars in NSC and HSC specimens, with and without hooked-end steel fibers. Two types of test setups were applied, direct and flexural tests, and three bar diameters were tested (8, 12 and 20 mm). The experimental setups were based on standard RILEM pullout (direct) and beam tests, with several modifications. The experimental program included study of the effects of concrete strength and inclusion of steel fibers on the bond strength, as well as the influence of bar geometry and concrete cover. Discussion of the results shows coupling of these effects and proposes an empirical expression that represents this coupling. The results from the current study are also compared with the design bond strengths specified in American and European standards as well as a known model.     

Development of ductile composite reinforcement bars for concrete structures

In order to overcome the deficiencies of current composite reinforcement bars such as low elastic moduli, low pre-rupture elongation, brittle fracture as well as high cost, a new core-shell model of hybrid composite reinforcement bar has been developed in this study. In this model, steel and glass fibers are randomly dispersed across the cross section of the core while Twaron and carbon fibers are placed within the shell to improve the elastic modulus as well as to serve as a shield for protecting the glass fibers from alkaline attack; and the steel fibers from moisture and chloride induced corrosion. Glass composite reinforcement bars and hybrid composite reinforcement bars were fabricated by hand winding method. The tensile modulus and strength of the new hybrid reinforcement bars were determined to be 142 GPa and 628 MPa, respectively. New hybrid reinforcement bars were also conditioned in different alkaline environments and were evaluated for their alkaline resistance properties. Compared with glass composite reinforcement bars, the new hybrid composite reinforcement bars possess characteristics of alkaline resistance, good ductility and increased modulus of elasticity, while the material costs of such hybrid composite reinforcement bars are slightly higher than the glass composite reinforcement bars.     

Failure of reinforcing concrete steel ribbed bars

In order to analyse the causes of unexpected failures occurred in steel ribbed bars used in the transportation of concrete slabs for maritime works purposes, a detailed study of the material’s properties has been carried out. Full mechanical, compositional, metallographic and fractographic analyses have been performed; complementary measurements of residual stresses by X-ray diffraction techniques and finite element modelling of the in-service conditions were decisive in casting some light on the problem. The combination of maritime environment exposure and high residual stress levels associated to severe bendings could be responsible for the characteristic stress corrosion cracking failures reported in the bars.     

Bond and interfacial properties of reinforcement in self-compacting concrete

This paper reports a study carried out to assess the impact of the use of self-compacting concrete (SCC) on bond and interfacial properties around steel reinforcement in practical concrete element. The pull-out tests were carried out to determine bond strength between reinforcing steel bar and concrete, and the depth-sensing nano-indentation technique was used to evaluate the elastic modulus and micro-strength of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) around steel reinforcement. The bond and interfacial properties around deformed steel bars in different SCC mixes with strength grades of 35 MPa and 60 MPa (C35, C60) were examined together with those in conventional vibrated reference concrete with the same strength grades.The results showed that the maximum bond strength decreased when the diameter of the steel bar increased from 12 to 20 mm. The normalised bond strengths of the SCC mixes were found to be about 10–40% higher than those of the reference mixes for both bar diameters (12 and 20 mm). The study of the interfacial properties revealed that the elastic modulus and the micro-strength of the ITZ were lower on the bottom side of a horizontal steel bar than on the top side, particularly for the vibrated reference concrete. The difference of ITZ properties between top and bottom side of the horizontal steel bar appeared to be less pronounced for the SCC mixes than for the corresponding reference mixes.     

Bond characteristics of corrding reinforcement in concrete beams

The results of an experimental study of the bond characteristics of reinforced concrete beams subjected to reinforcement corrosion are presented. Beam specimens recommended by the joint RILEM/CEB/FIP Committee were used, which comprised two halves of a reinforced concrete beam rotating about a hinge mechanism. Corrosion was induced at different levels of rebar diameter loss: 0, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 1, 2 and 5 percent by impressing direct current of intensity 0.8 and 2.4 mA/cm². The specimens were tested under four point bending to induce bond failure and load-free end slip curves were plotted. The tests showed that at up to 0.4% degree of corrosion, no free-end slip occurred in the reinforcement bars until complete breakdown of bond at failure. At higher degrees of reinforcement corrosion, free-end slip commenced immediately upon application of load and increased linearly with increasing load. The free-end slip at maximum load was a function of the degree of reinforcement corrosion. At small degrees of corrosion, the bond strength increased with increasing degree of corrosion, showing a maximum increase of over 25% at 0.4% corrosion. Higher degrees of corrosion led to a sharp decrease in bond strength.

---

Résumé Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude expérimentale sur les caractéristiques d’adhésion pour des poutres en béton armé où l’armature est exposée à la corrosion. Des échantillons de poutres recommandés par le comité joint RILEM/CEB/FIP étaient employés sous forme de deux moitiés d’une poutre en béton armé tournant autour d’un pivot. La corrosion était induite à plusieurs niveaux de réduction de la section d’armature à savoir 0; 0,3; 0,4; 0,5; 1, 2 et 5% par le biais d’un courant direct d’intensité 0,8 et 2,4 mA/cm². Les échantillons ont été testés sous des conditions de quatre points de flexion pour induire l’affaiblissement d’adhésion des courbes de glissement ont été tracées. Les essais ont démontré que jusqu’à 0,4% de corrosion, il n’y avait pas de glissement par l’armature jusqu’à rupture totale d’adhésion. Pour des niveaux de corrosion élevés, le glissement a commencé dès l’application de la charge augmentant linéairement avec l’augmentation de celle-ci. Le glissement sous charge maximale est une fonction du degré des armatures. Pour un faible niveau de corrosion, l’adhésion augmente avec le degré de corrosion, pour un accroissement de l’adhésion de plus de 25% pour un degré de corrosion de 0,4%. Des niveaux de corrosion élevés induisent une réduction significative de l’adhésion.

---

---

Editorial Note Prof. P. Mangat is a Senior Member and the Chairman of RILEM TC LPC: Long term performance characteristics of fibre cement composites.     

Anchorage of steel bars in concrete by geopolymer paste

This paper presents the bonding strength between the embedded rebar and substrate concrete by using geopolymer paste as the bonding agent. The determination of the suitable mix proportions of geopolymer paste as bonding agent was the main interest. Twelve different mix proportions of geopolymer paste by varying the amount of starting binder materials and alkaline concentration were prepared and tested for compressive and bonding strengths. The tested results indicated that both RHBA and SF incorporating with FA could be used in preparation of geopolymer paste. Mixes with SF gave the higher compressive and bonding strengths while the mixes with RHBA required the longer curing time. The bonding strengths of round bar and geopolymer pastes were slightly higher than that of control concrete (1.05–1.12 times) and there were significantly high in case of deformed bars (1.03–1.60 times). The ratios of bonding strength on the compressive strength were also presented. In comparison with commercial repair materials, the bonding strengths of geopolymer paste were higher than those of epoxies about 1.24–1.81 times. These tested results indicated that the bonding strengths using geopolymer paste were high enough and possibly used as bonding material for repair works. The mixtures containing high SF content and high NaOH concentrations were recommended to enhance both compressive and bonding strengths.     

Very high cycle fatigue tests of quenched and self-tempered steel reinforcement bars

Investigations on the fatigue strength of steel reinforcement bars (rebars) mainly involves fatigue tests with hot rolled (HR) and cold worked (CW) steels. However, in the last few decades, HR and CW rebars were replaced by quenched and self-tempered (QST) rebars with hardened surface layer. There still remains a lack of research on fatigue strength of QST rebars especially in the very high cycle domain i.e., number of stress cycles surpassing 5 million. This study is part of a further detailed investigation on the fatigue behaviour of HR, CW and QST rebars in the very high cycle domain. It aims to investigate the fatigue performance of QST rebars axially tested at number of stress cycles in the range of 10⁶–10⁸. A preliminary study of the gripping method is followed by fatigue test results including non-destructive inspection of the rebar surface and fractographic analyses. The rebar surface is examined with liquid penetrant to reveal fatigue crack location and size in specific frequency interval monitored during the tests. Fractured surface analyses are performed by scanning electron microscopy to detect the location from where fatigue cracks initiate. Cross sectional area reduction resulting from fatigue crack propagation is also determined. Fractographic investigations are compared with the fractured surfaces of HR, CW and QST rebars from the literature.     

钢筋-GFRP筋增强混凝土梁的疲劳力学性能

钢筋-玻璃纤维增强树脂复合材料(GFRP)筋增强混凝土(RC)梁设计结合了钢筋和GFRP筋的优点,可以提高构件承载力,同时改善纯纤维增强复合材料(FRP)筋构件使用性能存在的问题,但是关于其疲劳性能的研究十分有限。因此,本论文进行了7根钢筋-GFRP筋增强RC梁的疲劳试验,研究参数包括疲劳荷载幅、有效配筋率、配筋面积比。结果表明,钢筋-GFRP筋增强RC梁疲劳破坏始于钢筋的疲劳断裂,钢筋疲劳断口光滑平整,显著区别于静力拉伸破坏断口。疲劳加载过程中,截面平截面假定仍然满足。疲劳荷载幅对疲劳寿命有显著影响,随着疲劳荷载幅的增大,梁中钢筋、GFRP筋和混凝土应力和应力幅均随之增大,疲劳寿命减小。增大有效配筋率,跨中挠度和最大裂缝宽度均减小,正常使用性能改善。配筋面积比(Af/As)的增加不利于构件抵抗疲劳荷载,Af/As由0.25增大到2.0,疲劳寿命从36.6万次降低到8.3万次。对比了各种疲劳挠度计算公式,CEB-FIP 2010规范的预测结果较好,误差范围在7%以内,推荐作为钢筋-GFRP筋增强RC梁疲劳挠度的计算公式。     

Arc slag remelting for high strength steel & various alloys

Arc Slag Remelting (ASR) is a variant of standard ESR that accumulated advantages of ESR and VAR. Principles of ASR and it comparison with the standard ESR are given. Also discussed possibilities and limitation to replace ESR by ASR to reduce specific electric power consumption to the level of 800 kWt* hour per ton. Data full scale rectangular ASR ingot of HSLA and medium alloed steel melting are presented along with the metal quality examination. Requirements to the equipment for ASR commercialization are summarized. Also discussed area of ASR application for high alloyed steel and alloys as well as for titanium.