Proposal for the simplified design of basement walls under lateral earth pressure

This paper deals with the design of basement walls subjected to lateral earth pressure. The current simplified calculation method according to DIN EN 1996‐3/NA only covers active earth pressure, which is the lower limiting value of the earth pressure. Designing according to DIN EN 1996‐1‐1/NA, higher coefficients of earth pressure (like earth pressure at rest) can be considered, with an additional verification of the shear resistance being necessary. This paper presents a theoretical model, which forms the basis for an analytical derivation of the loadbearing capacity, and explains the required minimum values of the acting normal force to ensure sufficient resistance to cover bending and shear. Based on these results, a simplified equation is proposed for the determination of the required minimum normal force, based on the design according to DIN EN 1996‐3/NA and providing identical values in case of an earth pressure coefficient of 1/3. The required minimum load resulting from this approach fulfils the described requirement to cover bending and shear. The presented solution is verified and the conditions for application are defined. Finally, the minimum required normal forces are evaluated and tabulated for common cases relevant to building practice.     

Reinforced bending load‐stressed masonry – Suggestions for future designs / Bewehrtes biegedruckbeanspruchtes Mauerwerk – Vorschläge für zukünftige Bemessungen

European standardization bodies are currently working on the amendment to EN 1996‐1‐1, which will also affect the evaluation of reinforced masonry in Germany. For that reason, discussion suggestions are being made here for revisions to lay the groundwork for building materials evaluations and especially, evaluations of bending load‐stressed masonry walls or beams at their serviceability limit state (SLS) for load‐bearing capacities. Information already presented in E DIN 1053‐3:2008‐03 [N3] is being incorporated as well. Characteristic values for the compressive strength of the masonry parallel to the bed joints f_k,∥ are essential for the design of reinforced masonry, although they are currently not included in national application documents for Germany. For the time being, they can be mathematically calculated using conversion factors for the characteristic compressive strength values vertical to the bed joints f_k or by using the declared axial compressive strengths of the masonry units. The ultimate strains for masonry in general should be set consistently at ?_mu = ∣–0.002∣ as several masonry types do not exhibit higher compressive strain values. The use of steel strains higher than ?_su = 0.005 does not change any measurement results. Varying stress‐strain curves of the constitutive equations on masonry under compressive strain (parabolic, parabolic‐rectangular, tension block) lead to differing values of recordable bending moments despite having the same mechanical reinforcement percentage at higher normal forces. Therefore, clear guidelines should be made for the type of applicable constitutive equation for masonry walls under compressive strain. With the introduction of a tension block, the number values of the reduction factors λ for the compression zone height x, which is dependent on limit strains, and where applicable, reduced compressive strength, need to be determined, as with reinforced concrete construction. A modification of the bending moment based on the second order theory according to [N4] is presented for the calculation of reinforced masonry walls in danger of buckling. The use of reduction factors for the load capacity of the masonry cross section, such as for unreinforced masonry, does not appear to be appropriate as buckling safety evidence because here, the design task is the determination of a required reinforcement cross section.     

Rissbildung von biegebeanspruchten Bauteilen aus Ultrahochfestem Faserbeton

Das Konstruieren und Bemessen von Bauwerken aus faserbewehrtem UHPC erfordert sehr detailliertes Wissen über das Zugtragverhalten von Faserbeton. Es ist beeinflusst von der Fasergeometrie, der Fasermenge, der Schubverbundfestigkeit zwischen Faser und Matrix, der Matrixfestigkeit, dem Schwinden und der Faserorientierung. Leutbecher beschreibt ein Modell für reine Zugbeanspruchungen, indem all diese Parameter Eingang finden. Im hier vorliegenden Artikel wird dieses Modell für Biegebeanspruchungen erweitert und anhand von Biegeversuchen an Platten aus UHPC verifiziert. Dabei werden sowohl Faserbewehrung als auch konventionelle Stabbewehrung berücksichtigt. Crack Formation of Flexural Members made of UHPFRC For the design and planning of buildings made of fibre reinforced ultra high performance concrete one needs very detailed knowhow about the tensile carrying behaviour of fibrated concrete. It is affected by various parameters such as the fibre geometry, the content of fibres, the bond strength between fibre and binder matrix, the strength of the matrix, the shrinkage of the concrete and the orientation of the fibres. All these parameters are considered in a theoretical model for UHPFRC under tension (Leutbecher). In the paper presented here the range of validity of this model is extended to bending stress. Experimental investigations on UHPC‐plates under bending complete and verify the theoretical results. The tests cover fibre reinforcement as well as conventional passive reinforcement.     

Processing and characterization of chemically modified wood sawdust reinforced (diospyros,dialium) epoxy composites

Polymer composite materials based on natural fiber such as wood had been widely used for research purposes and engineering interests. The interest in wood reinforced polymer composites had grown quickly due to their better performance in aspects of mechanical properties compared to pure wood. In this study, wood sawdust of diospyros (kayu malam) and dialium (keranji) were chosen to be incorporated into an epoxy-based polymer composite. The wood is made into sawdust, which was treated with boric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Surface treatment with these reagents was used to improve the mechanical properties of the polymer composite compared to untreated wood polymer composite. Sawdust reinforced epoxy composite that was fabricated are with different weight percentages from 0 % (no wood), 5 %, 10 %, 15 % to 20 % wt % for comparison on their tensile, flexural, and impact strength properties. Tensile, flexural, and impact tests were performed to determine the changes in mechanical properties where it was found that tensile strength had increased by 34 percent with an optimum keranji and kayu malam fiber weight of 15 wt % for both boric acid and hydrogen peroxide treatments. For flexural strength, in both wood fibers, the optimum fiber weight was found to 15 wt %, and the addition of wood had increased the strength by 57 percent. As for impact strength, it decreased as the weight of fiber increased, where it was assumed that the addition of wood might have increased the crack initiation. Adhesive bonding between hydrophilic wood sawdust and the hydrophobic epoxy polymer was the phenomenon that was focused on this research. The range of optimum weight percentage of sawdust would be determined from the experiment result.     

A comparative study of failure features in aerospace grade unidirectional and bidirectional woven CFRP composite laminates under four‐point bend fatigue loads

Damage mechanisms in unidirectional (UD) and bi‐directional (BD) woven carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates subjected to four point flexure, both in static and fatigue loadings, were studied. The damage progression in composites was monitored by observing the slopes of the load vs. deflection data that represent the stiffness of the given specimen geometry over a number of cycles. It was observed that the unidirectional composites exhibit gradual loss in stiffness whereas the bidirectional woven composites show a relatively quicker loss during stage II of fatigue damage progression. Both, the static and the fatigue failures in unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites originates due to generation of cracks on compression face while in bidirectional woven composites the damage ensues from both the compression and the tensile faces. These observations are supported by a detailed fractographic analysis.