Seismic Behavior of Fiber Reinforced Steel-concrete Composite Systems

Abstract

The addition of Steel Fibers (SF) to concrete has been widely studied in the past decades as a mean to control its crack behavior and maintain its ductility in tension. It has been verified that the use of these fibers at an appropriate dosage can change the behavior of structural members from brittle to ductile. Further, since the discovery of carbon nanotubes/fibers (CNT/CNF), they have been also considered as efficient fibers to be used in construction materials such as concrete. Previous experimental work has shown that incorporation of CNF in cementitious composites can enhance the mechanical behavior of material by reducing the size of macro- and micro-cracks resulting in higher strength and ductility. In addition, due to tunnel conductivity effect, CNF concrete exhibits properties necessary for self-sensing and self-health monitoring ability. This study aims to expand upon the use of SF and CNF concrete in structural members focusing on Steel-Concrete (SC) double skin Composite systems. SC systems are quickly gaining popularity in the nuclear power industry worldwide mainly because of their many advantages such as modular and accelerated construction, cost effectiveness, good strength properties for given size members, in addition to excellent seismic and blast resistance. The use of both SF and CNF fiber reinforced concrete in SC systems could potentially be advantageous under normal and hazard loading conditions. The study includes experimental tests and numerical studies to evaluate the performance of fiber-reinforced SC walls. The study confirmed the benefits gained using the enhanced SC panel systems.