Size Effect of Shear Strength of Recycled Concrete Beam without Web Reinforcement: Testing and Explicit Finite Element Simulation

Wei Wang,Qiu-Wei Yang,Xin Zeng,Emery Niyonzima,Yue-Qing Gao,Shao-Qing Chen

doi:10.3390/su13084294

Wei Wang, Qiu-Wei Yang + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084294

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Abstract

Recycled concrete is a form of low-carbon concrete with great importance. The explicit finite element method is an economical and feasible method for analyzing static concrete structures, such as those made of recycled concrete. The shear strength of regular concrete beams has size effects. In this study, a group of physical tests on the size effect of the shear strength of recycled concrete beams without web reinforcement was carried out under the condition of a constant shear span ratio. The research results show that the shear strength of the test beam generally decreases with the increase in beam section height, and a regression formula of the shear strength was obtained, which can formulate this effect. The rationale and feasibility of the explicit finite element method solving the ultimate load of concrete structures (which can derive the shear strength) were briefly demonstrated, and an explicit finite element simulation of test beams was carried out. Results showed an obvious and phenomenologically regular size effect of the shear strength of recycled concrete beams without web reinforcement, which can be simulated by the explicit finite element method. This research aims to promote the study of low-carbon recycled concrete structures to a certain extent and encourage the application of economic explicit finite element methods for the static analysis of concrete structures.

Highlights

Recycled concrete is an important form of low-carbon-emission concrete; numerical simulation methods are generally regarded as low-carbon analysis methods compared with physical tests
The purpose of this paper is to report that SRRC has a size effect, and this effect can be simulated by the explicit finite element method but is difficult to simulate using the implicit finite element method
As the load reached an extreme value, a main diagonal crack suddenly appeared rise, shear oblique cracks appeared near the neutral axis of the beam, the oblique cracks to tear the beam in a similar manner to the main control crack in beam Bextended to both ends, and part of the oblique cracks connected with the normal cracks

Summary

Introduction

Recycled concrete is an important form of low-carbon-emission concrete; numerical simulation methods are generally regarded as low-carbon analysis methods compared with physical tests. The mass formed by waste concrete processing is commonly utilized as coarse aggregate, and the material formed by mixing it with inorganic binding substances, such as fine aggregate, cement, water, etc., is called recycled concrete (ReC) [1]. It is generally considered that ReC is a green, low-carbon-emission material, which has a certain positive role in the protection of resources and the environment [2]. It is worth noting that, from a broad perspective of processes in research, production and living, among multiple behaviors that can achieve the same goal, those producing lower greenhouse gas emissions are collectively called low-carbon behaviors [3]. The numerical simulation method is obviously a relatively low-carbon analysis method Physical tests and numerical simulation tests are two common methods of studying building structures, and the finite element method is a regular means to carry out structural numerical simulation tests [4].

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