Reinforced Concrete Elements Research Articles

Cyclic Performance of Reinforced Concrete Columns Strengthened with Basalt-Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (BFRCM)

The purpose of this experimental investigation was to confirm whether the Basalt-Fibre-Reinforced Cement Matrix (BFRCM) effectively enhances the cyclic performance of columns made of reinforced concrete (RC). The BFRCM system, which comprises basalt fabric mesh reinforced with a cementitious matrix containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibre, has significant practical implications. In the testing phase, concrete and steel reinforcement were used to create RC column specimens, which were then strengthened with three, four, and five layers of BFRCM. The horizontal cyclic and constant axial loads were applied and tested to evaluate the performance of RC columns with and without strengthening. By improving the energy dissipation by approximately 9 to 32% and increasing stiffness by roughly 24 to 44%, the column specimen with three, four, and five layers of BFRCM performed better than the control specimen. Furthermore, incorporating short fibre into the matrix effectively improved the tensile properties of the FRCM systems and decreased the shrinkage-induced cracks. The increased stiffness indicates that the column with BFRCM has better structural strength because it can sustain higher loads with less deflection. The thorough comparative analyses examined the RC column specimens’ failure modes, hysteretic responses, stiffness degradation, and energy dissipation, providing a reliable basis for the conclusions. The test results confirmed that the BFRCM effectively enhanced the seismic capabilities and has been promised a way to strengthen RC elements, providing valuable insights for civil engineering and materials science.

On the ductility of RC beam section: A revision and up to date of conclusions

In the context of reinforced concrete (RC) structures, standards aim to relate the ductility of these structures to the ductility of the steels used in their construction. Among other requirements, EC8 requires the use of special ductility steels to achieve high ductility in structures. After reviewing the relevant literature, this study aims to evaluate the impact of various parameters on the ductility at the cross-section level of RC elements subjected to bending. The study concludes that there is no consensus on the assessment of ductility, nor a standardized framework for the various alternatives. Additionally: i) Some contradictions exist regarding the impact of fundamental parameters on the assessment of ductility; ii) A one-size-fits-all methodology is impractical given the diverse factors influencing ductility in RC elements. It is proposed to consider the ductility of RC element sections as a function of the mechanical ratio of tensioned reinforcement. A proposal is also made to enhance the ductility of cross-sections without significantly increasing their strength: by increasing the width of the section while keeping other parameters unchanged.

Advanced Structural Monitoring Technologies in Assessing the Performance of Retrofitted Reinforced Concrete Elements

Advanced Structural Monitoring Technologies in Assessing the Performance of Retrofitted Reinforced Concrete Elements

Flexural behavior of corroded RC beams repaired with high performance cementitious mortar under cyclic loading

AbstractThe understanding of the cyclic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) elements is of vital importance in relation to the extent of the service life of buildings and infrastructures. Steel rebar corrosion plays a major role in this regard because it significantly affects the overall structural integrity, especially under cyclic loads, leading to reduced stiffness and load‐bearing capacity of structural elements. Cyclic condition has the potential to accelerate the corrosion‐induced cracking and spalling, the effectiveness of the bond strength between rebar and concrete, and also the ductility and energy dissipation characteristics of the structure. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a high‐performance thixotropic repairing cementitious mortar in improving the fatigue behavior of RC elements through a multiscale experimental approach. First, at the material scale of concrete specimens, two different concrete classes together with the repairing one‐component, pre‐blended, thixotropic cementitious mortar, were tested under incremental cyclic condition. Based on the results obtained from material scale, four reinforced concrete beams were exposed to different levels of accelerated corrosion by means of the impressed current technique and, subsequently, repaired by bonding a layer of the thixotropic high‐performance mortar onto the tension side. Finally, beams were tested under incremental cyclic four‐point bending test to investigate the fatigue behavior in terms of crack onset, propagation and energy dissipation. The resulting cyclic properties and cracking behavior of the structural elements were related to the level of corrosion achieved through the accelerated test and the effectiveness of the structural repair mortar was proven. In terms of code compliance, the repairing mortar was able to fulfill the requirements of frequent and quasi‐permanent combination of loads, remaining below all the threshold values provided by the Italian NTC2018 and Eurocode.

Repairing of Reinforced Concrete T- section Beam with Web Opening Subjected to Torque by Using Ultra- High Performance concrete (UHPC)

Abstract Due to harsh weather factors, overloading, poor design, and material defects, reinforced concrete (RC) constructions’ early degradation has grown significantly over the last few decades. RC element repair is crucial to improving existing structures’ service life. Also, the transverse openings are frequently utilized in beams in modern structures to supply the service pipes. Because stresses are concentrated in a limited region above and below the opening, the presence of openings in concrete beams causes cracks to grow around the openings. Repairing, maintaining, and upgrading structural elements may be among the most important issues in civil engineering applications. This paper studies the effect of the presence of an opening and repairing of reinforced concrete T-section beam with web opening was subjected to torsion by using ultra-high performance concrete panels with a thickness of 20mm; The experimental work included casting seven beams: one beam without an opening and another beam with an opening, and five rest beams were repaired with UHPC panels in different locations. The results show the effect of an opening by decreasing the ultimate torque and increasing the ultimate angle of twist. The increase in ultimate torque for repairing beams compared to the control beam reached 153%, and a decrease in ultimate twist angle for repairing beams compared to the control beam reached 98%.

Strength capacity of RC beams without shear reinforcement: Numerical analysis and comparisons with code provisions

The investigation of the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) elements without shear reinforcement is a current focal point, driven by the incomplete consolidation of predictive formulas for shear strength in RC elements. Currently, the literature provides, indeed, a limited number of experimental and numerical studies on this subject. This paper seeks to advance the comprehension of the behavior and collapse mechanisms of RC beams not provided of shear reinforcement, as commonly employed in RC slabs of bridges. The paper commences with a critical review of several predictive formulas for the shear strength of RC elements lacking transverse reinforcement, as stipulated by various international codes. The objective is to identify the principal parameters involved in the formulations and discuss their roles also by means of sensitivity analysis. Following this, the results of nonlinear numerical analyses, based on a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model, are presented. The FE model was initially calibrated using experimental results from a benchmark beam lacking shear reinforcement, retrieved from the literature, which exhibited a brittle shear failure. Subsequently, several specimens were prepared for the numerical investigation, assuming multiple combinations of geometrical and mechanical parameters. For specimens experiencing shear failure, the strength was compared with that provided by code formulas, as well as using the strut-and-tie approach for the cases characterized by a reduced shear span-to-depth ratio. In general, these analytical tools significantly underestimated the numerical strength, underscoring the necessity for further insights based on experimental tests. The numerical outcomes have been, indeed, prodromal to design an experimental campaign.

Shear Design of Reinforced Concrete Elements with Steel Fibers

Experimental research shows that the addition of ductile fibers improves the tensile strength, ductility and concrete's energy absorption capacity. As a consequence of the improvement of the post-cracking behavior, the addition of dispersed ductile fibers can increase the ductility, the shear resistance and the toughness of reinforced concrete beams, changing the type of failure from brittle to ductile. Many studies have considered the possibility of using steel fibers to partially resist shear and thus decrease shear reinforcement. This concept has even been adopted by some design codes such as ACI-318 or the Fib Model Code 2010 and has great potential for application in critical points of reinforced concrete structures where it is difficult to arrange shear reinforcement, such as beam - column joints. Despite this, fiber-reinforced concrete is still rarely used in load - bearing elements. In this work, it is proposed to numerically study the behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete beams tested at shear by other researchers in order to evaluate the contribution of steel fibers to the mechanism of resistance to shear.

Unsupervised autoencoders with features in the electromechanical impedance domain for early damage assessment in FRP-strengthened concrete elements

This paper presents the development of a robust automatic diagnosis technique that uses raw Electro-Mechanical Impedance (EMI) signals and deep autoencoder models to detect damage in fiber-reinforced-polymers (FRP) strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) elements, for which the most common failure modes occur in a sudden and brittle way by debonding. The contribution of this work is threefold: First, for the first time, two autoencoder models, convolutional and fully connected, based on an unsupervised learning framework supplemented by appropriate pre-processing techniques, are proposed for effective tracking of FRP-strengthened RC elements from raw EMI response variations in different locations of the auscultated structure; their implementation is also extensively investigated. The proposed framework consists of two main components, namely, dimensionality reduction and relationship learning. The first component is to reduce the dimensionality of the raw EMI signal while preserving the necessary information required, and the second component is to perform the relationship learning between the features with the reduced dimensionality and the stiffness reduction parameters of the structure. The approach is beneficial as only the EMI spectrum from the healthy structure state is considered for the training of the autoencoders. Second, the superior performance of the proposed framework is demonstrated. The results show that the proposed technique can accurately detect minor damage in its earliest stages for this kind of strengthened structures, while removing the need for manual or signal processing-based damage sensitive feature extraction from EMI signals for damage diagnosis. Finally, research presented in this work can potentially open up new opportunities for successful condition monitoring of this type of strengthened structures.

Review of Behavior Flexural Strengthened RC Beams Using Ultra-High Performance Concrete

The use of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) to reinforce existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures in flexure has made great strides in research recently. In addition to creating an experimental archive, the research provided a thorough technical literature review. The effectiveness of UHPC strengthening schemes for RC beams was assessed by examining the effect of size on the flexural strengthening performance of RC members with UHPC. Various dimensions of RC elements were considered in order to understand any possible size-related effects. Factors like material strength and stiffness of the current RC members were considered because they could affect the strengthening's overall effectiveness. To comprehend how the strengthening of the UHPC would impact the overall. In order to find the most successful strategy, various UHPC strengthening configurations were examined. prior to applying the UHPC, the concrete substrate must be prepared. The experimental results from the studies under review indicate that UHPC is a promising reinforcement that can successfully provide RC beams flexural strength. The plain overlay's bending capacity increased by 20% to 60% when the thickness of the UHPC overlay was increased within the range of 30 to 50 mm. In contrast to plain overlays, the reinforced overlay resulted in a notable 40%–85% increase in flexural capacity. To assist stakeholders in making decisions, a cost comparison of UHPC with other strengthening techniques, such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP), was provided. The study concludes by highlighting the potential of UHPC as a workable option for flexural strengthening of existing RC structures and offers insightful information for furthering the advancement and application of this technology in the building sector.

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Compressive Interface Stress on Interfaces in Reinforced Concrete Elements under Cyclic Action

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Compressive Interface Stress on Interfaces in Reinforced Concrete Elements under Cyclic Action

Approaches to estimate global safety factors for reliability assessment of RC structures using non-linear numerical analyses

The study is focused on the comparison and discussion of different approaches within the use of the global resistance method (GRM) for safety assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) systems using non-linear numerical analyses (NLNAs). With this purpose, a benchmark dataset, comprising 56 experimental results obtained from tests on 40 RC columns with variable slenderness and 16 non-slender RC elements including walls, deep beams and shear walls, is considered. The NLN models for all the 56 members adopt solution strategies able to optimize the agreement between numerical predictions and experimental outcomes. Then, probabilistic hypotheses have been defined regarding both aleatory (i.e., materials and geometry) and epistemic uncertainties (i.e., model) associated with all the 56 RC members. These assumptions form the basis for developing a comprehensive set of probabilistic analyses of the global structural resistance for each RC member. The results of these probabilistic analyses offer valuable insights into the impact of the different sources of uncertainties on the global structural response. In detail, three distinct approaches for estimating the global safety factors within the GRM are outlined and compared. The purpose is to address the effectiveness of the different approaches for the reliability evaluation of RC members within the GRM together with the relevance of both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. Ultimately, recommendations are provided regarding the adoption of the GRM in the upcoming generation of design codes.

Experimental Investigation of the Explosion Effects on Reinforced Concrete Slabs with Fibers

In today’s world, concrete structures are exposed to various influences, including explosive actions. With the increasing use of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC), it is essential to investigate its response to blast effects. As there are few studies on this topic worldwide, this research is dedicated to the question of how blast effects affect the damage and properties of six different types of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs. These samples differ in concrete classes (C30/37 and C50/60) and in the type of fibers added (steel and polypropylene). Visual inspections and non-destructive measurements are carried out before and after blasting. The damaged area of the concrete surface is determined by visual inspection, while non-destructive measurements evaluate parameters such as the rebound value of the Schmidt hammer, the electrical resistivity of the concrete, the velocity of the ultrasonic wave, and the dynamic modulus of elasticity. Equal amounts of explosives are applied to five of the RC slabs to enable a comparative analysis of the resulting damage. Based on the comparison of the measured data from these five RC slabs, conclusions are drawn regarding the effects of the explosive impacts on conventionally reinforced concrete slabs compared to those with added fibers. In addition, one of the RC slabs with steel fibers is exposed to approximately three times the amount of explosives to assess the extent of increased damage and to evaluate the suitability of military standards in the calculation of explosive charges for blasting RC elements with fibers.

Numerical assessment of using FRP rebars as an alternative passive reinforcement in RC beams

AbstractRecent sustainable building strategies make the right decisions to be environmentally friendly and reduce carbon emissions. In some reinforced concrete (RC) elements, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have been proposed as an alternative to conventional steel bars. The demand for using noncorrosive and/or nonmetallic reinforcing bars in various reinforced concrete projects has increased. Although these concrete elements are lightweight, have a long lifespan, and need little maintenance, their non-ductile nature and bond with the surrounding concrete create significant challenges. Several experimental investigations have been conducted to evaluate the behavior of RC elements, even with their high cost. This study aims to assess numerically the viability of using FRP bars instead of traditional steel ones in simply supported reinforced concrete beams (RCBs) as longitudinal reinforcement (passive reinforcement). Utilizing the three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) software (ABAQUS), a total of eighteen models were carried out to validate the results available in reference case studies with FRP bars. The verification of the numerical results has been verified by comparing them with the reference experimental data. Next, in order to assess the rigidity of such RCBs with FRP bars, parametric research was carried out. The numerical results proved that RCBs with FRP bars have a positive impact on enhancing load-carrying capacities. But on the other hand, the strain energy of such RCBs with CFRP bars is reduced to about 75% of the strain energy of RCBs with steel bars, which leads to low beam ductility.

Cracking and failure mode behavior of hybrid FRP strengthened RC column members under flexural loading

AbstractStrengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) members in bridges and buildings is often required to improve flexural performance. Strengthening using fiber‐reinforced polymer (FRP) composites has become popular as FRPs offer multiple advantages compared with conventional strengthening practices like steel jacketing and concrete enlargement. External bonding (EB) using carbon FRP (CFRP) laminates/fabric has become a common strengthening practice. The effectiveness of the EB strengthened system is reduced due to possible debonding of FRP from concrete substrate. The near‐surface mounting (NSM) of FRP laminates is efficient in reducing the debonding failure, but it is not effective under dominant compression loading. Hybrid FRP (HYB) strengthening combines the advantages of both the NSM and EB techniques. HYB strengthening can enhance the performance of RC members under all loading combinations. The main objective of this study is to understand the flexural crack opening behavior of control and hybrid FRP strengthened RC column members under pure bending. The digital image correlation (DIC) analysis shows that the crack width and its propagation are significantly reduced due to hybrid FRP strengthening. The crack widths measured using the DIC are compared with the analytical predictions based on Eurocode 2 and fib bulletin 90. HYB FRP strengthening increased the strength and post‐cracking stiffness of RC elements under flexure without compromising the ductility. In addition, the HYB strengthening distributed the damage under flexural loading, unlike localized damage observed in control RC elements.

Experimental investigation of flexural bond behavior of sand-coated GFRP rebar embedded in concrete

Steel rebars used in Reinforced Concrete (RC) elements may be subjected to corrosion due to aggressive environmental conditions. Rebar corrosion reduces the durability and the structural capacity of RC elements. On the other hand, since the steel rebars affect the magnetic fields, it is not preferred to be used in RC structures which is used to carry the equipment that propagate magnetic waves such as toll plazas on highways. For these reasons, the use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) rebars is increasing, especially in RC infrastructure constructions. The objective of the present study is to investigate the bond behavior of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebar with a sand-coated outer surface in concrete using the arched beam test method. The concrete strength and the embedment length were chosen as variable parameters and 34 beam test specimens were tested in the laboratory. A comparative analysis of the crack patterns, the diagonal crack angles and the failure modes of the specimens is made. In addition, the experimentally determined bond-slip relationships were compared with different analytical models in the literature. Consequently, a bond-slip model, which takes into account CMR (Cosenza-Manfredi-Realfonzo) for the increasing part and mBPE (modified Bertero-Popov-Eligehausen) for the decreasing part, is proposed to be used in the numerical models of RC beams with sand-coated GFRP rebars. A prediction model for the bond strength is proposed, along with a recommendation for an upper bound value for the bond stress, which indirectly offers a minimum embedment length for a bond without slippage.

Systematic Calculation of Yield and Failure Curvatures of Reinforced Concrete Cross-Sections

This paper examines and provides a robust solution to the problem of yield and failure curvatures of reinforced concrete (RC) cross-sections, taking into account cracking. At the same time, it calculates the corresponding necessary reinforcement or the moment of resistance in both yield and failure limit states. Computationally, the problem of determining the actual curvatures is reduced to the bending design problem of the cross-section in the yield and failure limit states. This study shows the researcher and the designer how to systematically calculate the strains for different concrete and steel grades and for standard or random cross-sections. This complex process is quite necessary to determine the respective curvatures. The main concept is presented with an emphasis on the “solution regions” as well as the critical cases of the “asymptotic regions”, both in yield and failure limit states. Our wide-ranging research on RC element design under biaxial bending with axial force for both yield and failure limit states has been completed and validated via sophisticated algorithms and is available for publication.

Simulation of the degraded (steel - concrete) bond strength due to corrosion via modeling pull out tests

Steel corrosion is recognised as major degradation factor of structural capacity and durability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures, especially in marine environment. RC structures with corroded reinforcement present reduced performance due to loss of the cross-sectional area of reinforcement, cracks in concrete and loss of bond between steel and the surrounding concrete. In the present study, simulation of the degraded bond strength on corroded RC elements was elaborated developing a three-dimensional (3D) model through finite element analysis (FEA) in ABAQUS, taking into account the recommendations of fib Model Code 2010. As a basis for the model validation, an existing experimental study on the effect of corrosion and stirrups spacing on bond behavior was considered. In the abovementioned study the bond mechanism of two groups of corroded RC specimens in confined (stirrups Φ8/120mm) and unconfined (without stirrups) conditions were examined upon the completion of eccentric pull-out tests. In order to model the complex conditions of the corroded steel-concrete interface, the cohesive behavior was adopted by appropriately modificated parameters, for each corrosion level. The bond-slip curves extracted from the developed model were shown to be in a good agreement with the relevant experimental results. In particular, the bond strength of confined RC specimens deviates at about 10% among the analytical and experimental outcomes, for both uncorroded and corroded conditions up to 8.3% corrosion level. In case of the unconfined specimens, the bond strength prediction was satisfactory up to 5% corrosion level, whereas for greater corrosion level, large deviation was observed. Regarding the prediction of the relative slip between steel and concrete, further investigation is required as the development of slip is influenced by a plethora of factors.

Universal Bond Models of FRP Reinforcements Externally Bonded and Near-Surface Mounted to RC Elements in Bending.

The use of fibre-reinforced polymer materials (FRPs) for the retrofitting of reinforced concrete (RC) structures has become very popular. However, the main concern for the exploitation of FRPs is their premature debonding failure modes. This paper presents two different universal models for calculating flexed RC elements strengthened with externally bonded and near-surface mounted FRP reinforcements, which were derived by coupling principles of the fracture mechanics of solids and generally accepted assumptions. The first model allows a complete analysis of the behaviour, development, and propagation of rupture of the joint. The main advantages of the proposed model, compared to existing ones, are that it does not require additional bond shear tests to identify missing factors, and it is versatile and suitable for both externally bonded reinforcements (EBR) and near surface mounted (NSM) strengthening techniques. In addition, the concrete-FRP connection is divided into zones and the current phase and length of each zone are determined, allowing for more detailed analysis of the connection at different load stages. The proposed computational model and its derivation focus on the performance of the joint between the two cracks and the distribution of the shear stresses in that joint. The second one requires fewer computations and can be fully exploited when the joint is treated as a unit, without division. The results of the calculations have been validated using the experimental database of 77 RC beams and strengthened with externally bonded and near-surface mounted carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheets, plates, strips, and bars taken from 13 different studies. Both the prestress force and the initial stress state before strengthening were evaluated.

Crack Resistance of Encentrally Compressed Reinforced Concrete Elements in Natural Conditions of the Republic of Uzbekistan

This article is devoted to the theoretical and experimental study of the crack resistance of eccentrically compressed reinforced concrete elements under dry, hot climate conditions. Methods for conducting experimental research have been developed and the nature of the increase in the deformative properties of heavy concrete under dry, hot climate conditions has been studied. Based on the research conducted, it has been established that in conditions of a dry, hot climate, the deformative properties of concrete change due to the action of temperature and humidity, which must be taken into account in the calculations.

NSM-CFRP rods with varied embedment depths for strengthening RC T-beams in the negative moment region: Investigation on high cyclic response

Throughout its service life, structural reinforced concrete (RC) encounters cyclic loads and the load amplitude might always vary, leading to a mixed high and low-cycle failure. This research investigates the high cyclic response of RC T-beams strengthened in the negative moment region using near-surface mounted (NSM) Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) rods. The distinctive aspect lies in exploring varied embedment depths, including the introduction of half-embedded configurations as an alternative NSM technique. The study comprehensively analyzes load-carrying capacity, failure modes, energy dissipation, ductility, stiffness degradation, and strain behavior, providing insights into the effects of loading rates on structural response. Through an experimental program comparing fully-embedded (BF-D) and half-embedded (BH-D) CFRP rods with a control beam (BN-D) under high-rate cyclic loading, significant increases in ultimate load capacity (21.23% for BH-D and 30.86% for BF-D) are demonstrated despite debonding occurrences. The findings highlight a trade-off between benefits (enhanced ultimate load capacities, improved energy dissipation, and increased stiffness) and drawbacks (reduced ductility and tendencies toward brittle behavior) under high loading rates. Furthermore, a rate-dependent material formula is developed and validated, predicting the flexural strength of the negative moment region in good agreement with experimental results. Finally, this research contributes practical solutions to RC element strengthening challenges and advances understanding of NSM-CFRP-strengthened beam, emphasizing the impact of loading rates on structural response.