Shear Strength Model Research Articles

Shear Strength Behaviors of Aeolian Sand Solidified by Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation and Basalt Fiber Reinforcement.

Aeolian sand flow is identified as the main factor in the formation of sandstorms. However, conventional sand fixation methods cannot meet the current development requirements of environmental protection. In this paper, the method using Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) combined with basalt fiber reinforcement (BFR) was adopted to solidify the aeolian sand. Consolidated undrained triaxial shear tests were carried out to analyze the influence of fiber content, fiber length, confining pressure, and other factors on stress-strain characteristics, peak strength, brittleness index, and shear strength of aeolian sand. A shear strength model of aeolian sand solidification using MICP-BFR and considering the effect of fiber length and fiber content is established according to the test results. The results show that the peak strength of aeolian sand solidified by MICP-BFR is remarkably higher than that of aeolian sand solidified by MICP alone, and the peak strength rises with the increasing fiber length, fiber content, and confining pressure. The application of fiber can effectively reduce the brittleness index of aeolian sand solidified by MICP and improve the sample ductility. As fiber content and fiber length increase, the cohesion of solidified aeolian sand increases while the internal friction angle changes relatively little. In the limited range set by the test, the fiber length of 12 mm and the fiber content of 1.0% constitute the optimum reinforcement condition. The test results coincide with the model prediction results, indicating that the new model is fitting for predicting the shear strength of aeolian sand solidified by MICP-BFR. The research results provide an important reference value for guiding the practice of wind prevention and sand fixation in desert areas.

Undrained Triaxial Shear Tests on Hydrate-Bearing Fine-Grained Sediments from the Shenhu Area of South China Sea

Changes in undrained shear strength are important to the stability analysis of hydrate reservoirs during natural gas hydrate production. This study proposes a prediction model of undrained shear strength of hydrate-bearing fine-grained sediments based on the critical state theory. Several consolidated undrained triaxial shear tests are conducted on hydrate-bearing fine-grained samples from the Shenhu area of the South China Sea. The effects of effective consolidation stresses and hydrate saturations on the undrained shear strength are investigated. The results show that the undrained shear strength increases linearly with increasing effective consolidation stress. When the hydrate saturation is greater than the effective hydrate saturation, the undrained shear strength significantly increases with increasing hydrate saturation. The undrained shear strength of hydrate-bearing fine-grained sediments is a two-parameter function of effective hydrate saturation and a void ratio. The instability risk of the hydrate reservoir under undrained conditions is greater than that of under-drained or partially drained conditions. Furthermore, low-porosity reservoirs face more shear strength loss from hydrate decomposition yet lower risk than high-porosity ones. These results can improve the understanding of mechanical properties of hydrate-bearing fine-grained sediments under undrained conditions. This study also has implications for the design of marine structures in areas with hydrate-bearing sediment.

Effect of vacancy defects of graphene on the interfacial bonding and strengthening mechanism of graphene/Al composite

The structure and properties of the graphene-Al interface change significantly when defects are present in graphene. However, the effect of defects on interfacial bonding lacks quantitative assessment, and the results of theoretical studies are also difficult to guide the design of interface structures. In this paper, the interfacial structure of graphene-Al with different vacancy defect types has been investigated by first-principle calculations, and the interfacial bonding was calculated by quantifying the interfacial shear strength. The interfacial shear strengths of defect-free, single-vacancy, and double-vacancy were 0.02 GPa, 6.8 GPa, and 8.5 GPa, respectively. Based on the first-principles data and the differential idea, the calculation model of shear strength of graphene-Al interface with different defect contents was established. The role of vacancy defects on the enhancement of graphene-Al interfacial bonding was elucidated. A method to estimate the shear strength of graphene-Al direct bonding interface based on Raman characterization of graphene defects was proposed. The influence of graphene defects on graphene strengthening efficiency was clarified, and an apparent strengthening model applicable to directly bonded interfacial graphene/aluminum composites was established. The model was validated by graphene/Al composites with directly bonding interface.

Machine learning-based prediction of shear strength of steel reinforced concrete columns subjected to axial compressive load and seismic lateral load

The shear strength of steel reinforced concrete (SRC) columns is a crucial basis in their seismic design and evaluation of structural performance. Most of the existing research predicts the lateral load carrying capacity based on regression equations, but lacks accuracy. To this end, in this study, Gaussian process regression (GPR), Least Squares Boosting (LSBoosting), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Feedforward Neural Network (FNN) and other machine learning (ML) algorithms were employed to develop the shear strength model of SRC columns subjected to axial compressive load and seismic lateral load. A large experimental database with 395 samples was established to train 11 input features. The original database was divided into 5 datasets based on the mixed, flexural, flexural-shear, shear, and bond failure modes. The failure mechanism factors were introduced for better evaluation. Specifically, an effective data splitting strategy-bootstrapping was used to train the models, and Bayesian optimization was attempted to improve the prediction accuracy. Results demonstrate that GPR has the highest prediction accuracy with the most failure modes, and the factors affecting the shear strength are explained reasonably by correlation analysis and Partial Dependence Plot. Through comprehensive comparison, the GPR model developed in this paper is advanced in predicting the shear strength of SRC columns.

Theoretical modeling for predicting the shear strength of partially-encased composite members with multiple transverse stiffeners

Partially encased composite (PEC) members are frequently used as girders in heavily-loaded or long-span structures. In PEC members, the steel web is encased in web concrete between the top and bottom flanges. When PEC members are used in continuous beam spans, the intermediate support area is subjected to significant shear force and negative bending, which is more critical than the span center. As a result, accurate prediction of shear strength is crucial for structural safety in practical design. Unlike traditional concrete or steel beams, PEC beams have multiple shear transfer mechanisms consisting of concrete, steel flanges, axial steel web, and transverse stiffeners (if necessary), and it is essential to investigate the shear contributions of the different mechanisms and how they work together as a composite structure. To solve this problem, this paper presents a novel shear strength model, in which the global shear strength is composed of two main components: the composite truss (steel flanges, web concrete, and transverse stiffeners) and the axial steel web, and these two components are unified by strain compatibility to show the composite action. Then, the proposed model is compared with existing shear equations using 25 existing specimens in the literature, and the results indicate that the proposed model can predict the shear strength of PEC beams with sufficient accuracy. Finally, the paper presents a simplified design method after validating the shear contributions of different anti-shear mechanisms, and the simplified method can facilitate practical design in engineering practices.

Prediction of shear strength of rock fractures using support vector regression and grid search optimization

The shear strength of rock fractures serves as a crucial control on the strength and deformation behavior of engineering rock masses. To reduce the uncertainties in the shear strength evaluation, a hybrid machine learning model (GS-SVR model) of the support vector regression (SVR) underpinned by the grid search optimization algorithm (GS) was proposed. It achieves the prediction of shear strength by generalization and deduction of a large amount of data on rock fracture parameters, which avoids the complex derivation of theoretical equations. For practical application, a dataset comprising more than 134 shear tests on various rocks was compiled to collect the relevant three-dimensional morphological and mechanical parameters for training and prediction. Three classical shear strength models and the original SVR model were introduced for further comparison. Finally, sensitivity analysis was carried out to explore the relative importance of input variables to the shear strength. The results showed that the GS- SVR model (correlation coefficient R2 = 0.984, root mean squared error RMSE=0.383) outperformed the original SVR model (R2 = 0.936, RMSE=0.568). Moreover, compared with three classical shear strength models, the prediction results of the GS-SVR model were also most consistent with the experimental results (with the lowest RMSE and the highest R2). This machine learning model enhanced by GS can be used as a reliable and accurate shear strength prediction tool to partially replace laboratory tests to save costs.

Shear strength model for steel shape-reinforced concrete girders considering compatible steel–concrete interaction

Steel shape-reinforced concrete (SRC), also known as concrete-encased steel, offers numerous benefits compared with conventional reinforced concrete (RC) or bare steel due to its combination of RC and structural steel sections; therefore, SRC members find extensive use as transfer elements or girders in engineering applications. When evaluating SRC girders’ shear resistance, the direct strength superposition of RC and structural steel is basically used in most design codes, ignoring the steel–concrete interaction under shear, which has proven unreasonable because of the brittle shear behavior of RC. This paper suggests a novel method for assessing SRC girders’ shear resistance mechanism. The proposed method involves modeling the RC portion by a hybrid truss-arch analogy; in addition, based on the strain compatibility condition, the steel profile’s contribution is determined by applying the yielding criterion. Finally, the rationality of the proposed model is validated through a comprehensive comparison with previously published models and a set of 45 experimental test data samples available in the existing literature, and the results show that the proposed model can reasonably predict the maximum load-carrying capacity of SRC girders and is superior to existing shear strength models and code-based equations.

Study on the shear strength and damage constitutive model of the contact surface between PVA fiber-enhanced cement mortar and concrete

In this study, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber-enhanced cement mortar (PFCM) with high workability, early strength, and high strength was developed. The influences of water content (w), strength, and surface roughness (Rd) of concrete on the shear strength of its contact surface with PFCM were experimentally investigated, followed by the establishment of damage constitutive model. The PFCM was found to be suitable for spraying and achieved a compressive strength of 102.8 MPa and a flexural strength of 19.6 MPa at 28 days. At 3–7 days, its compressive and flexural strengths reached about 79–80% and 83–90% of the 28-day strength, respectively. The shear load and fracture energy release rate of the PFCM and Concrete contact surfaces is between 6.13 kN and 12.09 kN and 1.13 J/m2 to 2.20 J/m2, respectively, both increasing with the increasing w, strength and Rd of concrete. The increased w of concrete from 0.0% to 5.5% could reduce the porosity and capillary pore content of PFCM by about 43% and 50.4%, respectively, and the increased Rd could enhance the interlocking effect between PFCM and concrete. The damage function proposed based on the Najar energy theory could reflect the evolution characteristics of shearing damage of PFCM and Concrete contact surface, and the damage constitutive model proposed by combining the Weibull statistical distribution function and Guo Zhenhai model could reflect the shear mechanical behavior of the PFCM and Concrete contact surface.

Lateral load resistance of reinforced concrete columns with brittle details

AbstractAnalytical models for shear strength and deformation capacity estimation of reinforced concrete members are essential for the practical implementation of performance‐based seismic evaluation of existing structures and form a key part of current seismic assessment codes (e.g., EN 1998‐3 (2005), (2022), ASCE/SEI 41‐17). Although these models have been derived from regression or calibration of large datasets collected from experimental literature, discrepancy persists between experimental and analytical estimates, especially in cases of members with old‐type detailing. The evident uncertainty about parametric dependencies of the underlying mechanistic problem motivated the present work, where a set of benchmark columns that represent older structural detailing are studied parametrically through advanced finite element simulation. Parameters considered were, the axial load ratio, transverse reinforcement amount and spacing, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, and anchorage/lap splice detailing; results were gauged in terms of the resulting drift ratio (deformation capacity) at the performance limit states and were compared with the Code estimates to evaluate their limits and conservatism. The simulation results were used to vet the assumptions that underlie the simple mechanistic models used in deriving seismic design expressions for yield and ultimate deformation capacities, shear strength, and the rate of its degradation with increasing ductility.

A hybrid neuro-swarm model for shear strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete deep beams

Despite the wide application of steel fiber to augment the strength and durability of concrete, predicting the shear strength capacity of steel fiber-reinforced concrete in deep beams has been a challenge for civil engineering applications. This is due to the complex interactions of various parameters such as the beam dimensions, material strength, and reinforcements. To address this concern, a hybrid Neuro-Swarm model was developed using 116 experimental datasets. With the least root mean squared error (RMSE) of 10.02 and the highest correlation coefficient (R) of 0.997, the proposed model demonstrated remarkable performance indicators exhibiting superior prediction performance. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test revealed no significant difference between predicted and experimental shear strength values. Furthermore, with relative importance values of 13.573% and 13.565%, the beam depth and yield strength of the reinforcing bars were found to be the most significant predictors influencing the shear strength. When compared to previously established shear strength prediction models in the literature, the proposed model emerged as the best and most robust. The results demonstrated that the new hybrid Neuro-Swarm model may be used to accurately forecast the shear strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete deep beams.

Validation, Reliability, and Performance of Shear Strength Models for Unsaturated Soils

Soil shear strength is the most fundamental property when designing structures in the ground and should be carefully assessed and understood. Several empirical models were introduced to predict the shear strength of unsaturated soils. However, there is uncertainty regarding the applicability and sensitivity of these prediction models. This paper presents a comprehensive verification study to assess the reliability and validity of the existing theoretical models. The results obtained from the prediction models are compared to measured data using thirty experimental data sets. A performance classification program is also conducted to assess the suitability of the analytical models for different soil types as well as over a wide range of matric suctions, saturation degrees, soil densities, soil plasticity, and clay activity. The impact of each single parameter is clarified by the microstructure studies, which also provides insight into the mechanics of unsaturated soils. The results indicated that the applicability of models is more appropriate for sandy soils rather than for clayey ones. The performance of shear strength models tends to decrease with an increase in matric suction, initial density, plasticity index, and clay activity. It is, therefore, recommended that the shear strength estimation models should be carefully selected depending on the soil type and properties. Besides, the analysed results pointed out that the choice to assume the factor chi in the equation of Bishop equals the saturation degree is only suitable for medium-dense soils with low matric suction. This assumption is particularly not effective for clayey soils, or dense soils with high matric suction.

Research on the Model for the Friction Coefficient of Resin-Based Friction Material and Its Experimental Verification

Resin-based friction materials have been widely used in the friction braking of automobiles and power machinery. Based on experiments for the variation law of friction and wear morphology, a new model for the friction coefficient of resin-based friction materials was proposed, which includes the effects of both the micro convex body on the surface of the friction material and the frictional film generated during the friction process. This quantitative model of friction coefficient materials was established for the modelling of shear strength, compressive strength, shear strength of the frictional film, contact load and wear morphology. The shear strength, compressive strength and wear morphology of the friction material were adjusted by changing the content of basalt fibers and flaky potassium magnesium titanate. Finally, the accuracy of this quantitative model of friction coefficient was verified through experiments on friction samples with different formulations and by changing the frictional contact load. The results show that the predicted friction coefficient of the model is in good agreement with the experimental friction coefficient, the difference between the upper and lower limits of the forecast is only 5.03% and 2.30%, respectively. Meanwhile, the influence of the ratio of shear strength to compressive strength on the friction coefficient is greater than the proportion of wear morphology. The proposed friction model provides a reference value for the study of new resin-based friction materials.

Maximum shear strength of concrete-encased steel composite beams: A novel strength model and FE verification

Due to the high load-carrying capacity and rigidity, concrete-encased steel (CES) beams are widely applied as transfer elements in heavily-loaded structures. However, the accurate shear strength prediction method is still under investigation because of the difficulty in the shear contribution decomposition of steel shape and reinforced concrete. Current design codes apply the strength superposition for CES beams, namely that their shear strength can be obtained by directly superimposing the shear strengths of RC and steel shape, which has been proven questionable by existing research. Therefore, it needs to carefully decouple the multiple shear transfer mechanisms in CES beams and explore their roles in a composite structure. In this paper, a novel shear strength model is proposed, in which a CES beam can be divided into a shear web and a composite truss consisting of RC with two steel flanges, and strain compatibility is applied to evaluate the shear contribution of these two parts. After that, an elaborate FE model is established to further quantitatively investigate the shear contribution of the composite truss and the shear web. Finally, the proposed model is verified with 61 existing specimens in the literature, and the comparison between the calculated and test results indicates that the proposed model could predict the shear strength of CES beams accurately.

Effect of strand debonding on the shear strength of existing pretensioned PC hollow slab

Pretensioned PC (prestressed concrete) beams experience strand debonding failure at the ultimate loading stage, which leads to bond-loss failure of the beams. To study the effect of strand debonding on the shear strength of pretensioned PC hollow slabs, the existing PC hollow slabs of 19 specimens with spans of 10, 13, 16 and 20 m used in Chinese expressway bridges were loaded to bond-loss failure. The strand slip, bond- loss failure mode and shear strength of 19 specimens and 31 shear tests were analyzed. The test results showed that the angles of the failure diagonal cracks were not consistent with the Ross model. Therefore, a refined model to predict the shear strength subjected to pretensioned PC hollow slabs was developed. Other factors were also considered in the refined shear strength model, including the dowel action of longitudinal reinforcements, the prestressed strand development length and the compression zone height. Compared with the shear failure controlled by strand yielding, the shear strength controlled by strand debonding was decreased by approximately 27 %. The test results showed that the debonding induced bond-loss failure could be described as follows: after the formation of the failure diagonal crack, the strand will clearly slip, and concrete parts on both sides of the failure diagonal crack rotate around the crack tip. Due to the debonding induced bond-loss failure of the pretensioned PC hollow slab, the shear strength could not be improved even by increasing the concrete strength of the compression zone. Finally, the validity of the refined model was verified by 23 test specimens.

Effect of Varying Normal Stiffness on Soft Rock Joints under Cyclic Shear Loads.

The evaluation of changes in shear resistance on soft (or weathered) rock joints under cyclic shear loads with constant normal load (CNL) and constant normal stiffness (CNS) significantly contributes to increasing the safety and stability of rock slopes and underground structures. In this study, a series of cyclic shear tests were conducted on simulated soft rock joints with regular (15°-15°, 30°-30°) and irregular (15°-30°) asperities under different normal stiffnesses (kn). The results indicated that the first peak shear stress increases with the increase in kn up to the normal stiffness of the joints (knj). Beyond knj, no significant change was observed in the peak shear stress. The difference in peak shear stress between regular (30°-30°) and irregular joints (15°-30°) increases as kn increases. The minimum difference of peak shear stress between regular and irregular joints was observed (8.2%) under CNL and the maximum difference was found (64.3%) on knj under CNS. The difference in peak shear stress between the first and subsequent cycles significantly increases as both the joint roughness and kn increases. A new shear strength model is developed to predict peak shear stress of the joints for different kn and asperity angles under cyclic shear loads.

Modified ultimate bearing capacity formula of strip footing on sandy soils considering strength non-linearity depending on stress level

Most of the contemporary ultimate bearing capacity (UBC) formulas assume a linear yield function in shear stress-normal stress space. However, experimental investigations have corroborated the non-linearity in the failure envelopes of sandy soils. This study focused on the assessment of the stress level effect on the UBC of surface strip footings ascribed to the soil unit weight (γ), footing size (B), and uniform surcharge load (q). The rigid plastic finite element method (RPFEM) was employed for the analysis. The analysis method was validated against the centrifuge test results from the published references in the case of various sandy soils with different relative densities. The RPFEM, using the mean confining stress dependence property of Toyoura sand, is utilized in non-linear finite element analysis of model sandy soil. The normalized ground failure domains in the case of the non-linear shear strength model are gleaned smaller than those in the case of the linear shear strength one. The numerical results are compared with the guidelines of the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) and the Japan Road Association (JRA). The modification coefficients are ascertained for the frictional bearing capacity factor (Nγ) and surcharge bearing capacity factor (Nq), and a modified UBC formula is proposed. The performance of the proposed UBC formula is examined against the analysis results and various prevailing UBC guidelines.

A Large-Scale Application of the Stochastic Approach for Estimating the Shear Strength of Natural Rock Discontinuities

Reliable shear strength determination of large in situ discontinuities is still a challenge faced by the rock mechanics field. This is principally due to the limited availability of surface roughness and morphology information of in situ discontinuities and the unresolved management of the ‘scale effect’ phenomenon. Recently, a stochastic approach for predicting the shear strength of large-scale discontinuities was established, encompassing random field theory, a semi-analytical shear strength model, and a stochastic analysis framework. A key aspect of the new approach is the application at field scale, thereby minimising or bypassing the scale effect. The approach has been validated at laboratory scale and an initial large-scale deterministic-based validation showed promising results. However, to date, no large-scale experimental-based validation has been undertaken. This paper presents the first rigorous application of the employed semi-analytical shear strength model and the stochastic approach on a 2 m-by-2 m discontinuity surface, with comparison of prediction to experimental shear strength data. The shear strength model was found to generally produce peak and residual predictions within a ± 10% relative error range, with good agreement between predicted and observed damage areas. It was observed that, applying the stochastic approach to seed traces with gradient statistics equivalent to that of the surface, produced predictions that closely resemble the experimental results. Whereas, predicting shear strength from different seed traces results in more variability of predictions, with many falling within ± 20% of the experimental data. The predictions of residual shear strength tended to be more accurate than peak shear strength.

Analytical truss model for concrete beams reinforced with FRP bars

A truss model supplementing the concrete contribution is introduced in this paper to predict the shear strength of concrete beams reinforced with various types of FRP bars. The contributions from truss and direct strut mechanisms are considered in the analytical model. The truss model which has struts at various angles considering concrete contribution is derived in this paper. The concept of equivalent transverse FRP reinforcement is applied to integrate the concrete contribution into the proposed truss model. The shear strengths of concrete and FRP transverse reinforcements in the proposed model are calculated based on El-sayed et al. and CSA S806, respectively. The validity and applicability of the proposed model are evaluated by comparison with available experimental database, which consists of concrete beams reinforced with glass, carbon, aramid and basalt FRP bars. The comparison has shown a good correlation between the experimental data and analytical results. The proposed model is also compared with ACI 440.1R and CSA S806’s shear strength models and the better correlation is found. The results from this research shows that the properly-treated truss analogy can be used to assess the shear strength of concrete beams reinforced with various types of FRP bars.

Mechanical- and Data-Driven Model for Probabilistic Shear Strength of Interior Beam-Column Joints

Mechanical- and Data-Driven Model for Probabilistic Shear Strength of Interior Beam-Column Joints

Mechanisms and Modeling Methods of Strain-Softening Behavior of Unsaturated Soils

Studies about the strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils published in the literature during the past three decades are summarized under three categories; namely: (i) mechanical characteristics and micromechanisms, (ii) prediction models for shear strength, and (iii) numerical methods for modeling strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils. In addition, the influence of the soil–water characteristic curve and time effects on the strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils are discussed. Various experimental studies related to the strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils are summarized to interpret the mechanical behavior characteristics and micromechanisms of the strain-softening under large shear deformation. The widely used empirical/semi-empirical prediction models from the literature for interpreting the peak, critical, and residual shear strength of unsaturated soils are comprehensively summarized considering the influence of soil fabric and water phase on the shear strength. Several numerical methods (i.e., conventional plasticity, bounding surface plasticity, disturbed state concept, and elasto-viscoplasticity) of modeling the strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils are discussed, highlighting their strengths and limitations. The comprehensive details summarized in this paper related to the strain-softening behavior is valuable for the rational analysis and design of geostructures in unsaturated soils that undergo large shear deformation.