Concrete Steel Research Articles

Push-out test of eco-friendly steel-concrete–steel composite sections enhanced by polypropylene fibers: An experimental study and statistical analysis

Steel-concrete-steel (SCS) structural element solutions are rising due to their advantages over conventional reinforced concrete in terms of cost and strength. The impact of SCS sections with various core materials on the structural performance of composites has not yet been fully explored experimentally, and in this work, both slag and polypropylene fibers were incorporated in producing eco-friendly steel-concrete-steel composite sections. This study examined the ductility, ultimate strength, failure modes, and energy absorption capacities of steel-concrete-steel filled with eco-friendly concrete, enhanced by polypropylene fiber (PPF) to understand its impact on modern structural projects. Eco-friendly concrete was produced by the partial replacement of cement with waste material such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) to reduce carbon dioxide emitted as one of the by-products of cement which harms the environment. A constant rate of cement replacement with GGBS was used. Polypropylene fibers were used as a fill material in the structural elements to enhance the performance. Seven specimens of SCS were analyzed for their mechanical properties using push-out monotonic loading. The control specimen was constructed with a conventional concrete core, even as testing specimens had different amounts of polypropylene fiber added to the core. The current investigation indicates that the impact of polypropylene fiber (PPF) material filling concrete on SCS performance is somewhat smaller than that of ordinary concrete (less than 10 percent). Applying PPF to concrete can increase its tensile strength, slow the spread of cracks, and strengthen the material overall. The compressive strengths of the samples were affected by the proportion of PPF, with the strength increasing from 47.6 MPa to 56.43 MPa as the PPF levels increased from 0 to 2 percent. Compared to the control sample, the PPF SCS specimens had an increased energy absorption. On the other hand, in comparison to PPF SCS specimens, the ductility level of the control sample was smaller.

Axial performance of concrete-filled GFRP tube columns jacketed by outer stainless steel tube and sandwiched concrete

The concrete-filled FRP tube (CFFT) column, a prevalent and crucial structural element in marine environments, requires reinforcement measures to enhance its operational performance. This paper introduces a novel strengthening technology involving sandwiched concrete and stainless steel tube jackets. By conducting axial compression tests on two CFFT columns and nine reinforced columns, the failure modes, load-axial deformation curves, and load-strain relationships were analysed in this study. Additionally, the influence of outer steel tube thickness (3.0 mm, 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm) and sandwiched concrete strength grades (C50, C60, C70) on the axial compressive performance of the reinforced columns was investigated. The findings indicated that the proposed reinforcement method effectively mitigated the brittle failure associated with the original CFFT column. The external stainless steel tube played a crucial role in restraining lateral deformation of the internal CFFT column, thereby enhancing the axial compressive bearing capacity. Through theoretical analysis on the components in reinforced columns, a calculation formula for the axial compressive capacity of the reinforced column was derived according to the unified theory and the double-shear unified strength theory.

Finite element analysis of concrete filled steel tubes subjected to cyclic bending

This study introduces a novel Finite Element (FE) modelling approach for accurately simulating the behaviour of Steel Concrete Filled Tubes (CFTs) subjected to both monotonic and cyclic loads. It comprehensively addresses the challenges of modelling low cyclic fatigue in steel and concrete crushing, a critical aspect often overlooked in previous studies. The methodology is rigorously validated against eight experimental tests on circular CFTs, where it exhibits remarkable precision in capturing the complex interaction between steel and concrete under various loading conditions. The prosed modelling is able to accurately catch the degradation, the number of cycles leading to fracture and the failure modes.

Combined concrete and cable restrainers to prevent longitudinal unseating of highway bridges during earthquakes

Numerous irregular highway bridges with laminated rubber bearings are constructed in Southwest China, which are likely to suffer from unseating failure of girders during earthquakes. Due to the shortcomings of existing unseating prevention devices, a novel system composed of concrete restrainer and steel cable, termed as CCCR, is proposed to prevent longitudinal unseating at the flexible transition piers of irregular highway bridges. The configuration and mechanical properties of the proposed CCCR is first elaborated. To verify the efficiency of the proposed system, a refined finite element model is developed for a typical highway bridge, in which the nonlinear behaviors of rubber bearings, concrete restrainers, steel cables, bridge piers, abutments, as well as pounding between adjacent segments are simulated in detail. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is then conducted using this model considering three scenarios, namely the bridge system (1) without restrainer (Prototype), (2) with concrete restrainer (CR), and (3) with combined concrete and cable restrainers (CCCR). Additionally, extensive parametric analyses are also carried out to further investigate the influence of the critical parameters of CCCR on the unseating prevention performance and the damage of pier. The results show that the proposed CCCR system can effectively prevent unseating even under most catastrophic earthquakes with the pier still maintaining slight damage. Besides, design values of the critical parameters are recommended based on the parametric analysis, including the capacity and initial gap of the concrete restrainer, as well as the length and slack of the steel cable.

Comparative Study on the Seismic Vulnerability of Continuous Bridges with Steel–Concrete Composite Girder and Reinforced Concrete Girder

For medium- and small-span bridges, the weight of the superstructure in steel–concrete composite girder bridges is lighter than that of a reinforced concrete girder bridge. However, it is still uncertain whether steel–concrete composite girder bridges exhibit superior seismic performance compared to reinforced concrete girder bridges. This study quantitatively compared the seismic performance of the two types of bridges. Using the theory of probabilistic seismic demand analysis, the seismic vulnerability curves of bridges were derived. To conduct seismic demand analysis for probabilistic analysis on the OpenSEES platform, bridge samples were generated using the Latin hypercube stratified sampling method, which considers the uncertainties associated with the two types of bridges. The vulnerability curves of the piers, bearings, abutments, and the system of the two bridges were established using probabilistic analysis of the time history analyses. The results showed that the seismic vulnerabilities of components and the overall system of the steel–concrete composite girder bridge were both lower than those of the reinforced concrete girder bridge. When the peak ground acceleration (PGA) of the ground motion was 0.3 g, the moderate and serious damage probabilities of the piers in the steel–concrete composite bridge were only 54.61% and 60.89%, respectively, of those of the reinforced concrete bridge. Consequently, replacing the upper reinforced concrete girders with steel–concrete composite girders can significantly improve the seismic performance of a large number of existing bridges.

Seismic Performance of Steel-Reinforced High Strength Concrete Joints Considering Bond Slip Effect

This study presents a solution for push-out failure for the staged bond-slip constitutive relationship between the structural steel and high strength concrete, taking into account the concrete strength grade, anchoring length, and stirrup ratio. The critical point coordinates for different stages are determined by the tests of 14 steel-reinforced high strength concrete (SRHSC) specimens. It is observed that with the increase in the concrete strength grade and anchorage length, the ultimate load of the specimens increased significantly, but the influence on the residual bond strength was not significant. The effect of the stirring ratio was mainly manifested in a slight increase in the initial bond strength. The formula for calculating SRHSC characteristic bond strength and characteristic slip value is established, and the bond-slip constitutive relation of SRHSC is proposed based on the tests. The material constitutive model considering the effect of bond-slip is implanted into the software in the case of the ABAQUS finite element platform. The material is applied to the numerical simulation analysis of the SRHSC exterior joints. The rationality and accuracy of the new material are verified by comparing the simulation results with the test results.

Wind-Induced Response Analysis and Fatigue Reliability Study of a Steel–Concrete Composite Wind Turbine Tower

Taking an actual 3MW steel–concrete composite wind turbine tower as an example, a finite element model of the tower structure was established, and static bearing capacity and dynamic time history response analyses were performed to identify the locations where the structure is prone to failure. On this basis, the fatigue lives of the turbine tower at the most unfavorable locations were predicted using linear cumulative damage theory, and the fatigue reliability at the corresponding locations of the structure was calculated using the kriging–subset simulation method. The most dangerous locations of the tower that are most prone to failure are as follows: the bottom of the leeward side of the upper steel tube, the flange of the steel tube, the bolt-hole imprinting surface of the flange, the leeward side of the transition tube, and the top of the leeward side of the concrete tube. The failure risk of the flange and bolt-hole imprinting surface of the upper steel tube is relatively high, followed by that of the transition tube. This indicates that special attention should be given to the design and daily maintenance of this part. The fatigue resistance of the tower can be enhanced by improving the strength of the flange plate or increasing the number of bolts and strengthening the transition tube.

Experimental investigation of the behavior of UHPCFST under repeated axial tension

A ultra-high performance concrete filled steel tube (UHPCFST) is a composite structural component that extends the performance of both steel and concrete. It is a promising component to be used in a diagrid structure to further reduce self-weight. Compared with the research on compressive performance of UHPCFST, there is a lack of knowledge on the mechanical behavior of UHPCFST under axial tension. This paper fills this knowledge gap by carrying out experiments on UHPCFST subjected to monotonic and repeated tension. The test parameters are steel tube thickness and volume fraction of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). The failure modes, load-strain curves, tensile strength and tensile stiffness are studied in detail. Stiffness degradation is also studied. The test results show that: (1) under axial tension load, a UHPCFST typically experiences fracture failure of the outer steel tube, followed by section fracture of the UHPC, and notable deformation before a final ductile failure; (2) tensile strength increases with the increase of the thickness of the steel tube, while it is less obvious in a UHPCFST with a higher steel ratio; (3) the force-strain curve of a UHPCFST under monotonical axial tension is close to that of the UHPCFST under repeated axial tension, suggesting that the accumulated damage during unloading and reloading is limited. An exponential decay formula is proposed to predict stiffness degradation observed in the repeated axial tensile tests. It is found that the design codes from Europe, USA, and China underestimate tensile strength and stiffness of UHPCFST. Finally, a three-phase empirical model is proposed for the load-strain curve of UHPCFST under tension.

Investigation of notch position and fiber ratio on the fracture mode and energy of sfrc beam under the impact load

When the literature is examined, it is seen that a lot of study has been done on the crack propagation and fracture modes that occur under the influence of static loads in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Studies in the literature show the effect of crack initiation, concrete compressive strength, and fiber volume fraction on the tension mode (Mode-I), shear mode (Mode-II), and mixed fracture mode that occurs in crack propagation under static load. However, the literature has not found a comprehensive study in which the fracture modes are examined under the effect of dynamic impact loading. For this reason, an experimental study has been planned in which hybrid steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) notched beams with varying compressive strength will be tested under impact loading with a free-fall drop weight device designed by the authors. The experimental variables studied were determined as the change of the crack initiation point in the beams, the compressive strength of the concrete used to produce the beams, and the fiber volume fraction in the concrete mixture. The acceleration and impact load-time histories under the constant-energy-level impact loading applied to the beams were measured. Also, the crack shape, fracture mode, crack angle, and energy absorption capacities of the beams under impact load were interpreted. While the transition from Mode-I fracture form to Mode-II fracture form occurs under impact loading, the effects of concrete compressive strength and steel fiber ratio variables on energy absorption capacity, crack angle, and crack shape are studied. Increasing the distance of the notch from the beam midpoint in notched beams produced with concrete without fiber from 0 to 40, 80 and 120 mm caused the energy absorption capacity values to increase by an average of 39 %, 66 % and 86 %, respectively. Increasing the distance of the notch to the beam midpoint from 0 to 40, 80 and 120 mm in beams with 0.75 % and 1.5 % fiber ratio increased the energy absorption capacity values by an average of 40 %, 65 % and 86 %, respectively. In beams with 2.25 % fiber ratio, increasing the notch distance from 0 to 40, 80 and 120 mm increased the energy absorption capacity values by an average of 38 %, 62 % and 83 %, respectively.

Mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced recycled concrete under compression-shear stress state

The continuous urbanization of construction has led to an increasing demand for concrete, resulting in large-scale gravel and river sand mining, which seriously affect the sustainable development of the environment. The waste concrete produced by the demolition of old buildings is processed into recycled aggregate to replace natural aggregate, and then the preparation of recycled concrete can effectively alleviate this problem. This paper investigates the mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced recycled concrete (SFRRAC) under compression shear conditions, a compression shear test with 99 cubic specimens was designed, with the variation parameters being recycled aggregate concrete replacement rate, compressive stress, and steel fiber content. The failure mode of SFRRAC under compression-shear stress was observed, and the shear force-displacement curve was calculated. Furthermore, a thorough examination was performed to assess the mechanical characteristics of SFRRAC specimens under compression-shear stress. The findings of this study suggest that as the compressive stress increases, the failure characteristics of the specimens shift from exhibiting brittle failure to displaying ductile failure. The shear strength is most sensitive to the change in compressive stress. When the compressive stress reaches 6 MPa, the shear strength can reach 3.41 times that of the direct shear specimen. The shear strength of SFRRAC specimens is composed of the bond strength of concrete, shear expansion strength, and friction shear strength. The incorporation of steel fibers can modify the distribution of shear strength among the individual components. The adverse effect of the recycled aggregate replacement rate on the toughness index of the specimen is mainly concentrated after the peak point. Nevertheless, an elevation in compressive stress and the inclusion of steel fibers can counterbalance this detrimental influence. The shear strength calculation formula of SFRRAC in shear state is put forward, which has a reference value. This study provides an experimental reference and a theoretical basis for further examination of SFRRAC.

Bond properties between corroded steel bars and recycled aggregate concrete after high-temperature exposure

Increasingly used reinforced recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) structures may suffer from steel corrosion and high-temperature exposure. The bond behaviors between corroded steel bars and RAC after high-temperature exposure are important in the high-temperature/fire damage assessment of aging RAC structures. In this study, pull-out tests were carried out on specimens of corroded steel and natural aggregate concrete (NAC) or RAC after high-temperature exposure. The specimens were exposed to 20, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 and 800 °C with steel bar in the specimens corroded with corrosion ratios of 0.00 %, 1.05 %, 3.07 %, 5.34 %, 7.50 %. The failure modes, bond-slip curves and bond strength were studied. Effects of corrosion/temperature on bond strength and their difference when using different aggregates (RAC and NAC) were analyzed. The test results indicated that the bond strength of most specimens decreased with increasing high-temperature exposure, and the bond strength degradation of NAC was slightly higher than that of RAC. The bond strength first increased and then decreased as the corrosion ratio increased, and the bond strength of NAC is higher than that of RAC under high corrosion conditions. The failure modes and bond strength also varied with and without stirrups. A bond-slip constitutive model of corroded steel bar and RAC without stirrups after high temperature was established introducing temperature and corrosion influence coefficients.

Experimental Study on the Bonding Performance between Shaped Steel and High-Strength Concrete

The integration of steel fibers into high-strength concrete (HSC) offers a solution to address the brittleness and limited ductility typically associated with conventional HSC structures. To investigate the bonding properties between shaped steel and high-strength concrete with steel fiber (SFRC), thirteen tests of the shaped steel/SFRC specimens are conducted to explore the effects of various factors such as steel fiber volume ratio, concrete strength grade, reinforcement ratio, steel embedment depth, and cover thickness on bond–slip behavior. Three distinct failure modes, such as pushout failure, bond splitting, and yielding failure of steel, are identified during the pushout tests. Three different types of bond strength, such as the initial bond strength, the ultimate bond strength, and the residual bond strength, are observed from the load–slip curves between the shaped steel and concrete. By incorporating nonlinear spring elements, a numerical model for accurately simulating the bond performance between the shaped steel and SFRC specimens is developed. The bond strength between the shaped steel and concrete increase as the concrete strength, cover thickness, steel fiber volume ratio, and stirrup ratio increase, while it decreases as the steel embedment depth increases. A model for the bond strength between shaped steel and SFRC is developed, and it agrees well with the test data.

CORRELATION BETWEEN COMPRESSIVE AND TENSILE SPLITTING STRENGTH OF GEOPOLYMER FIBER CONCRETE

Geopolymer concrete mixture contain fine and coarse aggregate, fly ash and activator, composed from sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. Like normal concrete, geopolymer concrete is weak in terms of tensile strength, so fiber needs to be added to improve the mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete. In this research nylon and steel fiber are added to the geopolymer concrete mixture, with percentage from 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% of volume. The correlation between compressive and tensile splitting strength of geopolymer steel and nylon fiber concrete were evaluated in this research program. The relationship between tensile splitting strength and compressive strength of geopolymer concrete will be built in a mathematical model using multivariable non-linear regression from SPSS software. The specimens are cylindrical concrete, which have diameter of 100 mm and height of 200 mm. The specimen undergo a curing process in an oven at 60oC for duration of 24 hour. Geopolymer concrete mixture with a fiber percentage of 0.75% have a good workability, since they still meet the slump value requirements (10 + 2 cm). The compressive strength reaches the highest value at 0.75%, for both steel and nylon fibers. The addition of up to 2% steel fiber produces a splitting tensile strength 12.06% higher than geopolymer concrete with nylon fiber. The equation model proposed for geopolymer fiber concrete is fspt = 0.049f'c.exp(0.7p), with the R-square values from 0.722 - 0.715.

Multiaxial Fatigue Damage Analysis of Steel–Concrete Composite Beam Based on the Smith–Watson–Topper Parameter

The fatigue performance of steel–concrete composite beams is crucial for ensuring structural safety. To account for the member’s multiaxial stress state, this study employed the critical surface method, using fatigue damage parameters as an evaluation index for assessing fatigue performance. Static and fatigue performance tests on steel–concrete beams were conducted to identify failure characteristics, which informed the development of a finite element model that incorporates concrete damage. Using the SWT model, the most unfavorable loading parameters were determined by analyzing critical paths on the test beams, providing a basis for predicting how initial defects impact fatigue performance. The impact of initial defects on the fatigue performance of the composite beam is assessed using this criterion. The results indicate that the discrepancy between the actual and predicted load capacities of the test beam is within 5%, and cyclic loading significantly affects the test beam’s mechanical properties, resulting in a 27% reduction in load capacity and a 48% increase in deflection after 2 million cycles. Finite element modeling reveals that components experience multiaxial stress, with test beam mechanical property changes aligning with predicted fatigue damage parameters, confirming the reliability of using these parameters as a criterion. As the strength of the composite beams diminished due to pore defects, the fatigue damage parameter escalated, increasing the likelihood of crack formation. However, once the concrete’s strength fell to a level where the pegs were insufficiently constrained, the structural damage pattern shifted, and the fatigue damage parameter subsequently decreased.

Carbonation and corrosion of steel in fly ash concrete, concluding investigation of five-year-old laboratory specimens and preliminary field data

Carbonation development and reinforcement corrosion were investigated on concretes exposed for a five-year period at 90% RH, 20 ℃, and 5% CO2, and for a six-year period at natural carbonation. Portland cement-based binders with 0%, 18%, and 30% fly ash were investigated. The fly ash blends showed lower carbonation resistance compared to PC both at laboratory and field exposure, a large difference in carbonation performance was observed between the laboratory exposed specimens. The carbonation rate was fastest on the laboratory specimens and showed square-root time dependency the first 2.5 years, but reduced rate at later age. Deeper carbonation depths were in general observed in the vicinity of the reinforcement compared to the unreinforced laboratory exposed specimens. Not all specimens were fully carbonated at the steel-concrete interface. The correlation between degree of carbonation of the steel-mortar interface, the open circuit potential, and the observed corrosion of the steel bars varied between binders and bar position (top or bottom). The measured corrosion rate in the laboratory exposed (90% RH, 20 ℃, and 5% CO2) carbonated concrete was on average 0.2 μA/cm2, with an upper value of 0.6 μA/cm2. The highest corrosion rate was measured in the fly ash concrete. No corrosion rate data are yet available for the field exposed concretes.

Analytical Solution for Bending Deformation of Steel–Concrete Composite Beams Considering Nonlinear Interfacial Slip

Analytical Solution for Bending Deformation of Steel–Concrete Composite Beams Considering Nonlinear Interfacial Slip

Design and seismic performance analysis of a novel special-shaped steel tube concrete column steel beam joint

Design and seismic performance analysis of a novel special-shaped steel tube concrete column steel beam joint

Comparative study on fracture evolution in steel fibre and bar reinforced concrete beams using acoustic emission and digital image correlation techniques

In recent decades, the demand for sustainable construction practices has increased, but raw materials such as reinforcing steel remain scarce. Therefore, steel fibres have emerged as a popular and sustainable choice in the construction industry, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional steel bar reinforcement for both flatwork and elevated structures. The purpose of this study is therefore to compare the performance of fracture behaviour between steel fibre-reinforced concrete (SFRC) and steel bar-reinforced concrete (SBRC) beams subjected to three-point bending. The fracture process was monitored by using two non-invasive techniques: acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC). The damage level was identified by characterizing the parameter-based AE data such as hit rate, energy release, count, rise time, amplitude, and signal strength. DIC images were employed to visualise the crack propagation in parallel with the AE data. To further understand the fracture characteristics, the integration of 2D source localization of AE events (based on local AE fracture energies) with DIC results was investigated. The parameter-based AE results showed that SBRC beam experienced a high density of AE hits with large peak amplitude events that were accelerated during the pre-peak loading phase. The Ib-value analysis revealed that SBRC beam exhibited a higher degree of fracture magnitude during the primary crack development process than SFRC beam. Following the main cracking stage, SFRC beam demonstrated an improved post-cracking softening behavior and superior ability to arrest crack propagation compared to SBRC beam. The integration of local AE fracture energy and DIC results provided a novel approach for a better understanding of the fracture behaviour in both SFRC and SBRC beams. This study’s findings contribute to more precise monitoring of fracture evolution in SFRC and SBRC beams, ultimately improving the selection process for primary reinforcement in flatwork and elevated structures.

Study and Analysis of Steel, RCC, and Composite Structure Comparison

In India, plain concrete is a common building material, especially for medium- and low-rise buildings. Even while steel is still widely used in high-rise structures and composite construction is less frequent, it's possible that composite construction could prove more beneficial in these projects. Reinforced concrete is often used in construction projects. Steel beams are put into concrete to make reinforced concrete, an efficient composite material. The distinguishing feature of composite construction is the secure joining and bending of two load-bearing structural elements into a single piece. When compared to RCC most steel frames, composite constructions are considered to be some of the least expensive and transient building materials. The main component of a composite construction is an I-section column embedded or encased in building materials, or a tube of steel filled with steel and concrete. Composed of cold steel plates plus mortar, Part I consists of a beam plus a plate for the deck. The beams are connected to the top slab using fire-resistant and robust shear connections. Keywords— Steel Concrete Composite Building, RCC building, Seismic Analysis etc.

A new analytical model for bond strength between corroded steel strand and concrete

Degradation of bond strength due to corrosion of steel strands is of great importance for serviceability of prestressed concrete structures. An analytical model is proposed to demonstrate the effect of corrosion of steel strand on reduction of bond strength. Corrosion expansion force generated by steel strand corrosion before and after corrosion cracking is firstly estimated. Then, the reduced gripping effect of the concrete, change of friction coefficient between the corroded strand and reduction force on the bearing face are considered in calculating the pre-rib extrusion force. Finally, the enhancement of bond strength due to transverse confinement of stirrups is considered and the ultimate bond strength of corroded steel strand is calculated. Comparison of results between the prediction and experimental result shows the proposed model can be used to reasonably evaluate the bond strength. The prediction result of the bond strength model is affected by the degree of strand corrosion, but almost not by the drawing method.