Investigation on Fracture Behavior of Cementitious Composites Reinforced with Aligned Hooked-End Steel Fibers

Aligning steel fibers is an effective way to improve the mechanical properties of steel fiber cementitious composites (SFRC). In this study, the magnetic field method was used to prepare the aligned hooked-end steel fiber cementitious composites (ASFRC) and the fracture behavior was investigated. In order to achieve the alignment of steel fibers, the key parameters including the rheology of the mixture and magnetic induction of electromagnetic field were theoretically analyzed. The results showed that, compared with SFRC, the cracking load and the ultimate load of ASFRC were increased about 24–55% and 51–86%, respectively, depending on the fiber addition content. In addition, the flexural tensile strength and residual flexural strength of ASFRC were found to increase up to 105% and 100%, respectively. The orientation of steel fibers also has a significant effect on energy consumption. The fracture energy of ASFRC was 56–70% greater than SFRC and the reinforcement effect of hooked-end steel fiber was higher than straight steel fiber. The fibers in the fracture surface showed that not only was the number of fibers of ASFRC higher than that of SFRC, but also the orientation efficiency factor of ASFRC was superior to SFRC, which explains the improvement of fracture behavior of ASFRC.

Mechanical Properties of a 3D-Printed Wall Segment Made with an Earthen Mixture

This study provides a contribution to the research field of 3D-printed earthen buildings, focusing, for the first time, on the load-bearing capacity of these structures. The study involves the entire production and testing process of the earthen elements, from the design, to the preparation of the mixture and the 3D printing, up to the uniaxial compression test on a wall segment. The results indicate that 3D-printed earthen elements have a compressive strength of 2.32 MPa, comparable to that of rammed earth structures. The experimental data also made it possible to draw conclusions on the action of the infill, which seems to have the function of stopping the propagation of cracks. This has a positive effect on the overall behavior of 3D-printed earthen elements, since it avoids the onset of dilative behavior in the final stages of the load test and maintains ultimate load values higher than 50% of the maximum load.

Mechanical Properties of a 3D Printed Wall Segment Made with an Earthen Mixture

This study provides a contribution to the research field of 3D printed earthen buildings, focusing, for the first time, on the load-bearing capacity of these structures. The study involves the entire production and testing process of the earthen elements, from design, to the preparation of the mixture and the 3D printing, up to the uniaxial compression test on a wall segment. The results indicate that 3D printed earthen elements have a compressive strength of 2.32 MPa, comparable to that of rammed earth structures. The experimental data also made it possible to draw conclusions on the action of the infill, which seems to have the function of stopping the propagation of cracks. This has a positive effect on the overall behavior of 3D printed earthen elements, since it avoids the onset of dilative behavior in the final stages of the load test and maintains ultimate load values higher than 50% of the maximum load.

Behaviour of One-Way Reinforcement Concrete Cantilever Slabs with Openings

In some concrete structures, openings are placed because of the need for several utility requirements. These openings could affect the strength of the structural members. So the behavior of reinforcement concrete (RC) cantilever slab containing openings and its effect is the subject of the study. Opening shapes, numbers and sizes are the main variables that have been studied in this research. Five RC cantilever slabs were cast and tested; one is without openings and the other four slabs are with openings. It is found that there is a significant effect of openings on the behavior of these slabs. Where, the decrease in the ultimate load (from 39kN to 24.7kN), while the decrease in the deflection at ultimate load (from 67 mm to 35 mm).

Evaluation of Static Pile Load Test Results of Ultimate Bearing Capacity by Interpreting Methods

in geotechnical engineering, foundation piles are ideal for deep foundations that cannot bear higher loads. This architectural expansion places a great deal of responsibility on the engineer to anticipate the appropriate load for the constructor. Unfortunately, calculations of the pile’s bearing capacity are not accessible. It has always been a source of concern for geotechnical engineers, as the structure’s safety depends on the pile’s bearing capacity and gives it a safe value. These research tests are previously known pile load test data from several locations in Nasiriyah to determine the ultimate load-carrying capacity using various interpreting methodologies. A database that was used to test the pile load for three different areas in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq: The Main Drain River Bridge Project, the Al-Eskan Interchange Project, and the Al-Hawra Hospital, as determined by analytical methods, as well as evaluating the final loading values resulting from the methods used, by ASTM D-1143, American and British Standard Code of Practice BS 800. The final capacity for the pile bearing is estimated using these approaches, which are depicted in the form of a graph-based on field data. Chin-Kondner and Brinch Hansen algorithms anticipate the highest failure load for all piles based on the comparison. On average, Chin–Kondner’s ultimate load is 22% higher than Hansen’s maximum load for the 22 pile load tests. Decourt and DeBeer, and Mazurkiewicz’s techniques yielded the closest average failure load. Buttler-Hoy approach yielded the smallest failure load.

Experimental study of composite concrete cellular steel beams

The main objective of this study is to compare the structural behavior of composite steel– concrete beams using cellular beams with and without steel ring stiffeners placed around the web openings. An IPE140 hot rolled I-section steel beam was used to create four specimens: one without openings (control beam); one without shear connectors (non-composite); a composite steel–concrete beam using a cellular beam without strengthening (CLB1); and a composite steel–concrete beam using a cellular beam (CLB4-R) with its openings strengthened by steel ring stiffeners with geometrical properties Br = 37mm and Tr = 5mm. CLB1 was fabricated with openings of 100mm diameter and a 1.23 expansion depth ratio, while CLB4-R was fabricated with openings of 130mm diameter, a 1.42 expansion depth ratio. Both beams were 1700mm in length with ten openings. The results of this experiment revealed that the loads applied to CLB1 and CLB4-R at deflection L/360 exceeded the load applied to the control specimen at the same deflection by 149.3% and 177.3%, respectively. The results revealed that the non-composite beam had an ultimate load 29% lower than that of the control beam. The ultimate load on CLB1 was 5.3% greater than that of the control beam, and failure occurred due to web-post buckling. While the ultimate load of the CLB4-R beam was 18.43% greater than that of the control beam, the Vierendeel mechanism was indicated as the failure mode.

FLEXURAL SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF RC T-GIRDERS STRENGTHED WITH POLYURETHANE CEMENT-PRESTRESSED STEEL WIRE ROPES

To verify the effectiveness of polyurethane cement-prestressed steel wire ropes for flexural reinforcement of reinforced concrete T-girders, this paper conducts flexural test research on 12 pieces of T-girder specimens. Through the ABAQUS finite element program to build a model for numerical simulation, the results show polyurethane cement prestressed steel wire rope reinforcement can significantly increase the yield load and ultimate load of reinforced girders. Taking a girder in the test (20mm reinforcement thickness of polyurethane cement) as an example, yield load and ultimate load increased by 61.5% and 102.3% compared to unreinforced girder. The finite element model calculation results of T-girder bending reinforcement are in good agreement with the bending reinforcement test, and the error is only about 2%. For different strength concrete, the yield load increases slightly with the increase of concrete strength. For T-girders with different reinforcement ratios, the bearing capacity of strengthened girders changes significantly with the increase of longitudinal reinforcement ratio. The yield load of girders with reinforcement ratio of 1.82% and 1.35% is 29.84% and 65.85% higher than that of girders with reinforcement ratio of 0.91%. The yield deflection is 13.18% and 3.99% higher than that of girders with reinforcement ratio of 0.91%. It can be concluded that the bending reinforcement method of polyurethane cement prestressed steel wire ropes can effectively strengthen the main girder and ensure the structural safety.

Analysis on fracture behaviour of stitched foam sandwich composites using interlaminar tension test

Sandwich composites are susceptible to interfacial delamination, owing to the mismatches in the material properties between the face sheets and core. Previous studies have shown that stitching can improve the performance of sandwich composites. In this study, an analysis approach was developed to investigate the fracture behaviour of stitched foam sandwich composites. The stitched foam sandwich composites were manufactured by a vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding process. Interlaminar tension tests revealed the effects of the linear thread density on the failure mechanisms of the stitched foam sandwich composites. Asymmetric double cantilever beam tests were performed to investigate the influences of the stitch thread reinforcement on the fracture behaviour. An analytical approach combining extended finite element method and nonlinear spring elements was proposed to predict the failure behaviour of the stitched sandwich composites. Experiment and simulation approaches were employed to investigate the influences of the stitch parameters (stitch pitch and linear thread density) on the ultimate load and energy absorption. The results show that stitched method can significantly enhance the mechanical properties of sandwich composites. The energy absorption and ultimate load values of the specimens tend to increase with an increase in the linear thread density or a decrease in the stitch pitch.