Force-Deformation Study on Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete Slab Incorporating Waste Paper

This study inspects the viability of engaging the discarded paper wastes in concrete by varying the volume proportions from 0%–20% with each 5% increment in replacement of the weight of cement. A physiomechanical study was conducted, and the results were presented. A glass fiber reinforced rectangular slab with a longer span (ly) to shorter span (lx) ratio of (ly: lx) 1.16 was cast with optimum replacement of waste-paper mass and compared the force-deformation characteristics with the conventional concrete slab without waste paper. The optimum percentage of discarded papers for the replacement of cement is 5%. Also, the results imply that the compressive strength at the age of 28 days is 30% improved for the optimum replacement. Based on the outcomes of the investigation, it can be inferred that the compressive strength gets progressively reduced if the volume of the discarded paper gets increases. The incorporation of glass fibers improves the split and flexural strength of the concrete specimens considerably. The ultimate load-carrying capacity of the glass fiber reinforced waste paper incorporated concrete slab measured 42% lower than that of the conventional slab. However, development of the new type of concrete incorporating waste papers is the new trend in ensuring the sustainability of construction materials.

CRACKING ANALYSIS OF PRECAST – IN SITU REINFORCED CONCRETE SLAB WITH PLASTIC VOID FORMERS

In this article results of experimental and numerical analysis of precast – in situ reinforced concrete slab with plastic void formers are discussed. Slab is composed of precast and in situ concrete layers. Voids are formed inside the slab using spherical plastic void formers. Slab cracking pattern is determined by numerical analysis. Cracking pattern acquired by numerical analysis is compared to cracking pattern determined by experimental study. Shear stiffness in the bond between precast and in situ concrete layers was specified when numerical model was built.

Analytical Method for the Bending Resistance of Slim Floor Beams with Asymmetric Double-T Steel Section under ISO Fire

The slim floor beams, characterized by the steel profile embedded in the concrete slab, may be found in different configurations, based on the shape of the steel profile cross-section, which can vary from a rectangular to double-T section. While the most common shape used nowadays is the double-T cross-section, the Eurocodes do not provide a simplified method for the fire resistance assessment. The literature offers a simplified method for computation of bending resistance under elevated temperature, based on existing research on thermal models, and was validated for a particular type of slim floor beams (SFB). The current study extends the scope of application of this method, for different types of slim floor beam, which include an asymmetric double-T steel cross-section. The objective was reached through a numerical procedure, by analyzing 162 configurations subjected to four different fire requirements (R30, R60, R90, R120), resulting in a total of 648 analyses, performed with a validated numerical model in SAFIR software. The results in terms of bending resistance showed that the simplified method represents a strong tool for the fire design of slim floor beams.

Analytical Model Formulation of Steel Plate Reinforced Concrete Walls against Hard Projectile Impact

Steel plate reinforced concrete (SC) walls can effectively resist projectile impact by preventing the rear concrete fragments flying away, thus attracting much attention in defence technology. This work numerically and analytically investigated the hard projectile perforation of steel plate reinforced concrete walls. Impact resistance theories, including cavity expansion analysis as well as the petaling theory of thin steel plates were used to describe the cratering, tunneling and plugging phases of SC walls perforation. Numerical modeling of SC walls perforation was performed to estimate projectile residual velocity and target destructive form, which were validated against the test results. An analytical model for SC wall perforation was established to describe the penetration resistance featuring five stages, i.e., cratering, tunneling and plugging, petaling with plugging and solely petaling. Analytical model predictions matched numerical results well with respect to projectile deceleration evolution as well as residual velocity. From a structural absorbed energy perspective, the effect of front concrete panel and rear steel plate thickness combinations was also studied and analyzed. Finally, equivalent concrete slab thickness was derived with respect to the ballistic limit of SC walls, which may be helpful in the design of a protective strategy.

Optimum design of a composite floor system considering environmental and economic impacts

The composite floor system, composed of steel deck and concrete slab, generates more efficient and economical structures. On the other hand, the design of this type of structure has a high complexity level due to the consideration of several variables. In this respect, the objective of this paper is to present the formulation of the optimization problem for a composite floor system (steel and concrete) considering such environmental as economic impacts. To formulate the optimization problem, the reduction of environmental impact was adopted as an objective function - assuming the CO2 emission and the finance cost as parameters. The restrictions were taken by the limiting states imposed in standard NBR 8800:2008. The computer program was developed via Matlab R2016a and the optimization process was carried out using the Genetic Algorithm toolbox existing in this platform. Two application examples of the formulation at hand are presented: the first from the literature and the second from an existing building - in both situations the influences of different concrete compressive characteristic strengths were analyzed. The results of the optimization problem show a reduction in geometry and, consequently, in its weight. The solution found by the program reduces by up to 17.70% of CO2 emissions and 17.47% of the finance cost. When was applying different concrete compressive strengths, the optimal solution for environmental impact did not get the lowest cost. In general, the steel deck formwork obtained the highest percentage of environmental impact, while the beams and girders, with the same shape configuration, had the highest finance cost. Therefore, it is shown that the optimal design solution to CO2 emissions is not always the better solution for the finance cost.