Sharif Digital Repository

The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of acoustic emission (AE) technique to evaluate delamination crack in glass/epoxy composite laminates under quasi-static and fatigue loading. To this aim, double cantilever beam specimens were subjected to mode I quasi-static and fatigue loading conditions and the generated AE signals were recorded during the tests. By analyzing the mechanical and AE results, an analytical correlation between the AE energy with the released strain energy and the crack growth was established. It was found that there is a 3rd degree polynomial correlation between the crack growth and the cumulative AE energy. Using this correlation the delamination... 

In this paper, an adaptive finite element procedure is presented in modeling of mixed-mode cohesive crack propagation via the modified superconvergent path recovery technique. The adaptive mesh refinement is performed based on the Zienkiewicz-Zhu error estimator. The weighted-SPR recovery technique is employed to improve the accuracy of error estimation. The Espinosa-Zavattieri bilinear cohesive zone model is applied to implement the traction-separation law. It is worth mentioning that no previous information is necessary for the path of crack growth and no region of the domain is necessary to be filled by the cohesive elements. The maximum principal stress criterion is employed for... 

In this research, four types of concrete moment frame were designed with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars according to ACI 440.1R-15 and the seismic behavior was assessed using pushover analysis. The frames were three and five stories with two and three bays. A computer code was developed to calculate the amount of fiber reinforced polymer bars in beams of the frames. In order to evaluate nonlinear behavior in plastic hinge regions, sections of beams and columns were analyzed on the basis of moment-curvature diagram and also P-M interaction curve for columns. Performance levels of frames were determined considering ATC-40 criteria. Behavior of concrete moment frames reinforced with... 

This research investigates the flexural behavior of a polymer concrete beam/pile encased with carbon fiber sleeve. The mechanical properties of carbon fiber sleeves in tension and cement and polymer concrete in compression were determined. Polymer concrete beams were tested in flexure to determine the bending moment capacity. Then, the test results were compared to the theoretical model results. Finally, a parametric study was conducted to determine the influence of beam/pile parameters on the capacity of the element. Based on the investigation, carbon fiber sleeve filled with polymer concrete exhibits outstanding structural performance including ductility and bending capacity  

A powerful and now theoretical approach is used to obtain an expression for the effect of creep on reinforced concrete shear deform able beams. First, a method is proposed for Ruler-Bernoulli beam to analyze the long-term behavior of concrete beams based on linear strain theory. Second, a formulation has been developed to analyze the strain distribution in shear deformablo concrete beams. Finally, three numerical examples are included in order to compare well-known codes with the proposed method. The comparison of the proposed method, FEM, codes, and experimental works demonstrates that the proposed analytical procedure can effectively simulate creep behavior of reinforced concrete beams.... 

A powerful and now theoretical approach is used to obtain an expression for the effect of creep on reinforced concrete shear deform able beams. First, a method is proposed for Ruler-Bernoulli beam to analyze the long-term behavior of concrete beams based on linear strain theory. Second, a formulation has been developed to analyze the strain distribution in shear deformablo concrete beams. Finally, three numerical examples are included in order to compare well-known codes with the proposed method. The comparison of the proposed method, FEM, codes, and experimental works demonstrates that the proposed analytical procedure can effectively simulate creep behavior of reinforced concrete beams.... 

In this paper, a sensitivity-based finite element (FE) model updating method using singular value decomposition (SVD) of frequency response function (FRF) is introduced. An exact sensitivity equation is proposed by incorporating measured responses of a damaged structure in the mathematical formulations. A set of incompletely measured natural frequencies of a damaged structure and mode shapes of the intact structure are used to deal with incomplete measurement without the implementation of FE model reduction or data expansion algorithms. The insights provided from the variation of SVD of transfer functions are used for the selection of proper updating frequency ranges. The appropriate... 

Shear connectors are essential elements in the design of steel-concrete composite systems. These connectors are utilized to prevent the occurrence of potential slips at the interface of steel and concrete. The two types of shear connectors which have been recently employed in construction projects are C- and L-shaped connectors. In the current study, the behavior of C and L-shaped angle shear connectors is investigated experimentally. For this purpose, eight push-out tests were composed and subjected to monotonic loading. The load-slip curves and failure modes have been determined. Also, the shear strength of the connectors has been compared with previously developed relationships. Two... 

In composite beams, shear connectors are commonly used to transfer longitudinal shear forces across the steel-concrete interface. This paper presents an experimental study on the behavior of channel shear connectors embedded in a solid concrete material slab under monotonic and low-cycle fatigue loading. The latter would be applicable to composite structures subjected to seismic events. Of specific interest are the behavior and effects of different concrete materials. A series of push-out specimens made of plain concrete, reinforced concrete (RC), fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) and engineered cementitious composite (ECC) were tested for this evaluation. The results show that the reversed... 

Due to the increasingly serious environmental problems presented by waste tires, the feasibility of using elastic and flexible tire-rubber particles as aggregate in concrete is investigated in this study. Tire-rubber particles composed of tire chips, crumb rubber, and a combination of tire chips and crumb rubber, were used to replace mineral aggregates in concrete. These particles were used to replace 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, and 50% of the total mineral aggregate's volume in concrete. Cylindrical shape concrete specimens 15 cm in diameter and 30 cm in height were fabricated and cured. The fresh rubberized concrete exhibited lower unit weight and acceptable workability compared to plain concrete.... 

A new shear strengthening method involving post-tensioning of the critical shear region of reinforced concrete beams is investigated. Thirty-one experiments were carried out using 24 specimens. Theoretical load-deflection relations are obtained from moment-curvature analysis using fiber cross sections and taking into consideration the effects of different concrete confinements along the beam length. A theoretical shear strength model that includes three shear resisting components in the critical shear region of the strengthened beams is provided. Experimental results from beams with and without shear strengthening are compared with calculated load-deflection relations and predicted shear... 

A new expression for the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams without stirrups was derived by calculating the aggregate interlock capacity across the major diagonal crack of the beam, a procedure somewhat similar to those based on the modified compression field theory. Two formulas were obtained from the simplification of this expression. All three relations capture the dependence of shear strength on the size of the beam, the ratio of shear span to beam depth, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, maximum aggregate size, and concrete strength. The limits of these formulas agree well with the limit solutions of shear failure load for very small and very large beams based on plastic and... 

Fracture process of fiber-reinforced concrete notched beams is investigated here. Polypropylene macrosynthetic fibers are utilized for reinforcing concrete specimens, and a high-strength mix design is used to produce strong bonds between the embossed polypropylene fibers and the cementitious matrix of beams. Considering different locations for the notch, this study focuses on bridging mechanism under different conditions using both experimental and numerical approaches. First mode of fracture occurs due to opening of crack faces. This mode of failure is simulated by imposing symmetric boundary conditions on middle-notched beams. Inducing the notch with an offset from the middle, mixed-mode... 

Despite the great use of concrete, tensile strength and low flexibility and brittleness are its weaknesses. Many solutions have been provided to eliminate the mentioned defects. In order to increase the flexibility of concrete in previous studies, crushed rubber tire particles have been added to concrete. Recycling car tires helps the environment and makes concrete much more flexible than regular concrete. In this research, silicone rubber has been replaced by 0%, 2%, 4%, 8%, 12.5%, 25%, and 50% of mineral aggregates. This rubber was initially in liquid form, which, after mixing with ordinary concrete, dispersed into the concrete texture and formed a uniform mixture, and this liquid rubber... 

In this paper, the effects of rocking and fixed base prestressed columns and conventional reinforced concrete columns on the response of frames are investigated. Also, the influence of some selected rocking base prestressed columns on the response of the concrete frame was studied. Three types of a concrete frame with conventional Reinforced Concrete columns, rocking, and fixed base prestressed columns were modeled using the finite element method in Opensees software. The details of the simulation of the rocking and fixed base columns in Opensees are described precisely. The results obtained from the models were compared with those of the literature to evaluate the validity of the results.... 

Fracture process of fiber-reinforced concrete notched beams is investigated here. Polypropylene macrosynthetic fibers are utilized for reinforcing concrete specimens, and a high-strength mix design is used to produce strong bonds between the embossed polypropylene fibers and the cementitious matrix of beams. Considering different locations for the notch, this study focuses on bridging mechanism under different conditions using both experimental and numerical approaches. First mode of fracture occurs due to opening of crack faces. This mode of failure is simulated by imposing symmetric boundary conditions on middle-notched beams. Inducing the notch with an offset from the middle, mixed-mode... 

This research studies the effect of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars as compressive reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC) beam members. Three singly and six doubly reinforced GFRP-RC beams were tested under a four-point loading configuration. The effect of compressive reinforcement on the load-bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness, and failure mode is determined. Also, the compressive performance of GFRP bars is evaluated by testing GFRP-RC cylinders. According to the results, GFRP bars in compression had a limited contribution to enhancing flexural strength, and the maximum increment in the flexural capacity of doubly reinforced beams compared to singly reinforced specimens...