Title: Investigation on Impact Resistant Behavior of Geopolymer Concrete Beams

Author(s): Fen Zhou, Jian Fang, Yunxing Du, Caijun Shi, Hao Wu

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume:

Issue:

Appears on pages(s):

Keywords: drop-weight impact test; dynamic failure criterion; geopolymer concrete beams; impact shear mechanisms in reinforced concrete beams under impact loading response; mid-span deflection

DOI: 10.14359/51742154

Date: 8/5/2024

Abstract:
This study investigates the impact resistance of performance-based geopolymer concrete beams through falling-weight impact tests. Three ordinary Portland cement (OPC) beams and twelve geopolymer concrete (GC) beams were tested, considering several research factors such as concrete strength, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, stirrup ratio, and drop height. The experimental findings indicate that increasing the longitudinal reinforcement ratio or stirrup ratio within a certain range can effectively mitigate damage and deformation in GC beams subjected to impact loading. Furthermore, an increase in strength was observed to result in decreased mid-span and residual displacement, while a deflection prediction formula with high accuracy and low dispersion was developed for designing impact-resistant GC beams with an error of no more than 5.5%. Lastly, a dynamic damage criterion for GC beams is proposed to assess their damage under impact loading.