International Concrete Abstracts Portal

To make full use of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), carbon fiber (CF) and nano metakaolin (NMK) were mixed into RAC to improve their mechanical properties and microstructure. The effects of NMK content, CF content, recycled aggregate (RA) replacement rate, and CF length on the compressive strength, split tensile strength, and tension-compression ratio of RAC were studied by the orthogonal test method, then the test results were analyzed. The results show that the NMK content and RA replacement rate have significant effects on the compressive strength of RAC, while the CF content has significant effects on the split tensile strength and the tension-compression ratio. Through the synergistic effect of NMK and CF, the pore structure characteristics of RAC are improved, and the bonding strength of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of CF-mortar is increased, which further enhances the strengthening effect of CF, thus the mechanical properties of RAC are continuously enhanced.

The focus of this study is to determine the optimum length of micro (average diameter less than 0.3 mm) and macro (average diameter greater than or equal to 0.3 mm) hemp fibers subjected to tensile loading in a cement paste mixture. Optimizing the length of the fibers to carry tensile loading for concrete members is important to minimize waste of hemp material and to provide the best performance. This study evaluated three water-cement ratios (w/c): 0.66, 0.49, and 0.42 (fc′ = 17.2, 24.1, and 27.6 MPa [2500, 3500, and 4000 psi], respectively). Because of the high cost of cement, replacement of cement with fly ash was also part of the program to determine if the addition of fly ash would have a negative impact on the performance of the hemp fibers. The results show that hemp micro- and macrofibers bonded to the cement matrix and carry higher tensile loads at higher w/c. Statistical analysis (regression modeling) shows that the optimum length for hemp macrofibers is 30 and 20 mm (1.18 and 0.79 in.) for microfibers.

External bonding with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) offers a potential solution to mitigate the detrimental effects caused by load impact and corrosion, which can weaken the bond strength of reinforced concrete structures. However, existing models need to be improved in addressing the FRP confinement mechanism and failure modes. As a solution, the proposed model employs stress intensity factor (SIF)-based criteria to determine the internal pressure exerted on the steel-concrete interface during various stages of comprehensive concrete cracking. Critical parameters are evaluated using weight function theory and a finite element model. A bond-slip model is introduced for the FRP-concrete interface and reasonable assumptions on failure plane characteristics. The internal pressure model employed demonstrates that FRP confinement has the ability to generate dual peaks in stress distribution and modify their magnitude as the confinement level increases. The proposed predictive model demonstrates superior performance in failure modes, test methods, and wrap methods for assessing bond strength with FRP confinement. The accuracy of this model is indicated by an integral absolute error (IAE) of 9.6% based on 125 experimental data, surpassing the performance of the other three existing models. Moreover, a new confinement parameter is introduced and validated, showing an upper bound of 0.44 for enhancing FRP bond strength. Additionally, a general expression validating the bond strength model with FRP confinement is established, allowing for the prediction of bond length.

This work investigated the effects of substrate surface moisture condition and texture on ultra-high-performance concrete overlay bond strength. This investigation was performed in three parts that studied extreme substrate moisture conditions, partially dried substrate moisture conditions, and surface texture. These studies investigated the effects of substrate surface moisture conditions, from dry to a surface with a thin layer of free moisture, and surface textures that provided various aggregate exposure conditions on overlay bond strength. Direct tension pull-off tests were conducted to assess overlay bond strength. Results for specimens with exposed fine aggregate surface textures showed that visibly moist substrate surfaces facilitated development of excellent bond strengths, and adequate bond was achieved for conditions with a thin layer of free moisture. For specimens with saturated surface-dry conditions, acceptable bond was achieved with a slightly exposed fine aggregate texture and increasing bond strength was observed with increasing aggregate exposure.

Corrosion of steel reinforcing bars in reinforced concrete (RC) structures is a matter of concern among practicing engineers and researchers are perpetually working over it. The development length of reinforcing bars at joints of RC structural frames are more prone to severe corrosion. Due to this, the design stress that needs to be developed in reinforcing bars is largely reduced. In addition, the development lengths of reinforcing bars create congestion at frame joints. This paper is an attempt to overcome these issues. In this paper, an epoxy-grouted nut coupler system is proposed that generates the required design stress in reinforcing bars with a very short development length at end anchorages, due to which congestion of the reinforcing bar at the joints can be avoided. The experimental investigation on the effect of corrosion on bond strength and development length of reinforcing bar in this epoxy-grouted nut coupler is also carried out by performing pullout tests. Statistical models are developed to predict the bond strength between the coupler and reinforcing bar corroded to different levels. This epoxy-grouted nut coupler is an effective tool for developing required stress in reinforcing bars by reducing the actual development length of reinforcing bars in the case of new structures. It is also useful and convenient in regeneration of stress in reinforcing bars at end anchorages that has been lost in corrosion-damaged structures.