Giovanni Minafò

Experimental Investigation on Compressive Behavior of Bottle-Shaped Struts

The goal of this investigation was the experimental verification of the dispersion of compression in bottle-shaped struts. Two typical bottle shapes were generated under load in compression concrete—both drilled and undrilled—and were reinforced concrete prismatic members with loading steel plate having a reduced area with respect to the entire cross section of the members. Axial load, and axial and lateral strains were recorded during the tests to evaluate the effects of key parameters. The comparative analysis of the experimental results showed that: 1) the presence of a hole produces a variation on the stress and strain distribution and a reduction in the load-carrying capacity; 2) the reduction in the dimension of the loading plate produces a reduction in the load-carrying capacity; and 3) the presence of transverse steel reduces this phenomenon, ensuring more ductile behavior. Finally, an analytical prediction of the load-carrying capacity was made and compared with the experimental results.

Flexural behaviour of external R/C steel fibre reinforced beam-column joints

ABSTRACT A softened strut-and-tie macro model able to reproduce the flexural behaviour of external beam-column joint is presented. The model is specific for concrete with hooked steel fibres (FRC) and it is designed to calculate the flexural response, as load-deflection curve, of a beam-column sub-assemblages. The model considers the presence of a constant vertical load acting on the column and of a monotonically increasing lateral force applied at the tip of the beam.

Experimental calibration of flat jacks for in-situ testing of masonry

ABSTRACT Flat-jack testing method is one of the most commonly used techniques for the structural assessment of existing masonry structures. Single and double flat jacks are usually adopted to evaluate the acting normal stress, or the compressive behaviour of masonry material. Test procedures are codified by international standards (e.g., A.S.T.M D4729-87; C1196-04; C1197-04, R.I.L.E.M TC 177–MDT D.4; R.I.L.E.M. TC 177–MDT D.5), which provide the preliminary calibration of an experimental coefficient (km) and of the effective area (Aeff), which determination influences significantly the reliability of the test. This article presents the result of an experimental study on the calibration of flat jacks for masonry testing. The problem is investigated by several tests carried out on two types of common flat jacks, which differ for geometry and producer. Two calibration methods are adopted in order to relate the pressure values of the flat jack with those of the hydraulic press and load cycles are performed in two different pressure ranges. Finally, a theoretical interpretation of results is made, which gives good predictions of calibration parameters. Results of this investigation highlight the influence of constructive features and service pressure of the jack adopted, for obtaining reliable results from the tests on masonry structures.

Effect of FRP strengthening on the flexural behaviour of calcarenite masonry walls

The use of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) for structural strengthening has become increasingly popular in recent years. Several applications of FRP have been proposed and applied, depending on the target of the technique, kind and/or material of the structural member. In particular, because of their great tensile strength, FRP materials are commonly used to enhance the out-of-plane behaviour of masonry walls, allowing to increase their strength, ductility and improving safety against overturning. For these reasons, FRP laminates are often applied in vulnerable ancient buildings in seismic areas to reinforce façades and walls with poor structural features. However, some issues arise when adopting composites in historical constructions, the most related to the aesthetical impact of laminates and compatibility between FRP and masonry. Consequently, a correct evaluation of the reinforcement percentages for strength and ductility purposes is crucial, as well as the effective increase of structural performances. This paper presents a numerical-analytical approach able to reproduce the flexural behaviour of out-of-plane loaded masonry walls. The model is based on a simplified representation of the member, the latter modeled as a cantilever beam. Mechanical non-linearity is introduced by means of moment–curvature relationships, deduced with proper constitutive laws of masonry and by taking into account the ultimate debonding strain of FRP. Second order effects are considered by adopting an iterative step-by-step procedure. Comparisons are made in terms of moment–curvature and load–displacement curves with experimental data available in the literature and with non-linear finite element analyses, showing both good agreement. Finally, parametric considerations on the reinforcement percentages are made in terms of strength and ductility.

Rocking Behaviour of Multi-Block Columns Subjected to Pulse-Type Ground Motion Accelerations

Ancient columns, made with a variety of materials such as marble, granite, stone or masonry are an important part of the European cultural heritage. In particular columns of ancient temples in Greece and Sicily which support only the architrave are characterized by small axial load values. This feature together with the slenderness typical of these structural members clearly highlights as the evaluation of the rocking behaviour is a key aspect of their safety assessment and maintenance. It has to be noted that the rocking response of rectangular cross-sectional columns modelled as monolithic rigid elements, has been widely investigated since the first theoretical study carried out by Housner (1963). However, the assumption of monolithic member, although being widely used and accepted for practical engineering applications, is not valid for more complex systems such as multi-block columns made of stacked stone blocks, with or without mortar beds. In these cases, in fact, a correct analysis of the system should consider rocking and sliding phenomena between the individual blocks of the structure. Due to the high non-linearity of the problem, the evaluation of the dynamic behaviour of multi-block columns has been mostly studied in the literature using a numerical approach such as the Discrete Element Method (DEM). This paper presents an introductory study about a proposed analytical-numerical approach for analysing the rocking behaviour of multi-block columns subjected to a sine-pulse type ground motion. Based on the approach proposed by Spanos et al. (2001) for a system made of two rigid blocks, the Eulero-Lagrange method to obtain the motion equations of the system is discussed and numerical applications are performed with case studies reported in the literature and with a real acceleration record. The rocking response of single block and multi-block columns is compared and considerations are made about the overturning conditions and on the effect of forcing function’s frequency.

Approximate Solution on Large Deflection of Glass Panels Subjected to Uniform Pressure

AbstractThe estimation of the deflection of glass panels under wind pressure is important in designing external facades of buildings. A direct method to compute the large deflections of glass panels under uniform loads such as wind pressure is presented. The model allows for derivation of the load-deflection response of square or rectangular multilayered glass panels subject to uniform loads. The boundary conditions examined are those of four-point discontinuous supports or continuous supports along the four sides. With some assumptions on bending and membrane action of flat glasses, simple analytical expressions were derived from the elastic theory. Viscoelastic effects for multilayered glass panels with a thin interlayer of PVB were taken into account by introducing a time-dependent equivalent thickness, as suggested in the literature. The mechanical model based on the structural behavior of equivalent beams is also able to account for the flexural and membrane actions. Different experimental results av...

Numerical Calibration of a Simplified Model for FRP Confinement of Columns

This paper presents the calibration of a simplified analytical model for concrete columns confined by fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets. The model allows evaluating the increase of strength, ductility and dissipated energy without defining the lateral confinement pressure and it can be easily extended for the assessment of FRP confinement in design applications. This model was obtained by a simplified procedure based on the best fit of experimental data available in the literature and the coefficient of determination (R2) was evaluated in order to estimate the accuracy of the regression analysis. A numerical database resulting from finite element (FE) analyses was compiled and reported for integrating the model’s calibration obtained by the few experimental data. The FE models are built based on results of experimental tests available in the literature and several FE simulations are carried out. The experimental results are then integrated with numerical results and new forms of the simplified expressions are obtained by new best fit. The new values of R2 confirm an improvement of the accuracy of the regression analysis. Finally, the performance of the simplified model is compared with existing formulas available in the literature.

Modelling Load-Transmission Mechanisms in Axially Loaded RC Columns Retrofitted with Steel Jackets

The use of steel jacketing technique is a common practice for retrofitting existing reinforced concrete (RC) columns, as it allows increasing load-carrying capacity and ductility of the member. When the external jacket has no-end connections – i.e. the jacket is indirectly loaded- the load sustained by the column is transferred from the inner RC core to the external jacket through shear stresses along the contact surface. The assessment of this mechanism is quite complex, due to the marked non-linear behaviour of constituent materials and to the calibration of a proper shear stress-relative slip constitutive law of the concrete-to-steel interface.

Effect of FRP Wraps on the Compressive Behaviour of Slender Masonry Columns

In the last decade, Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wrapping technique has become a common method to retrofit masonry piers or columns with poor structural performances. The passive confinement effect induced by the external wrap allows increasing the compressive strength and ductility of the member. Several studies highlighted as the efficacy of this technique is affected by several key parameters, including the shape of the transverse cross section, stress intensification at the strength corner of sharp sections, amount and mechanical properties of adopted composite. Despite this technique has been widely studied from both theoretical and experimental point of view, most of studies focused on short columns and little information is available on the influence of second order effects on its structural efficacy. This paper presents a simplified method able to assess the effect of FRP confinement on slender columns. A preliminary evaluation of the constitutive law in compression of FRP confined masonry is made and the best-fitting model is adopted to model masonry in compression. Sectional analysis is performed by including the tensile strength of masonry and considerations are made on the increase of ultimate moment and curvature. Finally, the effect of column slenderness is considered using a simple numerical procedure, making it possible to calculate the allowable slenderness ratios as a function of the maximum drift, taking into account both strength and stability.

Theoretical approaches for modelling buckling effects in rebars of RC members

Buckling of longitudinal bars in reinforced concrete (RC) members is definitely a critical issue in framed structures subjected to seismic loads. Second order effects can affect the compressive stress–strain law of steel bars, influencing ductility calculations of RC structures. Moreover, literature studies show that buckling can occur over a length wider than stirrups’ pitch (global buckling mode), involving more stirrups and inducing large deflections in the bar. If the critical length is not carefully estimated, stirrups’ failure can occur, causing also the sudden loss of confining effects in concrete. This paper presents the results of different approaches for calculating the critical conditions in longitudinal bars. A discrete mechanical model is proposed, based on the solution of a continuous beam with elastic supports, with deflections restrained in one side to simulate the presence of the concrete core. It allows describing the transition from local buckling (between the stirrups) and global buckling, on the basis of the relative stiffness stirrup-bar. Two other methods corresponding to different computational efforts are also adopted for the sake of comparison. In particular, non-linear finite element analyses are carried out including the effect of strain hardening in the constitutive law of steel and finally, comparisons are made with a simplified closed-form solution proposed in the literature. This last comparison allows to assess the reliability of these expressions and their applications for obtaining parametric considerations useful for design.