Jin-Ha Hwang

Revision on Material Strength of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Many studies have been performed on steel fiber-reinforced normal/high-strength concrete (SFRC, SFRHC) for years, which is to improve some of the weak material properties of concrete. Most of equations for material strengths of SFRHC, however, were proposed based on relatively limited test results. In this research, therefore, the material test results of SFR(H)C were extensively collected from literature, and material tests have conducted on SFR(H)C; compressive strength tests, splitting tensile tests, and modulus of rupture tests. Based on the extensive test data obtained from previous studies and this research, a database of SFR(H)C material strengths has been established, and improved equations for material strengths of SFR(H)C were also proposed. Test results showed that both the splitting tensile strength and the modulus of rupture of SFR(H)C increased as the volume fraction of steel fiber increased, while the effect of the steel fiber volume fraction on the compressive strength of SFR(H)C were not clearly observed. The proposed equations for the splitting tensile strength and the modulus of rupture of SFR(H)C showed better results than the previous equations examined in this study in terms of not only accuracy but also safety/reliability.

Shear Behavior Models of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams Modifying Softened Truss Model Approaches

Recognizing that steel fibers can supplement the brittle tensile characteristics of concrete, many studies have been conducted on the shear performance of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) members. However, previous studies were mostly focused on the shear strength and proposed empirical shear strength equations based on their experimental results. Thus, this study attempts to estimate the strains and stresses in steel fibers by considering the detailed characteristics of steel fibers in SFRC members, from which more accurate estimation on the shear behavior and strength of SFRC members is possible, and the failure mode of steel fibers can be also identified. Four shear behavior models for SFRC members have been proposed, which have been modified from the softened truss models for reinforced concrete members, and they can estimate the contribution of steel fibers to the total shear strength of the SFRC member. The performances of all the models proposed in this study were also evaluated by a large number of test results. The contribution of steel fibers to the shear strength varied from 5% to 50% according to their amount, and the most optimized volume fraction of steel fibers was estimated as 1%–1.5%, in terms of shear performance.

Experimental Study on RC Frame Structures with Non-Seismic Details Strengthened by Externally-Anchored Precast Wall-Panel Method (EPWM)

The infill-wall strengthening method has been widely used for the seismic performance enhancement of the conventional reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures with non-seismic detail, which is one of the promising techniques to secure the high resisting capacity against lateral forces induced by earthquake. During the application of the infill-wall strengthening method, however, it often restricts the use of the structure. In addition, it is difficult to cast the connection part between the wall and the frame, and also difficult to ensure the shear resistance performances along the connection. In this study, an advanced strengthening method using the externally-anchored precast wall-panel (EPCW) was proposed to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional infill-wall strengthening method. The one-third scaled four RC frame specimens were fabricated, and the cyclic loading tests were conducted to verify the EPCW strengthening method. The test results showed that the strength, lateral stiffness, energy dissipation capacity of the RC frame structures strengthened by the proposed EPCW method were significantly improved compared to the control test specimen.

Consideration on punching shear strength of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete slabs

The flat plate slab system is widely used in construction fields due to its excellent constructability and savings in story height compared to the conventional beam-column moment-resisting system. Many researchers are, however, concerned about the punching shear failure that can happen in a two-way flat plate slab system, for which many shear-strength-enhancement techniques have been suggested. One of the effective alternatives is the application of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete. However, most previous studies on the punching shear strength of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete flat slabs had presented empirical formulas based on experimental results. On the other hand, theoretical models proposed in previous studies are difficult to be applied to practical situations. Therefore, in this study, a punching shear strength model of the steel-fiber-reinforced concrete two-way flat slab is proposed. In this model, the total shear resistance of the steel-fiber-reinforced concrete flat slab is expressed by sum of the shear contribution of steel fibers in the cracked tension region and that of intact concrete in the compression zone. A total of 91 shear test data on steel-fiber-reinforced concrete slab–column connection were compared to the analysis results, and the proposed model provided a good accuracy on estimating the punching shear strength of the steel-fiber-reinforced concrete flat slabs.