Lidia La Mendola

Behavior in compression of lightweight fiber reinforced concrete confined with transverse steel reinforcement

Abstract The compressive behavior of lightweight fiber reinforced concrete confined with transverse reinforcement consisting of steel stirrups or spirals was analyzed. Pumice stone and expanded clay aggregates were utilized to decrease the weight of the composite; hooked steel fibers were also added. The investigation was carried out by testing cylindrical and prismatic specimens of different sizes in compression using an open-loop displacement control machine, recording the full load–deformation curves. The influence of the dimensions and shape on the bearing capacity and on the ductility of the specimens confined with transverse steel reinforcements was analyzed. The results show the possibility of obtaining high confinement level through the coupled effect of fibers and steel transverse reinforcement.

Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Corbels: Experimental Behavior and Shear Strength Prediction

Corbels are structural members often used in reinforced concrete structures to transfer vertical and horizontal forces to principal members. This paper presents experimental research regarding the flexural behavior of corbels in plain and fibrous concrete and in the presence of steel bars. The study considers the influence of the type of concrete grade (normal- and high-strength concretes), of the fiber percentage and of the arrangement and percentage of the steel bars on the flexural behavior of the corbels. The results in terms of load-deflection curves and crack patterns show the effectiveness in using fibrous reinforced concrete corbels as well as in the presence of stirrups ensuring adequate strength and deformation capacity in reinforced concrete corbels. A simplified analytical model is proposed to calculate the shear strength of fibrous reinforced concrete corbels as well as in the presence of stirrups. The expression proposed for the calculation of the shear strength is then compared with other expression from the literature. The experimental results generated in terms of bearing capacity and those available in the literature are compared with the results obtained through the proposed model and with existing analytical expression. They show a good level of approximation, highlighting the role of the individual contributions from bars, concrete and fibers in the resistant mechanisms.

Nonlinear Analysis of Beams Reinforced in Shear with Stirrups and Steel Fibers

The modified compression field theory (MCFT) and the disturbed stress field model (DSFM) are often used to predict the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete structures. This study presents several extensions of the MCFT and DSFM to the case of high-strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete beams subjected to transverse loads. Experimental four-point bending tests were conducted on 12 concrete beams with a different percentage of fibers and/or stirrups. To validate the updates introduced in the analytical models, numerical analysis was performed using nonlinear finite element software. Modeling of the post-peak softening branch of the tensile and compressive constitutive curves of fibrous concrete was included in the MCFT-based analytic procedures to capture the structural behavior of the specimens. The numerical results indicate that the model is effective in predicting the structural response of both members reinforced with steel fibers only and beams with stirrups and steel fibers as transverse reinforcement. The experimental and numerical results highlighted the capacity of steel fibers to partially substitute the stirrups as shear reinforcement in beams. Coupled transverse reinforcement, provided by both stirrups and steel fibers, can optimize cost and structural performance considerations.

Experimental test results vs. analytical prediction of welded joint strength in hybrid steel trussed concrete beams (HSTCBs)

The aim of the paper is to provide practical guidelines for the design of welded joints of steel truss for encased composite steel–concrete beams. The results of experimental tests are presented and interpreted. The steel truss is made of a steel plate acting as the bottom chord, made of S355 structural steel, coupled with steel rebars which form the upper chord, and steel inclined web rebars (V-reverse) welded to the two chord elements, both of them made of steel B450C. Butt welded joints of web bar to bottom steel plate and fillet welding joints of inclined web bars to top chord bars were tested, as they are different from the ones which are normally used due to the coupling of different steel types and complex geometry. For the prediction of strength of fillet welding joints, two analytical expressions are derived: the first is based on a local failure criterion and the second on a limit domain of the welding section. Comparison with experimental data proves the equivalence and reliability of the proposed indications. Guidelines for choosing the effective dimensions of the fillet weld able to ensure a required strength are provided. For validation of the suggested guidelines, a high precision digital scanner is used to determine the geometrical characteristics of the fillet weld.

Experimental Tests and FEM Model for SFRC Beams under Flexural and Shear Loads

The complete load‐vs‐displacement curves obtained by four‐point‐bending tests on Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) beams are predicted by using a nonlinear finite element code based on the Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT) and the Disturbed Stress Field Model (DSFM) suitably adapted for SFRC elements. The effect of fibers on the shear‐flexure response is taken into account, mainly incorporating tensile stress‐strain analytical relationship for SFRC. The numerical results show the effectiveness of the model for prediction of the behavior of the tested specimens reinforced with light amount of stirrups or with fibers only.

Flexural bearing capacity and related ductility demand for masonry sections under nonlinear constitutive law

This paper aims at examining the maximum bearing capacity of rectangular masonry cross-sections subjected to eccentric compression, by assuming a nonlinear constitutive law characterized by two parameters defining stressstrain curve of the material. The variation of these parameters permits us to represent a wide variety of materials; therefore the ductility required of these materials in order for a section to achieve the maximum bending moment compatible with an average normal stress is also determined. The proposed approach can be utilized to evaluate the safety condition of masonry bearing walls, like those characterizing buildings of historical andfor monumental interest, for which the stress state can become dangerous because of eccentricity in the loads or due to horizontal seismic forces. Some experimental tests confirm the reliability of the proposed procedure.

Validation of a Shear Model for RC and Hybrid Beams with Two Different Inclinations of Transversal Reinforcement

The validation of an analytical model recently proposed for evaluation of the shear capacity in Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams containing multiple inclination of transverse stirrups is presented. The model is a suitable extension of that currently proposed in Eurocode 2 for the evaluation of the shear resistance, and it is derived by means of the the variable-inclination stress-field theory based on Nielsen’s plastic approach. Experimental and numerical data available in the literature on Hybrid Steel-Trussed Concrete Beams (HSTCBs) are used for model validation and result discussion. Finally, also the comparison with a different analytical approach for the assessment of the shear resistance of HSTCBs is provided.

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.

Experimental Investigation of the Shear Response of Precast Steel-Concrete Trussed Beams

AbstractThe results of an experimental campaign of three-point bending tests on precast composite beams, named hybrid steel–trussed concrete beams (HSTCBs), are provided. HSTCBs are typically constituted by a precast steel truss embedded in a block of concrete cast in place. Two series of specimens were manufactured, designed such that shear failure would occur, and tested under positive and negative bending moment. The experimental results obtained showed that fragile shear failure occurred in almost all cases, evidencing the crisis of the compressed concrete strut involved in the collapse mechanism. Yielding of the steel members provided ductility to the system, especially in those cases in which the mechanical properties of the concrete were adequate and allowed the failure of the strut to be delayed. Some of the more accredited expressions for prediction of shear resistance available in the literature were used to assess the shear capacity and compared against those experimentally obtained for all spe...

Stress Field Model for Strengthening of Shear-Flexure Critical RC Beams

AbstractA model for the design of shear-flexure critical reinforced concrete elements strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets and plates is presented. The model is based on the stre...