N.H. Ramli Sulong

A Review on Strengthening Steel Beams Using FRP under Fatigue

In recent decades, the application of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for strengthening structural elements has become an efficient option to meet the increased cyclic loads or repair due to corrosion or fatigue cracking. Hence, the objective of this study is to explore the existing FRP reinforcing techniques to care for fatigue damaged structural steel elements. This study covers the surface treatment techniques, adhesive curing, and support conditions under cyclic loading including fatigue performance, crack propagation, and failure modes with finite element (FE) simulation of the steel bridge girders and structural elements. FRP strengthening composites delay initial cracking, reduce the crack growth rate, extend the fatigue life, and decrease the stiffness decay with residual deflection. Prestressed carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is the best strengthening option. End anchorage prevents debonding of the CRRP strips at the beam ends by reducing the local interfacial shear and peel stresses. Hybrid-joint, nanoadhesive, and carbon-flex can also be attractive for strengthening systems.

Analysis of developed transition road safety barrier systems

Road safety barriers protect vehicles from roadside hazards by redirecting errant vehicles in a safe manner as well as providing high levels of safety during and after impact. This paper focused on transition safety barrier systems which were located at the point of attachment between a bridge and roadside barriers. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the behavior of transition systems located at upstream bridge rail with different designs and performance levels. Design factors such as occupant risk and vehicle trajectory for different systems were collected and compared. To achieve this aim a comprehensive database was developed using previous studies. The comparison showed that Test 3-21, which is conducted by impacting a pickup truck with speed of 100 km/h and angle of 25° to transition system, was the most severe test. Occupant impact velocity and ridedown acceleration for heavy vehicles were lower than the amounts for passenger cars and pickup trucks, and in most cases higher occupant lateral impact ridedown acceleration was observed on vehicles subjected to higher levels of damage. The best transition system was selected to give optimum performance which reduced occupant risk factors using the similar crashes in accordance with Test 3-21.

The safety performance of guardrail systems: review and analysis of crash tests data

The last decade has witnessed an increased number of vehicles and increased vehicle speed on roads such that the frequency and severity of run-off roadway accidents has increased dramatically. Evaluation of guardrail system performance as an element of providing a safe environment for vehicles and to reduce occupant injuries is deemed to be vital issue. Hence, this paper is going to assess deflection and vehicle trajectory of current guardrail systems. For this purpose, the results of full-scale crash tests for different types of guardrail system are collected from previous crash tests available in the literature. The results showed that for Test 3–11 (according to NCHRP Report 350) with similar post spacing (1905 mm), the trend of vehicle exit speed declined while guardrail maximum permanent deflection increased. In addition, among all system types, guardrail with curb and Thrie-beam guardrail systems were subjected to the lowest amount of deflection although Thrie-beam guardrail was subjected to higher average values for both vehicle exit speed and exit angle. Further, weak-post guardrail system showed to have the highest maximum dynamic and permanent deformation compared to other systems whereas it caused the lowest exit angle to the vehicles.

Strengthening of Steel I-Beams Using CFRP Strips: An Investigation on CFRP Bond Length

This research investigates the effects of applying different bond lengths for Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strips used in flexural strengthening of steel I-beams. Wide range of the structural parameters i.e. load bearing capacity, failure mode, strain on CFRP, strain on adhesive, strain on steel beam, lateral deformation, and vertical deflection were investigated. Both numerical and experimental studies were employed. To simulate the specimens, ANSYS software in three dimensional (3D) modelling case and non-linear analysis method was utilized. In the experimental test, four-point bending method with static gradual loading was applied. Results indicate that using shorter CFRP bond lengths caused brittle behaviour, and applying longer CFRP bond lengths resulted in more flexible behaviour. Using different CFRP bond lengths affected the whole structural behaviours of the strengthened beams.

Steel Rack Connections: Identification of Most Influential Factors and a Comparison of Stiffness Design Methods.

Steel pallet rack (SPR) beam-to-column connections (BCCs) are largely responsible to avoid the sway failure of frames in the down-aisle direction. The overall geometry of beam end connectors commercially used in SPR BCCs is different and does not allow a generalized analytic approach for all types of beam end connectors; however, identifying the effects of the configuration, profile and sizes of the connection components could be the suitable approach for the practical design engineers in order to predict the generalized behavior of any SPR BCC. This paper describes the experimental behavior of SPR BCCs tested using a double cantilever test set-up. Eight sets of specimens were identified based on the variation in column thickness, beam depth and number of tabs in the beam end connector in order to investigate the most influential factors affecting the connection performance. Four tests were repeatedly performed for each set to bring uniformity to the results taking the total number of tests to thirty-two. The moment-rotation (M-θ) behavior, load-strain relationship, major failure modes and the influence of selected parameters on connection performance were investigated. A comparative study to calculate the connection stiffness was carried out using the initial stiffness method, the slope to half-ultimate moment method and the equal area method. In order to find out the more appropriate method, the mean stiffness of all the tested connections and the variance in values of mean stiffness according to all three methods were calculated. The calculation of connection stiffness by means of the initial stiffness method is considered to overestimate the values when compared to the other two methods. The equal area method provided more consistent values of stiffness and lowest variance in the data set as compared to the other two methods.

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Bars for Enhancing the Flexural Performance of RC Beams Using Side-NSM Technique

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures require strengthening for numerous factors, such as increased load, modification of the structural systems, structural upgrade or errors in the design and construction stages. The side near-surface mounted (SNSM) strengthening technique with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars is a relatively new emerging technique for enhancing the flexural capacities of existing RC elements. Nine RC rectangular beams were flexurally strengthened with this technique and tested under four-point bending loads until failure. The main goal of this study is to optimize the structural capacity of the RC beams by varying the amount of strengthening reinforcement and bond length. The experimental test results showed that strengthening with SNSM GFRP bars significantly enhanced the flexural responses of the specimens compared with the control specimen. The first cracking and ultimate loads, energy absorption capacities, ductility and stiffness were remarkably enhanced by the SNSM technique. It was also confirmed that the bond length of the strengthened reinforcement greatly influences the energy absorption capacities, ductility and stiffness. The effect of the bond length on these properties is more significant compared to the amount of strengthening reinforcement.

Behavior of Tilted Angle Shear Connectors

According to recent researches, angle shear connectors are appropriate to transfer longitudinal shear forces across the steel-concrete interface. Angle steel profile has been used in different positions as L-shaped or C-shaped shear connectors. The application of angle shear connectors in tilted positions is of interest in this study. This study investigates the behaviour of tilted-shaped angle shear connectors under monotonic loading using experimental push out tests. Eight push-out specimens are tested to investigate the effects of different angle parameters on the ultimate load capacity of connectors. Two different tilted angles of 112.5 and 135 degrees between the angle leg and steel beam are considered. In addition, angle sizes and lengths are varied. Two different failure modes were observed consisting of concrete crushing-splitting and connector fracture. By increasing the size of connector, the maximum load increased for most cases. In general, the 135 degrees tilted angle shear connectors have a higher strength and stiffness than the 112.5 degrees type.

Genetic algorithm in locating the optimum mid-connection of Off-Centre braced system

In this article, a particular Off-Centre braced system is examined. This bracing system consists of three members, where the diagonal member is not straight and it is connected to the corner of the frame by a third member. The out-of-straightness of the diagonal member introduces eccentricity to the system. This system improves the energy dissipation due to earthquake as well as its eccentricity allows architects to have more openings in the panel areas. In this regard, the location of brace elements connection point has significant effect on the stiffness of the system. In order to assess the influence of the connection position and other parameters such as cross section of brace elements and span/height ratio of the braced frame on the stiffness of the system, analytical equations have been developed. A new method based on Genetic algorithm (GA) to obtain the connection point is also proposed. The importance of elite individuals together with selection, mutation and crossover operator between populations are also examined. In order to achieve the best and practical location of the connection point, two equations for boundary conditions with regards to the opening dimensions are set in a computer model developed in MATLAB program. The results indicate that the stiffness decreases as the connection point moves closer to the corner of the frame. Additionally, the proposed method is proven to be efficient in determining the connection point due to its accuracy and minimal computational time required compare to conventional trial and error method.In this article, a particular Off-Centre braced system is examined. This bracing system consists of three members, where the diagonal member is not straight and it is connected to the corner of the frame by a third member. The out-of-straightness of the diagonal member introduces eccentricity to the system. This system improves the energy dissipation due to earthquake as well as its eccentricity allows architects to have more openings in the panel areas. In this regard, the location of brace elements connection point has significant effect on the stiffness of the system. In order to assess the influence of the connection position and other parameters such as cross section of brace elements and span/height ratio of the braced frame on the stiffness of the system, analytical equations have been developed. A new method based on Genetic algorithm (GA) to obtain the connection point is also proposed. The importance of elite individuals together with selection, mutation and crossover operator between populations are also examined. In order to achieve the best and practical location of the connection point, two equations for boundary conditions with regards to the opening dimensions are set in a computer model developed in MATLAB program. The results indicate that the stiffness decreases as the connection point moves closer to the corner of the frame. Additionally, the proposed method is proven to be efficient in determining the connection point due to its accuracy and minimal computational time required compare to conventional trial and error method.

Crashworthiness of G4(2W) guardrail system: a finite element parametric study

ABSTRACT In recent years, vehicle demographics have changed to include a relatively large proportion of light trucks, such as pickups, vans and sport-utility vehicles. It is found that several types of guardrail systems, including the G4(2W) guardrail system, are unable to redirect the pickup trucks to roadway safely. Therefore, in this study, several options are considered; they include improving the splice connections and adjusting the guardrail height and the post spacing to improve the performance of this system. The G4(2W) guardrail system is modelled in LS-DYNA and validated with a previous full-scale crash test conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. A parametric study based on the results of the LS-DYNA crash simulation according to Length of Need test 3-11 and 3-10 is conducted to investigate key factors of guardrail systems, including the splice configuration, the post spacing and the guardrail height. The purpose of this study is to find a model that satisfies the requirements of Test Level 3 outlined in Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH)s criteria.

Shear Capacity of C-Shaped and L-Shaped Angle Shear Connectors.

This paper investigates the behaviour of C-shaped and L-shaped angle shear connectors embedded in solid concrete slabs. An effective finite element model is proposed to simulate the push out tests of these shear connectors that encompass nonlinear material behaviour, large displacement and damage plasticity. The finite element models are validated against test results. Parametric studies using this nonlinear model are performed to investigate the variations in concrete strength and connector dimensions. The finite element analyses also confirm the test results that increasing the length of shear connector increases their shear strength proportionately. It is observed that the maximum stress in L-shaped angle connectors takes place in the weld attachment to the beam, whereas in the C-shaped angle connectors, it is in the attached leg. The location of maximum concrete compressive damage is rendered in each case. Finally, a new equation for prediction of the shear capacity of C-shaped angle connectors is proposed.