R Shrestha

The Predictive Model for Stiffness of Inclined Screws as Shear Connection in Timber-Concrete Composite Floor

Interest in timber-concrete composite (TCC) floors has increased over the last 30 years. TCC technology relies on timber and concrete members acting compositely together. Both timber and concrete exhibit a brittle behaviour in bending/tension and compression respectively whilst the shear connection is identified as the only contributor of ductile behaviour. Therefore, the strength, stiffness and arrangement of the shear connection play a crucial role in the design parameters of TCC system including deflection and stiffness of floor. Hence, calculation of stiffness is of interest to study the structural performance of TCC floor. Material properties of timber, fastener and concrete influence the overall load-displacement response of shear connection.

Investigation on compressive strength development and drying shrinkage of ambient cured powder-activated geopolymer concretes

Abstract Geopolymer is an inorganic polymer binding material, generally formed by the reaction between aluminosilicate materials and alkali activator solution. Previous researches on geopolymer concrete around the world suggested that geopolymer concrete possess superior mechanical and durability properties over ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete, such as higher indirect tensile strength and resistance to sulphate attack. Generally, fly ash-based geopolymer concrete was cured in elevated temperature for higher early age strength because of their longer setting time in ambient temperature. Published engineering properties of geopolymer concrete cured at ambient temperature are not abundant. In this research, two types of powder-activated geopolymer binders were used as binding material. A detailed study of compressive strength and drying shrinkage of different grades (40, 50, 65 and 80 MPa) of geopolymer and OPC concrete with different workability levels (normal-workable and super-workable) were carried out. All the concrete specimens were cured at standard laboratory temperature. The compressive strength development of geopolymer concrete in early age was relatively lower than OPC concrete; however, the later age strength was significantly higher. The drying shrinkage of geopolymer concrete was similar to OPC concrete of same grade and complied with Australian Standard 1379; however, it was higher than estimated values from Australian Standard 3600. The drying shrinkage results of this study were higher than drying shrinkage of accelerated cured geopolymer concretes in previous investigations. Super workable concrete exhibited higher drying shrinkage than normal workable concrete of same grade.

Investigations of Vibration Based Condition Assessment of Timber Beams Strengthened with Fiber Reinforced Polymer

In recent years, research trend on structural condition assessments have largely shifted toward utilizing vibration based methods for structural damage detection and evaluation. On the other hand, research and applications on use of fiber reinforce polymer (FRP) on timber for strengthening or repair damaged timber members in various types of timber structures has also become increasingly popular. Although the application of FRP for repair and/or strengthening of structures has been researched for a long time, research on non-destructive assessment or evaluation of the effectiveness and reliability after FRP repairing or strengthening is yet to be carried out. In this paper, the authors made an attempt on investigation of such issue utilizing Damage Index method, which is a robust vibration-based approach for damage detection. The investigation was aiming at localizing and quantifying damage in timber beams and, more importantly evaluating the effectiveness after the damage was repaired. An experimental program was carried out on five laminated veneer lumber (LVL) beams. Various damage scenarios (i.e. severe, medium, light damage) are introduced on these beams and then repaired with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Experimental results indicate that the use of CFRP was effective in repairing the damaged timber beams. Utilizing Damage Index method can accurately detect the damage location. However, the investigation also shows that direct application of the Damage Index for evaluation of the effectiveness of rehabilitation of the damaged timber beam is not satisfactory. Further investigation and modification of the Damage Index method will be carried out in next stage research.