Xu Shilang

Experimental measurement of double-K fracture parameters of concrete with small-size aggregates

The double-K fracture model can well describe the development of cracks undergoing during the entire fracture process in concrete. Therefore, it has been selected as the theoretical basis of the “Norm for fracture test of hydraulic concrete” (China) and the double-K fracture parameters proposed in this model are regarded as the essential fracture parameters needed to be measured. Therefore, the primary objection of this paper is to present an overall report on the determination of the double-K fracture parameters of concrete involving the fundamental theory, calculation formulas, experimental arrangement and identification of initial cracking load in order to provide a reference for the specification committee. The fracture tests are carried out on the total of 43 concrete specimens where the small-size aggregates with the maximum size of 10 mm are chosen. Two typical widely-used geometries, i.e. three-points bending beam and wedge splitting specimen are adopted. The initial cracking load is determined by means of graph method or electrical resistance strain gauge method. Then, the initial fracture toughness and unstable fracture toughness are measured. It is found that the ratio of initial cracking load to maximum load is 0.67–0.71 and the ratio of initial fracture toughness to unstable fracture toughness is 0.45–0.50. It is also found that, for the initial fracture toughness and unstable fracture toughness, the values are approximately close to the constants when the depth of specimens is large than 200 and 400 mm for three-points bending beams and wedge splitting specimens respectively. Besides, the critical crack tip opening displacement of each specimen is calculated, too. The big difference between two geometries is noticed.

Fracture resistance on aggregate bridging crack in concrete

Fracture toughening exhibited in quasi-brittle materials such as concrete is often mainly related to the action of aggregate bridging, which leads to the presence of a fracture process zone ahead of stress-free cracks in such materials. In this investigation, the fracture resistance induced by aggregate bridging, denoted by GI-bridging, in the primary focus. In order to quantitatively determine it, a general analytical formula is firstly developed, based on the definition of fracture energy by Hillerborg. After this, we further present the calculated procedures of determining this fracture resistance from the recorded load vs. crack opening displacement curve. Then, both numerical simulations and fracture experiments are performed on concrete three-point bending beams. Utilizing the obtained load against crack opening displacement curve, the value of GI-bridging at any crack extension as well as the change of GI-bridging with the crack extension is examined. It is found that GI-bridging will firstly increase with the development of crack and then stay constant once the initial crack tip opening displacement reaches the characteristic crack opening displacement w0. The effects of material strength and specimen depth on this fracture resistance are also investigated. The results reveal that the values of GI-bridging of different specimens at any crack propagation are strongly associated with the values of fracture energy of specimens. If the values of fracture energy between different specimens are comparable, the differences between GI-bridging are ignored. Instead, if values of fracture energy are different, the GI-bridging will be different. This shows that for specimens with different strengths, GI-bridging will change greatly whereas for specimens that are different in depth, whether GI-bridging exhibits size effect depends on whether the fracture energy of specimens considered in the calculation of GI-bridging is assumed to be a size-dependent material parameter.

Analysis on cohesive crack opening displacement considering the strain softening effect

In order to investigate the crack propagation in quasi-brittle materials like rock, ceramic and concrete, Hillerborg and his co-researchers abstracted the fracture process zone in front of a stress free crack in terms of a “fictitious crack zone”. On the fictitious crack zone, cohesive stresses distribute following a given softening relationship of stress vs. crack opening. Based on the polynomial or power series expression of cohesive crack opening displacement, the relationship of the cohesive stress vs. the crack opening displacement is established using elastic theory and integral equation, and some unknown physics variables are obtained using variation approach. The calculation results gained in this paper are close to the experimentally test ones.

An Experimental Study on Bending Behavior of Cementitious Composites Reinforced in Combination with Carbon Textile and Short-Cut PVA Fiber

Research work on textile reinforced concrete (TRC for short) and Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC for short) has been carried out to improve durability and service life of structures recently. Combining both advantages of TRC and ECC, this paper associates both carbon textile and short-cut PVA fiber as reinforcements for investigating a new anti-cracking technique of concrete structure, which can make the cracks innocuously disperse and improve the load bearing capacity. Accordingly, a kind of predominant composite material with excellent abilities of crack resisting and controlling is developed. Influences of the surface treatment of textile, the water-binder ratio, the volume fraction of PVA fiber on crack resisting and the load bearing capacity of the tested component have been investigated using the experiments on four-point bending specimens. As a result, the material shows prominent toughness and superior crack controlling with multiple fine cracks; the surface treatments of textile obviously improve bond properties between roving and ECC; the integrated performances of this composite material are improved evidently with just 0.5% increase of the volume content of PVA fiber.

Experimental Study on Electric Properties of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete

According to the phenomenon that the physical properties have a great effect on the electric capability of carbon fiber reinforced concrete, the author researched the relationship between DC resistance of carbon fiber reinforced concrete and curing age using the two-probe method. Then the effect of insulative area, location and quantity on DC resistance of carbon fiber reinforced concrete was investigated at different curing age with analysis of hydration. The results suggest that DC resistance increases greatly with its curing age, which illustrates the relationship like Gaussian curve. In every curing ages the electric capability of carbon fiber reinforced concrete weakenes with the increase of insulative area. In same curing ages, section and insulative area, the more the quantity of insulation, the stronger the conductibility. The insulative location in optimal position can only result in optimal conductibility.

Analysis on the cohesive stress at half infinite crack tip

The nonlinear fracture behavior of quasi-brittle materials is closely related with the cohesive force distribution of fracture process zone at crack tip. Based on fracture character of quasi-brittle materials, a mechanical analysis model of half infinite crack with cohesive stress is presented. A pair of integral equations is established according to the superposition principle of crack opening displacement in solids, and the fictitious adhesive stress is unknown function. The properties of integral equations are analyzed, and the series function expression of cohesive stress is certified. By means of the data of actual crack opening displacement, two approaches to gain the cohesive stress distribution are proposed through resolving algebra equation. They are the integral transformation method for continuous displacement of actual crack opening, and the least square method for the discrete data of crack opening displacement. The calculation examples of two approaches and associated discussions are given.

Conservation law and application ofJ-integral in multi-materials

The conservation law of J-integral in two-media with a crack paralleling to the interface of the two media was firstly proved by analytical and numerical finite element method. Then a schedule model was established that an interface crack is inserted in four media. According to the J-integral conservation law on multi-media, the energy release ratio ofI-type crack was considered to be conservation when the middle medium layers are very thin. And the conservation law was also convinced by numerical method. By means of the dimension analysis on the model, the asymptotic results and formula calculating the energy release ratio and complex stress intensity factor are presented.

Dynamic analyses of steel-reinforced super high-strength concrete columns

The dynamic behaviors of steel-reinforced super high-strength concrete columns under seismic loading were studied with a series of experiments. Thirteen specimens, with concrete strengths ranging from 94.9 to 105.4 MPa and shear-span ratios of 2.75, were manufactured. The axial load ratio and the stirrup reinforcement ratio were the main experimental variables affecting the dynamic behavior of the specimens. The columns under low cyclic lateral loading mainly failed in the flexural-shear mode. Shear force-displacement hysteretic curves and skeleton curves were drawn. The coefficients of the specimens’ displacement ductility were calculated. Experimental results indicate that ductility decreases while the axial load ratio increases, but it increases when the stirrup reinforcement ratio increases. The limit values of the axial load ratio and the minimum stirrup reinforcement ratio of the columns were investigated to satisfy definite ductility requirements. These values were suggested as references of engineering applications and of the amendment of the current Chinese design code of steel reinforced concrete composite structures.