Cracking Analysis of FRP-Reinforced Concrete Flexural Members

The paper is dedicated to the cracking analysis of FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Polymer)-reinforced concrete elements. A general nonlinear calculation procedure, based on the slip and bond stresses, is described and adopted for the prediction of the crack width and crack spacing in FRP-reinforced concrete beams. An analytical expression of the bond-slip law is estimated using the corresponding experimental results available in the literature. A numerical investigation is carried out and the influence of the mechanical and geometrical parameters of the material (bond-slip law, reinforcement ratio, concrete strength, diameter of rebars, etc.) on the crack formation is investigated. Referring to glass-FRP-reinforced concrete beams, a comparison between the theoretical predictions and experimental results is made. The results obtained are presented and discussed.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of a composite beam for bridge structures

Results of an experimental and theoretical investigation of composite beams as elements of bridge superstructure are presented. Experiments on beams of two types — made of wood and the same beams with a composite sheath — were carried out. The rigidity of the beams of the second type was about twice as high as that of the first ones. The classical bending model of composite beams gave deflections smaller than experimental ones. To reconcile these results, the model is refined by including the effect of shear. The deflections are represented as classical ones multiplied by a shear factor which depends on the bending and shear stiffnesses and the span length of the beams. As a result, a good agreement between calculations and experiments is achieved. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 449–462, July–August, 2006.     

Variant of an Analytical Shear Model for the Stress-Strain State of Heterogeneous Composite Beams

A nonclassical analytical model for the stress-strain state of composite beams with account of shear strains is suggested. It is assumed that the beam is piecewise heterogeneous across its height. Normal and tangential loads operate on its upper and lower surfaces and on interfaces. The model describes the distribution of tangential displacements across the thickness of plies by a third-degree polynomial. The corresponding system of differential equations is obtained by the variational method and contains two equations. The first one is an analog of the equation of classical theory of beams for deflections, and the second one is an analog of the equation of the theory for the bending moment from the generalized load. The solutions to test problems are compared with three-dimensional solutions and with experimental results for simply supported and clamped beams of different composite structure. An applied engineering problem is solved for a multispan statically indeterminate beam.     

Modeling of the Behavior of Concrete Tension Members Reinforced with FRP Rods

The paper is devoted to the analysis of cracking and deformability of concrete tension members reinforced with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rods. A theoretical nonlinear model, derived from a cracking analysis founded on slip and bond stresses, is adopted for evaluating the crack width, crack spacing, and elongation of tension members. The procedure takes into account the local bond-slip law, experimentally determined by means of pullout tests, and allows us to evaluate the influence of tensile stiffening. The analysis is performed with considering all parameters influencing the behavior of tension members, such as the concrete strength, the kind of FRP rebars, the surface treatment of FRP rebars, and the concrete cover thickness. The theoretical predictions are compared with available experimental results, obtained on cylindrical concrete specimens reinforced with carbon FRP (CFRP) rods, and with predictions of the traditional models usually adopted for design purposes.     

Different Optimization Models for Crack-Free Laser Welding

Conventional laser beam welding of aluminum alloys often leads to hot cracking. This is caused by a complex process where thermo-mechanical and metallurgical aspects are involved; cf. [3], [2]. A possibility to prevent hot crack initiation yields the multi-beam welding technique (cf. [2]), where additional laser beams are led parallelly besides the main laser beam. There by optimal positions, sizes, and powers of the additional laser beams play an important role otherwise hot cracking can even be enhanced. In [1], [4], resp., a mechanical 1D and thermal 2D model of hot cracking was derived. It provides the basis for different formulations of constrained nonlinear programming problems to identify the optimal parameters of the additional laser beams. In the present paper a comparison between these formulations and between two different optimizers for the so far best formulation are presented. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dynamic assessment of reinforced concrete beams repaired with externally bonded FRP sheets

This research deals with RC beams strengthened with FRP. An experimental research is presented which is aimed at evaluating the capability of an experimental modal analysis to assess the stiffness decrease due to damage, as well as the stiffness recovery due to strengthening. Ten beams were tested. All of them were subjected to loading cycles with increasing load levels in order to induce cracking of different severity in them. The beams were then retrofitted by externally bonded FRP sheets. Three types of composites were used. The number of layers was varied, too. Modal tests were carried out after each loading-unloading cycle. The modal frequencies and damping ratios were determined for the first four vibration modes. The results obtained indicate that an experimental modal analysis can give useful information on the severity of damage and the effectiveness of strengthening. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 3–20, January–February, 2006.     

Numerical modelling of subcritical open channel flow using the K-ε turbulence model and the penalty function finite element technique

A numerical model has been developed that employs the penalty function finite element technique to solve the vertically averaged hydrodynamic and turbulence model equations for a water body using isoparametric elements. The full elliptic forms of the equations are solved, thereby allowing recirculating flows to be calculated. Alternative momentum dispersion and turbulence closure models are proposed and evaluated by comparing model predictions with experimental data for strongly curved subcritical open channel flow. The results of these simulations indicate that the depth-averaged two-equation k-ε turbulence model yields excellent agreement with experimental observations. In addition, it appears that neither the streamline curvature modification of the depth-averaged k-ε model, nor the momentum dispersion models based on the assumption of helicoidal flow in a curved channel, yield significant improvement in the present model predictions. Overall model predictions are found to be as good as those of a more complex and restricted three-dimensional model.     

Static and dynamic analysis of two-layer Timoshenko composite beams by weak-form quadrature element method

To improve the efficiency in predicting the dynamic mode and static response of the two-layer partial interaction composite beams, this paper utilizes the differential quadrature technique to approximate derivatives of the primary unknowns with adaptive order of precision, rather than the low and constant order of interpolation used in the conventional finite element method (FEM). A degree-of-freedom-adaptive weak-form quadrature element (WQE) for dynamic analysis is formulated and implemented based on the principle of virtual work. For the purpose of comparison, a parabolic displacement-based finite element is also provided, thus (1) the predicted deflections and natural frequencies of the composite beams are verified; (2) the smoothness of the internal forces and stresses generated by WQE method and FEM are compared, and (3) the convergent rates of higher order free vibration modes are also examined. Numerical results show that the efficiency of the proposed WQE method has, on the one hand, significantly triumphed over that of FEM on analyses including static response, natural frequencies and higher order free vibration modes, on the other hand, the smoothness of results, including internal forces and stresses, is greatly refined.     

Large strain constitutive modelling of cellulose aerogels

In this contribution, we propose a non-linear constitutive model for cellulose aerogels subject to compression. The model is based on the cellular microstructure of aerogels formed of square shaped unit cells of varying pore sizes with an isotropic spatial distribution. Under uniaxial compression, these cells tend to bend non-linearly until pore collapse. This cell bending is described by the extended version of the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for large deflections. The macroscopic free energy of the whole network is obtained by integration of the microscopic energies of cells over all spatial directions. Cellulose aerogels with different cellulose content are simulated using the proposed model. The model predictions show good agreement with experimental data. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Sensitivity analysis of weakened beams on elastic foundation with Green's functions

The approach of Sensitivity Analysis with Green's Functions (SAGF) [1,2] was developed to predict changes in deformations, stresses or eigenfrequencies of structures resulting from stiffness modifications or cracking by considering only the weakened or damaged parts of the structures. This approach results in a local analysis instead of a global analysis by recalculating the whole structure. Consequently, it is computationally less time-consuming than the conventional methods based on a global analysis. The key idea of the SAGF approach is based on the comparison between the elastic strain energies of the original and the weakened structures and the substitution of the virtual displacements by the corresponding Green's functions [1, 2]. Furthermore, an approximate approach for the sensitivity analysis was suggested which is described in [1, 3] in details. This approach enables us to predict the changes in the structural responses due to the stiffness weakening in the beam or in the elastic Winkler foundation by considering only the internal forces or the deflections of the original unweakened system. In addition, an iterative method was developed to enhance the accuracy of the SAGF approach. In this paper, the local SAGF method for sensitivity analysis of elastic beams on Winker foundation with stiffness weakening is presented. The accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed method are verified by using a numerical example. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Elastic-plastic sandwich beams with optimized properties for the impact case

An approach for the design of lightweight sandwich beams with optimal performance under low velocity impact loading is presented. Exemplary for beams with stainless steel faces and aluminium foam cores a procedure is proposed that bases on simulation results using an explicit finite element code. Experimental tests assure the accuracy of numerical analyses and provide data to fit the applied plastic compressible material model. By means of a multicriteria optimization method failure mechanisms are identified which dissipate a maximum of energy and lead to minimal deflections as well as to minimal beam thickness and weight at the same time. Face and core thicknesses are used as design variables. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A non-linear thermo-viscoelastic rheological model based on fractional derivatives for high temperature creep in concrete

In this paper, a novel non-linear thermo-viscoelastic rheological model based on fractional derivatives for high temperature creep in concrete is proposed. The rheological model consists of a linear springpot unit placed in series with a second springpot used for non-linear creep which activates under high stress and temperature. The model parameters which include the dynamic viscosities of the springpots and the fractional exponent are calibrated using existing experimental data of basic creep strain in concrete under constant stress and temperatures for various aggregate types. The power law form of the naturally resulting creep compliance allows an accurate representation of experimental data with the use of only a few model parameters. Furthermore, the variable-order fractional differential stress-strain equation provides a compact method for analytical and numerical modelling of basic creep under conditions of time-varying stress and temperature. In addition, applications of the proposed model to determine axial deformations in columns and transverse deflections in beams under constant and varying temperatures are demonstrated.     

The Method of Three-Point Bending in Testing Thin High-Strength Reinforced Plastics at Large Deflections

A method is presented for determining the flexural strength of unidirectional composites from three-point bending tests at large deflections. An analytical model is proposed for calculating the flexural stress in testing thin bars in the case of large deflections. The model takes into account the changes in the support reactions at bar ends and in the span of the bar caused by its deflection. In the model offered, the influence of transverse shear and the friction at supports are neglected. The problem is solved in elliptic integrals of the first and second kind. The results obtained are compared with experimental tension data. The method elaborated for calculating flexural stresses has an obvious advantage over the conventional engineering procedure, because the calculation accuracy of the stresses increases considerably in the case of large deflections. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. 691–704, September–October, 2005.     

具有弹性边拱及拉杆支承的双曲扁壳(二)

为了研究边界条件(91_a,d)的积分形式首先将(97_C,D)中的N_ξη(0,η),Q_ξ*(0,η)用三角级数表示.     

Bond-slip behavior of CFRP plate-concrete interface

The paper deals with evaluation of the bond performance between a CFRP plate and concrete with respect to various compressive strengths of concrete and bond lengths of the CFRP plate as parameters. To consider stress conditions in the tensile zone of reinforced concrete (RC) structures, double-lap axial tension tests were conducted for eight specimens with CFRP plates bonded to concrete prisms. In addition, a simple linear bond-slip model for the CFRP plate/concrete joints, developed from the bond tests, was used. To verify the model proposed, a total of seven RC beams were strengthened with CFRP plates and tested in flexure employing various bond lengths, strengthening methods, and numbers of CFRP plates. A nonlinear finite-element analysis, with the bond–slip model incorporated in the DIANA program, was performed for the strengthened RC beams. Also, the results of flexural test and analytical predictions are found to be in close agreement in terms of yield and ultimate loads and ductility.     

Large deflections of tapered functionally graded beams subjected to end forces

The large deflections of tapered functionally graded beams subjected to end forces are studied by using the finite element method. The material properties of the beams are assumed to vary through the thickness direction according to a power law distribution. A first order shear deformable beam element employed the exact polynomials to interpolate the transverse displacement and rotation, is formulated in the context of the co-rotational approach. The large deflection response of the beams is computed by using the arc-length control algorithm in combination with the Newton–Raphson iterative method. The numerical results show that the formulated element is capable to assess accurately the response of the beams by using just several elements. A parametric study is given to examine the influence of the material non-homogeneity, taper ratio as well as the aspect ratio on the large deflection behaviour of the beams.     

Frequency response analysis of laminated composite beams

Conclusions The modeling of laminated composite beams has been derived systematically from the three-dimensional elasticity relations. The correctness of the solution found by using the present finite element model is verified by comparison with the results obtained by analytical solutions and other results presented in the literature. Numerical results indicate that the present technique can given accurate results for frequency response analysis for laminated composite beams. Loss factors of structures obtained by the method of complex eigenvalues and the direct frequency response method exhibit very good agreement. Optimum design of a laminated composite beam by the finite element method and the method of experiment planning has been successfully presented.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 664–674, September–October, 1994.     

The numerical simulation of the noncharring pyrolysis process and fire development within a compartment

A pyrolysis model for noncharring solid fuels is presented in this paper. Model predictions are compared with experimental data for the mass loss rates of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and very good agreement is achieved. Using a three-dimensional CFD environment, the pyrolysis model is then coupled with a gas-phase combustion model and a thermal radiation model to simulate fire development within a small compartment. The numerical predictions produced by this coupled model are found to be in very good agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, numerical predictions of the relationship between the air entrained into the fire compartment and the ventilation factor produce a characteristic post-flashover linear correlation with constant of proportionality 0.38 kg/sm^5/2. The simulation results also suggest that the model is capable of predicting the onset of “flashover” and “post-flashover” type behaviour within the fire compartment.     

An elastoplastic energy model for predicting the deformation behaviors of various structural components

Elastoplastic load-displacement relation is widely concerned in material testing. For isotropic-homogeneous and power-law hardening ductile materials, an elastoplastic energy model (EEM) correlating energy, load, displacement and uniaxial constitutive parameters is derived based on equivalent energy principle. An elastoplastic factor λ for engineering superposition of elastic displacement and plastic displacement is introduced and discussed, which makes the model applicable with more structural components (SCs). The model is verified with thirteen SCs used in materials testing and the results show a good agreement between model predictions and calculations from finite element analysis (FEA) under linear elastic, fully plastic and elastoplastic conditions. Some experimental results for ring-compression, spherical indentation and funnel tension are conducted to verify the model and a valid accordance is presented. Additionally, an explicit J-integral – load relation for classic cracked SCs is also derived based on the EEM and a good coincidence is observed during a comparison with results directly from FEA.     

Well-posedness,stability and numerical results for the thermoelastic behavior of a coupled joint-beam PDE-ODE system modeling the transverse motions of the antennas of a space structure

A mathematical model for both axial and transverse motions of two beams with cylindrical cross-sections coupled through a joint is presented and analyzed. The motivation for this problem comes from the need to accurately model damping and joint dynamics for the next generation of inflatable/rigidizable space structures. Thermo-elastic damping is included in the two beams and the motions are coupled through a joint which includes an internal moment. Thermal response in each beam is modeled by two temperature fields. The first field describes the circumferentially averaged temperature along the beam, and is linked to the axial deformation of the beam. The second describes the circumferential variation and is coupled to transverse bending. The resulting equations of motion consist of four, second-order in time, partial differential equations, four, first-order in time, partial differential equations, four second order ordinary differential equations, and certain compatibility boundary conditions. The system is written as an abstract differential equation in an appropriate Hilbert space, consisting of function spaces describing the distributed beam deflections and temperature fields, and a finite-dimensional space that projects important features at the joint boundary. Semigroup theory is used to prove that the system is well-posed, and that with positive damping parameters the resulting semigroup is exponentially stable. Steady states are characterized and several numerical approximation results are presented. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)