Abstract In order to solve the directional fracture controlled problem of blasting construction in key parts or specific areas of some projects, two refined directional blasting methods, namely, time sequence controlled (TSC) blasting and notched blasting, are innovatively combined, and numerical comparison research of three kinds of compound blasting methods has been carried out. The results indicate

Abstract Rice husk ash (RHA) is an agricultural by-product obtained from incineration of abundantly available rice husk (RH) which can be used as a substitute for cement. In this study, RHA up to 30% has been utilized as partial replacement of cement by weight along with fly ash as one of the components in self-compacting concrete (SCC). Experimental programs were conducted to evaluate the fresh properties

Abstract In this study, the SCVW (a novel type of Sharp-Crested V-notch weirs) is employed for more experimentally and theoretically investigations. The length of the hydraulic jump at downstream of the SCVW (LjSCVW) is measured via new supplementary experimental datasets via most popular vertex angles θ (128° and 60°). The experiments are conducted under aerated, steady, and free overflow conditions

Abstract In the case of a fast drainage process, water movements result in a rapid change in capillary pressure and shrinkage of a porous material. Until now the models used to predict the deformation of most porous media are based on the quasi-static behaviour laws, and dynamic effects are completely neglected. In this paper, a fully coupled model with dynamic capillarity effect considered is proposed

Abstract Initially saturated, cementitious materials are subject to water movements that are responsible for multiple phenomena. Among them, there are drying shrinkage, creep, fluid transport, swelling reactions and cracking-induced changes in mechanical properties. The main objective of this study is therefore to investigate the impact of drying on the behaviour of cementitious materials. For this

Abstract Nowadays, sustainable construction materials are becoming popular in the construction industry. The path towards sustainability development indicates minimisation of environmental impacts of the construction industry. In the view of this, increased environmental and financial concerns related to dumping construction and demolished waste (C&DW), using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) as a

Abstract For large LNG storage tanks, the thermal load has a very important influence on the failure mode of the thin-walled spherical dome. However, the traditional calculation of thermal stress is very complicated for the spherical shell. To obtain an analytic solution with a simple expression, an approximate method was proposed in this paper. The mechanical behaviour caused by the temperature difference

Abstract Recent research, in the field of structural durability and longevity has raised the interests in the precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) by certain bacterial strains. Use of bacteria as a self-healing material via bio mineralisation is a natural healing process which heals crack by mineral precipitation. The microbiologically induced precipitation accelerates at different rates at different

Abstract In the present study, the shear characteristics of cementitious mortar reinforced with steel and nylon fibres were experimentally investigated through direct shear tests. The primary test parameters of the present study were fibre volume fractions of 0.15, 0.25, and 0.33% for nylon fibres; 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0% for steel fibre; and hybrid fibres comprised of different amounts of steel and nylon

Abstract Reinforced concrete bridges constitute the major part of existing bridges. The purpose of this paper is to present a serviceability evaluation methodology for RC bridges under probabilistic conditions. It will be based on analytical calculations with no need to complex modeling or advanced software. For this purpose, a realistic traffic model is simulated based on existing weigh-in-motion

Abstract In this study, a series of experimental tests on untreated species of Bambusa Vulgaris Vittata (BV), Bambusa Heterostachya (BH) and Schizostachyum BrachycladumYellow (SB) were conducted to investigate the effect of strip’s shape, bamboo’s types, and moisture content on the tensile strength of bamboo strip. Four different cutting shapes, which are strip-cut (S), strip cut-side curve (SS), double

Abstract During the drying process, an initially saturated clay deforms mainly due to the loss of water. It causes clay shrinkage that represents one of the fundamental reasons of cracking by desiccation. It is of great interest to understand the desiccation process in such complex soils. However, the main point is that many properties of the material, such as water content distribution, displacement

Abstract The paper deals with the assessment of CO2 storage capacity in cement concrete using reactive transport modelling of the accelerated carbonation, i.e. 15 Vol % and experiments. To meet the most realistic geometry of concrete aggregates, the numerical solution is achieved using a homogeneous concrete without aggregates and two-phase concrete including aggregates. We utilise the reactive transport

Abstract We have built a three-dimensional layered alluvial basin calculation pattern based on the actual basin alluvial stratification. A FM-IBEM program for the arbitrary layered alluvial basin is developed, proved its applicability to the model in this paper via verification of accuracy and efficiency. Focusing on the geological complexity of real 3D basins and the broadband characteristics of incident

Abstract In recent years, a new generation of inorganic matrix-based reinforcement systems is under study worldwide known generically as textile-reinforced mortar (TRM). It is considered one of the most innovative and effective techniques for masonry rehabilitation. This paper focuses on a TRM system made of basalt fibers imbedded in an ettringitic mortar. The aim of this study is to identify the effectiveness

Abstract During the expansion process of natural perlite, a large amount of fine fraction of expanded perlite is unavoidably produced. These particles of expanded perlite powder (EPP) have a very low bulk density which caused some difficulty in storage and disposing. This paper investigates the effects of EPP on the properties of high-strength concrete (HSC). For this purpose, different HSC mixtures

Abstract For a deep excavation in sandy cobble stratum, the loss of fine sand particles caused by dewatering generally leads to ground settlement. This paper first analyzed the rules of land subsidence caused by dewatering in the water-rich sandy cobble stratum by dewatering experiments. It is found that even after the groundwater level was restored, the land subsidence basically did not rebound, which

Abstract This paper presents experimental and numerical study to investigate the flexural behaviour of strengthened RC beams using three CFRP techniques. Considered main variables were CFRP technique, amount of CFRP NSM and rope and cost/increase in strength effectiveness. Results indicate that using CFRP rope and sheet increased significantly maximum load and maximum strain of RC beams. Average increase

Abstract Ultra-high-performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is an advanced construction material that provides new opportunities in the future of the construction industry around the world. Among those new applications, rehabilitation, and seismic retrofitting of existing damaged or non-ductile concrete structures can be highlighted. The main objective of this paper is to optimise the hybrid

Abstract A concrete-faced sand-gravel dam (CFSGD) is likely to experience a dam breaching accident once there is leakage through the concrete face slab joints or overtopping of the dam. This study aimed to examine the physical process of a CFSGD overtopping breach and considered the influence of the failure of the vertical joint water barrier. The similarity criterion of the model test was deduced

Abstract A finite element (FE) numerical simulation of instantaneous and creep deformation of rockfill bodies during the filling and water storage process of a concrete-faced rockfill dam (CFRD) is carried out based on practical experience in Shuibuya. The results show that the existing presettlement control measures are empirically based on 200-m-high CFRDs. To study the presettlement control measures

Abstract Consolidation and creep are two types of time-dependent deformation of clay soil. However, the soil deformation presents probabilistic behaviours when the spatial variability is considered. The Monte–Carlo method is used to sample anisotropic random fields that are mapped into two-dimensional random finite element models (RFEM) to analyse the influences of spatial variability on the time-dependent

Abstract Due to its low porosity and high particle packing density, ultra-high-performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is a material with superb mechanical and durability properties in comparison with conventional and fiber-reinforced concretes. The addition of fibers to the matrix allows the development of adequate behavior to direct tension and bending. However, their main back drawn is its

Abstract Three-point bending tests are performed on notched concrete beams under various cyclic loading regimes. Meanwhile, the digital image correlation (DIC) method is used to monitor the crack propagation. The fatigue fracture life decreases with the loading level increases for constant-amplitude cyclic loading. The residual crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) accumulates and fracture stiffness

Abstract In this study, the modified Severn-Trent constitutive model is used to simulate the mechanical behaviour of unreinforced, cemented, fibre, and fibre reinforced cemented Toyoura sand consolidated under drained and undrained triaxial compression and extension loading conditions. The model parameters are derived based on the experimental results in the current study, parametric study, trial and

Abstract This work studied the compressive behavior and microstructure of cement-based recycled concrete (CE-RC), low-volume fly ash (FA) recycled concrete (LFA-RC), and high-volume FA recycled concrete (HFA-RC) under different curing ages. The compressive properties, energy absorption properties, and microstructure of CE-RC, LFA-RC, and HFA-RC were measured and compared with cement-based normal concrete

Abstract The reduction in service-life of reinforced concrete structures caused by corrosion of reinforcing steel is a major problem to the construction industry. The use of specialty steels is one of the strategies suggested to minimize this deterioration phenomenon. In this study, the corrosion-resistance of epoxy-coated and selected specialty steel bars embedded in concrete and exposed to chloride

Abstract This article investigates the formation of plastic region length and parameters affecting the region length in hybrid glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP)/steel reinforced concrete (RC) beams by using finite element method based on the ATENA software. Totally nine concrete beams with dimension of 150 × 250 × 2700 mm reinforced with hybrid GFRP/steel reinforcement were tested in four-point

Abstract This paper assesses the benefits of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), steel fibres (SF), and polypropylene fibres (PPF) to mitigate the brittle failure and drop in bond properties due to smooth surface geometries of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars embedded in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). A ready-to-use UHPC was employed to determine the bond stress vs. slip properties

Abstract The dynamic response of a floating-slab track and underground railway tunnel embedded in saturated soils under moving loads are investigated by a hybrid analytical-numerical method. The tunnel is modelled as thin cylindrical shell surrounded by saturated soil of infinite radial extent. A two-layered beam structure is used to model the floating-slab track. In the continuous floating-slab track

Abstract Basement excavation inevitably causes stress changes in the ground leading to soil movements which may affect the serviceability of adjacent structures specially in case of masonry building. Because soil stiffness degrades with induced stress release during excavation, it is vital to investigate the masonry façade responses to an adjacent excavation. This paper presents three-dimensional numerical

Abstract In the present study, the effect of simultaneous use of different non-conventional water types and zeolite percentages on the compressive strength of concrete was investigated. The experiment was conducted in two cement contents for long-term curing ages up to 365 days. Finally, data of 1176 cubic samples were statistically analyzed. Also, the relationship between water type, zeolite percentage

Abstract This paper presents a study of the influence of plastic and non-plastic fines on the resistance of sands to liquefaction. The study is carried out with the aid of a triaxial apparatus on reconstituted sand-fines mixtures at low fines content (≤ 5%). A description of the soils used in this study is first presented followed by the presentation of results of undrained monotonic liquefaction tests

Abstract This paper studied the strength growth characteristics of Tianjin Binhai dredger fill, considering the impact load, drainage condition, and loading way of the impact. Based on UU and scanning electron microscope tests, the strength growth mechanism of the dredger fill was studied from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. The results showed that there an optimal impact load under

Abstract In situ soils of deep overburden layer of dam foundation are widely distributed in Southwest China, which are mixtures of gravel and silty clay in varying proportions and have cementation feature between soil particles. Based on a series of triaxial compression tests carried out on artificially cemented mixed soils (CMS) and remolded mixed soils (RMS) at confining pressures of 50, 100, 200

Abstract At the Material Testing and Research Institute (MPA Karlsruhe) leakage experiments with concrete specimens containing a single penetrating crack were performed on behalf of GRS. The specimens had a prismatic shape and the dimensions 4.0 cm × 4.0 cm × 11.0 cm. The crack width was adjustable and ranged from 0.05 mm to 0.25 mm in the experiments. On top of the leakage measurement two sets of

Abstract Fractal theory demonstrates significant merit in the feature expression of forms of matter in nature. This study uses fractal theory to study the backfill grouting of a shield tunnel. The seepage path was considered as a seepage mesh inserted into the rock-soil mass. For the fractal features of the seepage mesh, the formulas for the diffusion distance and the pressure contribution of grout

Abstract A hybrid finite–discrete element method is proposed to model the rock fracture behaviour under various loading rates. Three fracture models are proposed to predict the fracture initiation and propagation for modelling the transition from continuum to discontinuum. The modelling transition from continuum to discontinuum makes the hybrid method superior to the traditional continuum-based finite

Abstract The seismic retrofit of existing reinforced concrete (RC) beam-column joints in the case of the interior reinforcement of deformed bars and plain bars, as well as the decision regarding convenient retrofit strategies in the joints panel, are of major interest throughout the seismically active areas of the world. The efficiency of the proposed retrofit method called ‘joint enlargement’ in RC

Abstract Self-compacting concrete undergoes incessant evolutions both in the improvement of its intrinsic performances and in its uses when it is combined with other materials which give it desired properties. These concretes interest more and more industrial because they have several advantages: reduce the cost, build elements with complex geometry or heavily scraped and offers a unique solution to

Abstract In this work, Henna leaves extract (HLE) and its principal derivatives of Lawsone and Gallic acid are examined as green corrosion inhibitors. Our contribution is to quantify the effectiveness of HLE, Lawsone and Gallic acid on the corrosion inhibition of steel in simulated concrete pore solution (SCPS) containing 0.5 M NaCl, using electrochemical methods as open circuit potential, potentiodynamic

Abstract In this research, the performance of fly ash/GGBS geopolymer mortars made with different quarry waste powder as filler materials by substituted the river sand fine aggregate with different ratios was evaluated based on the mechanical, physical, durability properties and microstructural analysis. Limestone waste, marble waste and basalt waste powder were used as filler materials developing

Abstract To propose a simplified semi-empirical method for predicting the additional stress on the underlying layer of the rigid pile-net composite foundation, a finite element analysis, which verified by a series of field tests and model tests, are carried out. Focusing on the equivalent entity method recommended by Technical code for composite foundation, the equivalent frictional resistance coefficient

Abstract When formulating cementitious composites with plant particles, the cement setting may be disrupted by the compounds extracted from the plant. An experimental programme is proposed to analyse the influence of flax fibres (FBs) on the hydration of Portland cement. Three fibre treatments are studied in order to limit these disturbances: atmospheric-pressure plasma, hydraulic binder and linseed

Abstract This article summarises a laboratory program involving over 100 tests that were performed to study the influence of soil type, temperature, water content and salinity on the strength and creep of frozen soils under uniaxial compression and shear tests. Analyses of experimental data allowed to get equations for predicting strength and creep parameters depending on the temperature and salinity

Abstract Air-boosted vacuum preloading, composed of anticlogging vertical drains and an outer booster system, is a new foundation treatment method that is beneficial to accelerating soil consolidation by applying different pressures between soil and vertical drains. Based on the assumption of equal strain, the present paper has simplified the calculation model of the air-boosted vacuum preloading method

Abstract Nowadays, because of human activities, the earth's environment is in danger. So, all industries including construction and building industries should be concerned about the environment, and their activities have to be in this direction. Using waste materials in construction is one of the solutions for decreasing environmental damage, for example; using recycled aggregate in various types of

Abstract The present study focuses on the cyclic behaviour of cohesionless soil collected from the quaternary alluvium deposit at the Middle Ganga Plain (MGP). A series of strain-controlled cyclic triaxial tests have been carried out on collected soil samples at various effective confining stresses, shear strain amplitudes and motion frequencies to estimate the dynamic parameter at large strain. From

Abstract The purpose of this article is to investigate the effects of aggregate size on the mechanical and mass transfer behavior of concrete. The experimental work is carried out using three types of materials: microconcrete, concrete and macroconcrete. All these materials chosen have the same water-to-cement ratio and the same aggregate volume fraction. They are prepared using two different cement

Abstract Since the friction dampers possess constant friction forces, they cannot play a significant role in mitigating the strong earthquakes' demands. The application of the variable-force friction dampers is one way of circumventing this problem. In this paper, the design parameters of a specific force-variable friction damper namely Arc-Surfaced Friction Dampers (ASFD) have been investigated and

Abstract New thermomechanical models for saturated soils recently developed in the literature very well capture the thermal cyclic deformations of normally consolidated (NC) soils, but this is not the case for slightly overconsolidated (OC) soils. To improve this, a framework based on the reference line (RL) and thermal stabilisation line (TSL) is proposed in the e-ln(p) plane. Whatever the applied

Abstract External bonding of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) plates has emerged as a method for strengthening reinforced concrete structures. The creep of the concrete, adhesive and FRP can accelerate debonding along with the interface. In this paper, an original creep model is developed to study the long-term behaviour of combined cohesive-bridging model of an FRP–concrete interface, debonding under

Abstract The most common tools in seismic performance assessment of highway bridges are single-variable fragility curves. However, fragility curves are not confidently reliable due to utilizing only a single intensity measure (IM). Alternatively, single- and multi-variable vulnerability functions, of which the latter is scarce and rather complex, have been proposed for that purpose, yet without considering

Abstract This paper describes a set of theoretical and practical aspects related to the modelling of cracking in axially reinforced concrete members subjected to pure tension accounting for size effects. In particular, the paper describes a new methodology to achieve a probabilistic description of the crack’s spacing using a spatially correlated Weibull random field coupled to an energetic-statistical

Abstract The eight bolted stiffened extended endplate (8ES) and bolted flange plate (BFP) moment connection are two common rigid joints that are widely used in special steel moment frames (moment resisting frames with high ductility). In this study, to investigate these connections' behaviour and capacity, first, verification of finite element assumptions was carried out using the Abaqus software.

Abstract Tunnel excavations inevitably induce stress release and soil movement, which may affect the safety and serviceability of nearby existing pile foundations. The effects of tunnel construction on existing piles have been extensively investigated, but little attention was paid to lateral responses of piled foundations to tunnelling. In this study, a series of three-dimensional centrifuge model

Abstract Prefabricated horizontal drain (PHD) assisted by vacuum pressure has been used in practice to accelerate the consolidation process of dredged soft mud. However, very few studies have investigated the large-strain nonlinear consolidation caused by vacuum-assisted PHD. Therefore, based on the piecewise-linear method, this study proposes a one-dimensional consolidation model (called VCS herein)

Abstract The paper investigates a mechanical quasi-static size effect in concrete during splitting tension at the macro- and meso-level. In experiments, five different diameters of cylindrical concrete specimens were tested. Two-dimensional plane strain finite element (FE) simulations were carried out to reproduce the experimental size effect. The size effect in experiments by Carmona et al. was also

Abstract Cu-Al-Mn is one of the shape memory alloys (SMAs), which has been newly studied in recent years. This material can be used instead of typical Ni-Ti SMA since it can reduces material cost and dependence on temperature and loading rate, also, increases machinability and cold workability. In the present study, the seismic application of Cu-Al-Mn bars was evaluated as a part of the steel brace

Abstract One of the most important design approaches in the repairing/strengthening details is using CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) to delay the debonding of the CFRP strips/plates from the surface to take full advantage of the CFRP reinforcement. Compared to non-anchored strips, research studies regarding bond-slip models developed for fan type CFRP anchors and anchored CFRP strips to strengthen