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Research on Mechanical Properties and Finite-Element Analysis of Concrete Structures

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 June 2023) | Viewed by 6241

Special Issue Editors

School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Interests: combined finite-discrete element method; hydraulic structure engineering; cement-based materials; concrete; granular material; computational mechanics; fracture mechanics; multi-scale modeling; numerical analysis of concrete structures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete is a kind of artificial stone made of cementitious materials, granular aggregates (also known as aggregates), water, and admixtures when necessary. The use of concrete is increasing since it has advantages of rich raw materials, low price, and simple production process. It is also widely used because it has the characteristics of high compressive strength, good durability, and is available in a wide range of strength grades. It is used in not only various civil engineering applications but also in shipbuilding, in the machinery industry, and in marine development, geothermal engineering, etc.

Concrete material is a typical multi-scale composite material. For example, at the mesoscale, concrete material can be considered as a three-phase material composed of aggregate, mortar, and interfacial transition zone. Research has shown that the macro properties of concrete structures are affected by their structure at the mesoscale and below. At the same time, concrete structures are affected by external factors in their service life, resulting in the evolution of the properties of the concrete materials and affecting the service life of the concrete structure.

This Special Issue will compile the latest research developments in the field of concrete materials and structures. The articles in this Special Issue will cover topics related to concrete materials and structures, including but not limited to the mechanical properties, numerical simulation, multi-scale analysis, multiphysics coupling, damage and fracture performance, new concrete materials, among others. It is our pleasure to kindly invite you to submit manuscripts for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Wei Zhou
Dr. Qiao Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • concrete
  • mechanical properties
  • numerical simulation
  • multi-scale analysis
  • multiphysics coupling
  • damage and fracture performance
  • new concrete materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 6387 KiB  
Article
Effect of Reinforcement Ratio and Bond Characteristic on Flexural Behavior of Carbon Textile-Reinforced Concrete Panels
by Jun-Mo Yang, Jongeok Lee and Chunho Chang
Materials 2023, 16(10), 3703; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16103703 - 12 May 2023
Viewed by 1100
Abstract
Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) is highly anticipated as an alternative to reinforced concrete due to its ability to enable lightweight design, free formability, and improved ductility. In this study, TRC panel test specimens were fabricated and four-point loading flexural tests were performed to examine [...] Read more.
Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) is highly anticipated as an alternative to reinforced concrete due to its ability to enable lightweight design, free formability, and improved ductility. In this study, TRC panel test specimens were fabricated and four-point loading flexural tests were performed to examine the flexural characteristics of TRC panels reinforced with carbon fabric, and to investigate the effect of the fabric reinforcement ratio, anchorage length, and surface treatment of fabric. Furthermore, the flexural behavior of the test specimens was numerically analyzed using the general section analysis concept of reinforced concrete and compared with the experimental results. Due to bond failure between the carbon fabric and the concrete matrix, the TRC panel showed a large decrease in flexural performance in terms of flexural stiffness, flexural strength, cracking behavior, and deflection. This low performance was improved by increasing the fabric reinforcement ratio, anchoring length, and sand–epoxy surface treatment of the anchorage. Comparing the numerical calculation results with the experimental results, the deflection of the experimental results was approximately 50% larger than the numerical calculation results. This is because the perfect bond between the carbon fabric and the concrete matrix failed, and slip occurred. Full article
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20 pages, 8779 KiB  
Article
Cyclic Behavior of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete External Panel with New Connector
by Jianhua Cui, Shulin He, Kewei Ding, Yu Zhang and Xiaoying Kong
Materials 2022, 15(24), 8778; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15248778 - 08 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1011
Abstract
In this paper, a new slip-type crossing connector is proposed for autoclaved aerated concrete (ALC) panels with steel frames, and the proposed connector is also studied deeply in terms of seismic performance. The research included pseudo-static tests and finite element simulations. First, the [...] Read more.
In this paper, a new slip-type crossing connector is proposed for autoclaved aerated concrete (ALC) panels with steel frames, and the proposed connector is also studied deeply in terms of seismic performance. The research included pseudo-static tests and finite element simulations. First, the seismic performance of slip-type crossing connectors and standard L-hooked bolts was studied comparatively, including the stability, bearing capacity, stiffness, energy dissipation, and hysteresis performance. ABAQUS 2020 software was used to establish finite element models, and the results of the experiments were verified with simulations on the basis. According to the simulations, a parameter analysis of connector optimization was carried out. The effects of connector thickness and connector plate length on the seismic performance were further investigated. From the experimental and simulation results, the slip-type crossing connector has excellent performance and good assembly efficiency, it can improve the deficiencies of the existing connectors. The comparison demonstrated that the slip-type crossing connector has a complete hysteresis curve, a high energy dissipation capacity, and a 9.7% increase in bearing capacity. The appropriate reduction in connector thickness and plate length can ensure superior seismic performance while saving resources. The finite analysis method can guide the design and implementation of new external ALC panel connectors. Full article
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18 pages, 6311 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Study of Static Behavior of Precast Segmental Hollow Bridge Piers
by Wenliang Lu, Wen-Qiang Peng, Li Zhu, Cong Gao, Ya-Dong Tang, Yue-Wu Zhou, Wei Su and Bing Zeng
Materials 2022, 15(19), 6991; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196991 - 09 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1263
Abstract
To investigate the static performance of precast segmental hollow piers, two precast segmental hollow pier specimens were designed for static loading tests on the top of piers. The finite element model of precast segmental hollow piers was established by the finite element software [...] Read more.
To investigate the static performance of precast segmental hollow piers, two precast segmental hollow pier specimens were designed for static loading tests on the top of piers. The finite element model of precast segmental hollow piers was established by the finite element software Abaqus and verified based on the test results. Based on the experimental and finite element models, three optimal design solutions were proposed, and the calculation results of each solution were analyzed. The results show that precast segmental hollow pier mechanical behavior is similar to that of cantilevered bending members. The specimens present brittle damage characteristics after the destruction of the structure at the bottom of the pier pressure edge as the axis of the rigid body rotation. Following the test loading process, the bonding between the segments is good, except for the pier bottom damage surface of the rest of the bonding surface, which has no relative displacement. The calculation results of the finite element model are in good agreement with the test results and can effectively predict the load–displacement response of precast piers. Three optimized design solutions are proposed. The finite element simulation proves all three optimized design solutions show better overall ductility than the original solution and can effectively improve the performance of segmental precast hollow piers. Full article
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25 pages, 7685 KiB  
Article
Conservation Environments’ Effect on the Compressive Strength Behaviour of Wood–Concrete Composites
by Walid Khelifi, Selma Bencedira, Marc Azab, Malik Sarmad Riaz, Mirvat Abdallah, Zaher Abdel Baki, Andrey E. Krauklis and Hani Amir Aouissi
Materials 2022, 15(10), 3572; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15103572 - 17 May 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2254
Abstract
This paper addresses the issues in making wood–concrete composites more resilient to environmental conditions and to improve their compressive strength. Tests were carried out on cubic specimens of 10 × 10 × 10 cm3 composed of ordinary concrete with a 2% redwood- [...] Read more.
This paper addresses the issues in making wood–concrete composites more resilient to environmental conditions and to improve their compressive strength. Tests were carried out on cubic specimens of 10 × 10 × 10 cm3 composed of ordinary concrete with a 2% redwood- and hardwood-chip dosage. Superficial treatments of cement and lime were applied to the wood chips. All specimens were kept for 28 days in the open air and for 12 months in: the open air, drinking water, seawater, and an oven. Consequently, the compressive strength of ordinary concrete is approximately 37.1 MPa. After 365 days of exposure to the open air, drinking water, seawater, and the oven, a resistance loss of 35.84, 36.06, 42.85, and 52.30% were observed, respectively. In all environments investigated, the untreated wood composite concrete’s resistance decreased significantly, while the cement/lime treatment of the wood enhanced them. However, only 15.5 MPa and 14.6 MPa were attained after the first 28 days in the cases of the redwood and the hardwood treated with lime. These findings indicate that the resistance of wood–concrete composites depends on the type of wood used. Treating wood chips with cement is a potential method for making these materials resistant in conservation situations determined by the cement’s chemical composition. The current study has implications for researchers and practitioners for further understanding the impact of these eco-friendly concretes in the construction industry. Full article
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