Evaluation of formulations for predicting the shear strength of concrete filled circular holes in steel plates

Since the development of perforated plate shear connectors, different formulations have been proposed to predict their shear strength. Most of these formulations were derived from standard push-tests on multiple concrete filled holes (CFH) specimens simulating specific steel-concrete composite beam applications. Aiming at a more general application of these connectors in composite structures and the understanding of the physical and geometric parameters that influence their shear strength, the present work evaluated the use of 12 different formulations to predict 92 test results of single-hole specimens extracted from the literature. Such tests were chosen because the single-hole configuration allows better isolation of the connection behavior which facilitates comparative analysis. The predictions were statistically evaluated, and it was considered that the best formulations were those that showed lower scatter of data and a correction factor closer to one. Also, it was investigated if the individual terms that constitute the formulations adequately describe or show relation to the mechanics that govern the connection. It was verified that the best statistically rated formulations were also the ones showing clearer relation to the connector mechanical behavior. Among the evaluated formulations, three were significantly better than the others for strength prediction, however, it was noted that they can be further improved by considering the influence of concrete confinement and plate thickness on the hole’s strength.

Behavior and Strength Predictions for CFRP Confined Rubberized Concrete under Axial Compression

This paper presents experimental versus theoretical comparison of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) confined rubberized concrete (a new structural material). A total of sixty six rubberized concrete cylinders were tested in axial compression. The specimens were cast using 0 to 50% rubber replacement. Twenty seven cylinders were then confined with one, two and three layers of CFRP jackets. Axial compression results of the experimental study were compared with the North American and European design guidelines. The results indicate that the addition of rubber content in the concrete leads to premature micro cracking and lateral expansion in concrete. This increased lateral dilation exploited the potential of FRP jackets. The axial compressive strength and strain values for CFRP confined RuC cylinders reached up to unprecedented 600 and 330 percent of unconfined samples. Furthermore, the current international design guidelines developed for conventional concrete confinement failed to predict the compressive strength of rubberized concrete. There is a strong need to re-evaluate the current design codes and their applicability to investigate fiber reinforced confined rubberized concrete. Moreover, the proposed equations in this research can better predict the axial compressive strength of FRP confined RuC.

Experimental Ductility of Compression-Controlled Flexural Members Using CFRP Grid to Confine Concrete

Concrete members are typically designed so that flexural failure initiates with steel yielding and ends with concrete crushing in compression in order to take advantage of the yielding property of steel that allows for large deformations prior to any fracture of the material. On the other hand, if a large percentage of steel or linear elastic non-yielding reinforcement (i.e., FRP composite) is used, the member flexural failure typically initiates and ends with concrete crushing in compression. These members are known as compression-controlled members and typically exhibit brittle behavior. This study proposes a new approach in improving the flexural behavior of over-reinforced members through concrete confinement using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) grid tubes in the compression zone. The concept was experimentally tested using rectangular beams. Beam 1 (control beam) had no grid reinforcement and beam 2 (tube beam) had two 152 mm grid tubes embedded in its compression zone. Experimental results indicate improvement in the ductility of the tube beam compared to the control beam of approximately 20–30% depending on the criteria used. Considering the low amount and mechanical properties of the CFRP grid, the improvement is significant, which shows that the proposed approach is valid and improves the ductility of compression-controlled members.

Numerical analysis of concentrically loaded hexagonal concrete-filled steel tubular short columns incorporating concrete confinement

Hexagonal concrete-filled steel tubular (HCFST) columns have been used to carry large loads in tall composite buildings. Their behavior and strength are different from those of circular and square concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns due to the confinement effect. This article describes a computational modeling method of nonlinear fiber analysis recognizing the concrete confinement for the response simulation of HCFST short columns subjected to axial compression. New constitutive relations of confinement for quantifying the confining stresses on the concrete confined by the hexagonal steel tube and the residual concrete strength are developed by means of analyzing existing test data. The computational modeling program written is verified by existing experimental data and then employed to ascertain the behavior of HCFST columns with important parameters. The current design standards for CFST circular columns are used to determine the strengths of HCFST columns to evaluate their applicability to the design of HCFST columns. Proposed is a new simple design equation for computing the axial capacities of HCFST columns. The computational model and the design equation proposed are shown to be accurate, and effective simulation and design tools for HCSFT stub columns that are loaded concentrically in comparisons with the current design codes.