ABSTRACT DE ARTICULOS DE REVICIÓN

 Study of residual mechanical properties of concretes after exposure to high temperatura

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hya.2017.04.004

Abstract:
The current version of the European standard for concrete structures gives tabulated data for
the evolution of the mechanical properties of normal strength concrete. However, the
standard acknowledges the lack of sufficient data for the case of high strength concrete with
limestone aggregate. This paper presents the experimental results obtained on two batches of
normal and high strength concrete subjected to high temperatures. Those results gave a good
correlation with previous studies and equations are provided to describe the evolution of some
mechanical properties of both normal and high strength concretes at elevated temperatures.

 Analytical modeling of flexural failure and cracking process in reinforced concrete as

alternative to the so-called “pivot diagram”
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hya.2017.04.007

Abstract:
An analytical model is presented in order to study the failure of reinforced concrete sections
subjected to bending, based on fracture mechanics concepts applied to concrete. It determines
the stress in the reinforcement by introducing an additional compatibility equation that relates
the crack opening with the stretching of the reinforcement. The proposed formulation
assumes a cohesive behaviour of the fractured concrete introducing a force that depends on
the cohesive stresses at the crack tip. Model results are validated against several beam tests.
The crack opening and the rotational capacity of reinforced concrete sections can be obtained
with the model.

 Damage detection of prestressed concrete beams by the method of curvature of the elastic
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hya.2017.09.002

Abstract:
At the time of inspecting and ensuring the safety of an existing structure, it is important to
have proper techniques to detect the presence of damage in that structure. In this work, a
study is made of the method of curvature of the elasticity, applied specifically to the detection
of bending cracks in pre-stressed concrete beams, a typology widely used in highway bridges.
The studies were performed on a set of three-dimensional models, using the finite element
method. Different sensitivity analyses were carried out to determine, successfully, the
required parameters for the implementation of the method of curvature of the elasticity in
practice.

 Effect of cyclic loading on concrete-steel bond in underwater concrete

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hya.2016.01.005

Abstract:
 Placing concrete underwater has been used for many years in construction, due to the
impracticalities of creating a watertight basin in a marine environment or in ground which is
severely waterlogged. Unfortunately the process is hindered by the action of cement washout
from the concrete mass, which creates an impairment in the concrete mechanical properties,
including loss of compressive strength and the bond between the set concrete and the
reinforcement.

The available technical literature on this subject show that the results of tests on samples of
underwater concrete are significantly affected by the way in which the samples are taken, and
these may not be representative of the real underwater conditions. Furthermore, there appears
to have been no research conducted on the high cyclic loading on the underwater concrete to
which many marine structures are often subjected.

This paper concerns research undertaken into the bond strength between reinforcement and
underwater concrete for concrete cylinder strength of 40 MPa. Monotonic and cyclic loading
has been applied to 5 cycle samples sets (namely 1, 2000, 20,000, 200,000, and 2,000,000
cycles). The results show that, for monotonic loading, the τu values in underwater samples
reduce by 5% compared to samples cast in dry conditions. In addition the monotonic tests on
the samples subjected to high cyclic loading show an increase in the τu value compared to
those samples not subjected to cyclic loading. This may be a result of the micro-compaction
experienced by the concrete due to the high cyclic loading, which leads to an increase in
compressive resistance.

 Influence of the type of plastic hinge in the non-linear analysis of reinforced concrete
structures
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hya.2017.04.006

Abstract:
An adequate modelling of the plastic hinges generated during the pushover analysis is crucial
in order to obtain accurate results. Thus, empirical expressions must be used appropriately in
order to model the generalised force-deformation relationship of plastic hinges. The main aim
of this article is to study the influence of different plastic hinge models on the non-linear
structural behaviour of reinforced concrete structures. To that end, several non-linear
analyses have been performed using the following plastic hinge models: the model included
in the code FEMA-356 and two additional models developed by some researchers by using
empirical expressions calibrated with different experimental data. The results obtained show
that plastic hinges modelled with empirical expressions can be used to more precisely model
the behaviour of structural elements in ordinary buildings located in seismic areas, and to
compare with the results offered by the models included in seismic building design codes.

 Mechanical properties and associated seismic isolation effects of foamed concrete layer in
rock tunnel
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2018.06.006

Abstract:
Foamed concrete has a good energy absorption capability and can be used as seismic isolation
material for tunnels. This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties and associated
 seismic isolation effects of foamed concrete layer in rock tunnel. For this, a series of
uniaxial/triaxial compression tests was conducted to understand the effects of concrete
density, confining stress and strain rate on the mechanical properties of foamed concrete. The
direct shear tests were also performed to investigate the effects of concrete density and normal
stress on the nonlinear behaviors of foamed concrete layer-lining interface. The test results
showed that the mechanical properties of foamed concrete are significantly influenced by the
concrete density. The foamed concrete also has high volumetric compressibility and strain-
rate dependence. The peak stress, residual stress, shear stiffness and residual friction
coefficient of the foamed concrete layer-lining interface are influenced by the foamed
concrete density and normal stress applied. Then, a crushable foam constitutive model was
constructed using ABAQUS software and a composite exponential model was also
established to study the relationship between and shear displacement of the interface, in
which their parameters were fitted based on the experimental results. Finally, a parametric
analysis using the finite element method (FEM) was conducted to understand the influence
of foamed concrete layer properties on the seismic isolation effect, including the density and
thickness of the layer as well as the shear stiffness and residual friction coefficient of the
interface. It was revealed that lower density and greater thickness in addition to smaller shear
stiffness or residual friction coefficient of the foamed concrete layer could yield better
seismic isolation effect, and the influences of the first two tend to be more significant.

 Experimental study of the mechanical properties of reinforced concrete compression

members under the combined action of sustained load and corrosión
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.12.156

Abstract:
Steel corrosion is an important factor in the durability of reinforced concrete members.
There are numerous studies of reinforced concrete compression members in corrosive
environments, but most studies involve corrosion under no load. To investigate the
comprehensive effects of sustained load and corrosion on the mechanical properties of
reinforced concrete members, this study simultaneously subjects 20 axial compression
members to both sustained load and corrosion. The stirrups of 10 members are ordinary
steel bars (A-type members), and the stirrups of the other 10 members are epoxy-coated
steel bars (B-type members). The results show that the ultimate bearing capacity of
corroded members can be significantly improved by using epoxy-coated stirrups, especially
when the corrosion degree is high. A sustained load can reduce the actual corrosion degree
of A-type members and increase the actual corrosion degree of B-type members. Under the
same corrosion degree, the ultimate bearing capacity of the columns with stirrups made of
ordinary steel bars increases as the sustained load increases, whereas for the columns with
stirrups made of epoxy-coated steel bars, the ultimate bearing capacity decreases slightly
as the sustained load increases.

 The effect of curing regimes on the mechanical properties, nano-mechanical properties and
microstructure of ultra-high performance concrete
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2019.01.004

Abstract:
 This study addresses the effect of curing regimes on the mechanical properties, hydration
and microstructure of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). The results demonstrate
that the mechanical properties are strengthened by increasing curing temperature, but the
flexural/tensile to compressive strength ratio shows an unusual increasing tendency with
increasing temperature and compressive strength, which is opposite to normal concrete.
The nano-mechanical properties are also enhanced by heat treatment. The ultra-high
density phase is dominated hydrates. Microstructure observation indicates that heat
treatment promotes the formation of additional hydrates with high-packing density and
stiffness such as tobermorite and xonotlite, enhancement of transition zone around steel
fiber, quartz and clinker, average chain length of hydrates and pozzolanic reaction between
quartz/silica fume and Ca(OH)2. The evolution of hydrates and microstructure due to curing
regimes and the presence of quartz play key roles in controlling the unusual behavior of the
strength ratio and improvement of mechanical properties.

 Evaluation of mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete with different

strengths of concrete
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.02.164

Abstract:
Concrete has high brittleness along with low tensile strength and tensile strain capacities.
Such unsatisfactory performance can be improved with the addition of steel fibers in
concrete. Steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) has gained popularity in the last decades
because of its superior performance. Its main advantages include hindrance in macro crack
propagation, prevention of growth of micro cracks to macroscopic level, improvement in
ductility and residual strength after formation of the first crack, and high toughness. This
study investigates the effect of adding steel fibers with different lengths and diameters on
the mechanical properties of concrete for three values of concrete strength. In this study,
hooked ended fibers of three lengths (40, 50, and 60 mm) and two diameters (0.62 and
0.75 mm) were used with three water-to-cement ratios (0.25, 0.35, and 0.45). Steel fibers
were added with three volume fractions, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%. Thirty concrete mixes were
prepared and investigated. The results indicated that the addition of different content and
lengths of steel fibers with increasing water-to-cement ratios caused significant change in
the mechanical properties of concrete, with an increase of about 10–25% in compressive
strength and about 31–47% in direct tensile strength. The increase in the fiber content from
0.5% to 1.5% increased the flexural strength from 3% to 124% for fiber with the smaller
aspect ratio of 65, whereas, for the higher aspect ratio of 80, a 140% increase in the flexural
strength was observed compared to the concrete without any fibers. With the consideration
of steel fibers of different lengths and diameters, an analytical model for stress strain
relationship of fiber reinforced concrete under compression is proposed. There is good
agreement between the proposed model and the experimental results.

 Mechanical properties of high performance concrete reinforced with basalt fiber and
polypropylene fiber
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.181
 Abstract:
The mechanical properties of high performance concrete (HPC) reinforced with basalt fiber
and polypropylene fibers were investigated in this study. The influence of single basalt fibers
(BFs), single polypropylene fibers (PF) and hybrid fibers with different contents on the
compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength and stress-strain curve of
HPC were investigated. A formula for calculating the flexural strength of hybrid fiber HPC
was developed, and a conversion relationship between flexural strength and cube
compressive strength was proposed. On the basis of experimental data analysis, the
mathematical expression of the compressive stress-strain of hybrid fiber reinforced HPC
was derived. Test results indicate that, the strength of HPC reinforced with single doped
basalt fibers or polypropylene fibers increases with the increase of the fiber volume fraction.
However, the compressive strength increases slightly, while the flexural strength and
splitting tensile strength are improved significantly. When the two types of fibers are mixed
into HPC simultaneously, there are two kinds of synergy effects (positive and negative
synergy effects). When the basalt fiber content is 0.15% and polypropylene fiber content is
0.033%, the synergy effect of fiber mixing is the best. At this time, the compressive strength,
flexural strength and splitting tensile strength increased by 14.1%, 22.8% and 48.6%,
respectively, when compared with those of HPC without fibers.

 Mechanical properties of concrete composites subject to elevated temperatura

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2017.10.010

Abstract
Fire resistance represents an important parameter which is necessary to consider during
the structural design of buildings. It is defined as an ability of building components to
perform their intended load-bearing functions under fire exposure. In terms of fire
resistance, the right choice of a construction material plays a key role and can reduce
structural damage or even save human lives. The building industry offers a wide range of
materials whose structural behaviour is more or less affected by temperature. Recently,
concrete has become one of the most utilized materials used for a various kind of buildings.
While the knowledge and experience with concrete behaviour under ambient temperature
are well-known, the behaviour under elevated temperature has to be deeply investigated.

The paper deals with observing the behaviour of concrete composites with addition of fibres
under ambient and elevated temperature with the aim to determine the mechanical
properties of materials. The experimental tests were conducted on three selected concrete
composites which differ in a type and content of fibrous reinforcement used. The
experimental work carried out was divided into several phases. First of all it was necessary
to leave the produced specimens aging and drying in order to minimize the risk of
unexpected damage caused by concrete spalling during heating. Time to time, the
specimens were weighted with the aim to determine the loss of weight imposed by drying.
Then, a heat transport test was performed on a few reference specimens in order to
determine the time required for uniform heating the specimens up to 200 °C, 400 °C and
 600 °C. In the last phase, conventional testing methods were undertaken to determine the
mechanical properties of concrete composites at ambient and elevated temperature. A
compression test and a splitting tensile test were conducted on 150 mm cubes. Based on
the results, the peak and residual strength of the materials were determined for various
temperature levels. The obtained findings contribute to improving the knowledge in the
field of both concrete structures exposed to high temperature and structural behaviour of
fibre reinforced concrete. The findings can be also utilized in case of the structural design of
concrete structures with the high risk of fire loading.

 Mechanical properties of concrete containing 100% treated coarse recycled concrete

aggregate
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.12.131

Abstract
An environmental friendly method for enhancing mechanical properties of recycled
aggregate concrete (RAC) is proposed by using sodium silicate and silica fume. The proposed
method, applied to 100% coarse recycled concrete aggregate compared to untreated RAC,
can improve compressive strength up to 33–50%, splitting tensile strength 33–41%, and
elastic modulus 15.5–42.5%. Tests revealed that the direct tensile strength of RAC and
natural aggregate concrete (NAC) were notably lower than the splitting tensile strength, but
at 7 days, these values of treated RAC were higher than the splitting tensile strength. From
the experimental data, the compressive strength of the treated RAC can be estimated at
any age. Besides, the relationships between mechanical properties of treated RAC which
were established were significantly different from those of NAC and untreated RAC in
previous studies.

 Residual mechanical properties of compound concrete containing demolished concrete

lumps after exposure to high temperaturas
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2019.02.008

Abstract
The structural use of compound concrete (CC) made of demolished concrete lumps (DCLs)
and fresh concrete (FC) has been demonstrated to be a feasible alternative for waste
concrete recycling. Previous studies have put focus on the properties of CC at ambient
temperature, but little is known about the fire related performance of such material. To
address this gap, a total of 159 CC specimens were tested after exposure to high
temperatures up to 600 °C. The samples' failure modes, residual mechanical properties, and
deformation characteristics were presented. The findings suggest that despite the thermal
exposure, the CC specimens possessed similar relative compressive strength and elastic
modulus to their FC counterparts; however, above 200 °C both CC and FC showed a slightly
decreased capacity of strength retention with temperature compared to recycled aggregate
concrete. The CC specimens' shape effect was prominent, since as the exposed temperature
and the replacement ratio increased, the cube-to-cylinder strength ratio rose dramatically
from 1.23 to 1.72. Moreover, it was found that incorporating DCLs had a non-negligible
 impact on the specimens’ ambient and post-fire dilation behaviors. The ratio of the critical
load (i.e. the load at which the dilations initiated) to the peak load exhibited a decreasing
trend with the DCLs content; but such effect almost diminished at 600 °C. Lastly, a stress–
strain relationship of CC after exposure to high temperatures was proposed.

 Effect of nano-clay de-agglomeration on mechanical properties of concrete

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.02.018

Abstract:
This paper investigates the effect of nano-clay dispersion on concrete properties. This was
extensively studied by using various percentages of nano-clay (5, 7.5, and 10%) as cement
partial replacements by two ways; added as-received, added after being dispersed in water
by using bath sonicator. The evaluation was based on the compressive strength, split tensile
strength, flexural strength, slipping bond strength, and split bond strength of nano-clay
concrete and the microstructure analysis was verified by SEM, XRD, and AFM examinations.
The test results revealed that the sonication of nano-clay particles significantly enhanced
concrete properties when compared to those of as-received nano-clay concrete. The
optimum percentage for cement substitution by Nano-clay was found to be 7.5% for both;
the as-received, and the sonicated nano-clay. The presence of NC particles resulted in dense
and well-compacted matrix than that of the control mix as has shown in the SEM
micrographs, the XRD and AFM results indicated the higher reactivity of the sonicated NC
than the as-received NC.

 Enhancing mechanical properties of asphalt concrete using synthetic fibers

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.05.070

Abstract
This study aims to find the optimal type and concentration of fibers necessary to reinforce
and enhance the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete. Four types of fibers:
polypropylene (PP) and polyester (Pe) fibers with a length of 6 mm, nylon (Ny) and carbon
(C) fibers, all with a length of 12 mm, were incorporated into asphalt at 0.5% and 1.0% of
volume content, respectively. Six test parameters were examined for each variable to
investigate the influence of the fiber type and content: the Marshall stability, porosity,
indirect tensile strength, moisture susceptibility, dynamic stability, and flexural
performances. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were used to
accurately analyze the test results. The test results show that most of the fiber-reinforced
asphalt concretes provided significantly improved mechanical performances compared to
the plain asphalt concrete specimen. The optimal fiber type was the Ny fiber for every test
parameter, and the optimum volume content of the Ny fiber was 1.0%, except for the case
of the dynamic stability.

 Mechanical properties and microstructure of lightweight aggregate concrete with and

without fibers
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.12.037
 Abstract:
The effects of several factors such as dry apparent density, water-to-binder ratio, properties
of expanded shale aggregates, and fiber volume fraction, on the mechanical properties of
lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) were experimentally investigated. Performance of
LWAC were characterized through compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and
flexural strength. This paper characterizes the morphology and microstructure of
lightweight aggregate and two types of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) by using scanning
electron microscopy (SEM). More than 40 different LWAC mixtures included five different
expanded shale aggregates and two types of fiber were designed and fabricated, exhibited
28-day compressive strength from 47 to 86 MPa for dry apparent density of 1720–
1940 kg/m3, respectively. The test results shown that both water-to-binder ratio and
lightweight aggregate properties have significant effects on the LWAC. Crushed shale
aggregate with dense shell and low absorption was recommended. The addition of fiber had
a slight impact on compressive strength but resulted in significant increases in splitting
tensile strength and flexural strength. The maximum increase in strength was achieved at a
volume fraction of carbon fibers of 0.9%. Furthermore, microstructure investigation
revealed that a slight wall effect occurred in the ITZ of lightweight aggregate with a dense
shell and low water absorption.

 Changes in mechanical properties of concrete due to ASR

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hya.2018.02.001

Abstract
Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is one of the most severe damage reactions of concrete. There
are at least two different mechanisms of ASR: The most common is the rapid disruption of
siliceous aggregates at the surface of the grain, which occurs in flint and opal sandstone, for
example: The others are called slow reacting aggregates, and refer, for example, to cracking
of the grain of greywacke and quartz porphyry. Both reactions are due to the dissolving of
SiO2 by alkalis. The present paper reports on tests on slow reacting aggregates.

While most studies in the literature concentrate on the expansion behavior of the
aggregates, in this article focus is centered on the mechanical properties, such as strength
and creep. The aggregates used are greywacke, quartz porphyry, and crushed sediments
from the Upper Rhine Valley.

 Mechanical properties of fibre reinforced concrete with recycled fibres

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.183

Abstract
Structural concrete members subjected to tensile stresses crack due to the brittleness of
the concrete. Concrete brittleness can be reduced by adding various fibres to the concrete
mix, whereby a composite material called fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) is created. This
paper examines the effectiveness of recycled steel fibres (obtained from machining process
 discards) in increasing the ductility of concrete. Basic information on fibre reinforced
concrete, including fibre types, the influence of a steel fibre addition on the mechanical
properties of the material and the methodology of testing the main flexural properties of
FRC according to different standards, is provided. The effect of a fibre addition was
examined for three groups of test specimens differing in their fibres. A series made of plain
concrete was prepared as the reference. In the other two groups the concrete matrix was
reinforced with identical volume fractions of two types of steel fibres. Typical hook-end
fibres were used in the first series while proposed recycled fibres were used in the second
series. Fundamental mechanical properties such as: compressive strength, splitting tensile
strength, flexural strength and equivalent flexural strength were tested on cube and beam
specimens. Additionally, the distribution of strains in the middle cross section of the beams
reinforced with the recycled steel fibres and subjected to bending was determined. The
potential utilization of recycled steel fibres as a substitute for the fibres commonly used to
reinforce concrete is investigated and discussed.

 Residual mechanical properties of polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete after heating

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.209

Abstract
This paper presents results from experimental studies on residual mechanical properties of
fiber-reinforced concrete specimens exposed to elevated temperatures. Seven series of
concrete mixes, including six series of polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete and one
series of plain concrete specimens, were tested after exposure to various heating
temperatures and cooled down. The residual mechanical properties including compressive
and tensile strengths, modulus of elasticity and cracking modes, as well as ultrasonic pulse
velocity of fiber-reinforced and plain concretes are evaluated after heating-cooling cycle.
The effect of temperature level, length and amount of polypropylene fibers content on
residual mechanical properties is studied. Results from the experiments show that
polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete exhibit better performance compared to plain
concrete. Different strategies, through varying amount of polypropylene fiber content (1–
2 kg/m3) and fiber length, proposed to enhance residual compressive and tensile strengths
and also minimize the splitting and cracking in concrete after exposure to fire.