No abstract

This study presents an experimental investigation and finite element modelling (FEM) of the behavior of over-reinforced simply-supported beams developed under compression with a bolt-compression steel plate (BCSP) system. This study aims to avoid brittle failure in the compression zone by improving the strength, strain, and energy absorption (EA) of the over-reinforced beam. The experimental program consists of a control beam (CB) and three BCSP beams. With a fixed steel plate length of 1100 mm, the thicknesses of the steel plates vary at the top section. The adopted plate thicknesses were 6 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm, denoted as BCSP-6, BCSP-10, and BCSP-15, respectively. The bolt arrangement was used to implement the bonding behavior between the concrete and the steel plate when casting. These plates were tested under flexural-static loading (four-point bending). The load-deflection and EA of the beams were determined experimentally. It was observed that the load capacity of the BCSP beams was improved by an increase in plate thickness. The increase in load capacity ranged from 73.7% to 149% of the load capacity of the control beam. The EA was improved up to about 247.5% in comparison with the control beam. There was also an improvement in the crack patterns and failure modes. It was concluded that the developed system has a great effect on the parameters studied. Moreover, the prediction of the concrete failure characteristics by the FE models, using the ABAQUS software package, was comparable with the values determined via the experimental procedures. Hence, the FE models were proven to accurately predict the concrete failure characteristics.

No abstract

This is a numerical study to investigate the behavior of novel stiffened angle shear connectors embedded in solid concrete slabs at both ambient and elevated temperatures. An advanced nonlinear finite element model is developed and validated with available experimental work by Nouri, K., et al. 2021. Additionally, parametric studies are performed to evaluate the variations in concrete strength and the connector’s dimensions. The results indicate that the ultimate strength of the stiffened angle shear connector drops by 92% in 1050 °C. Comparing studies show the strength of the stiffened shear connector at 700–850 °C is equivalent to the ordinary C-shaped shear connectors. The stiffened shear connector is more ductile at elevated temperatures as compared to ambient temperatures. The shear strength raised to 66% and 159.7% by increasing the height and width of the stiffened shear connector, respectively. Furthermore, the height of the stiffened shear connector is crucial to enhance the shear strength capacity as compared to the ordinary C-shaped shear connector.

No abstract