Search results for "Civil Engineering"
showing 10 items of 1216 documents
Increasing the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams using pretensioned stainless steel ribbons
2017
In this work, the second part of an experimental campaign investigating the efficiency of an alternative retrofitting method for increasing the flexural and/or shear capacity in reinforced concrete beams, based on the use of prestressed stainless steel ribbons and steel angles, is presented and analytically reproduced. This group of tests focuses on the ability of the adopted retrofitting method to improve the shear strength and ultimate deformation of reinforced concrete structural elements. As described in a companion paper, the adopted retrofitting method is alternative to traditional techniques of reinforced concrete retrofitting, being easy to install and usually reversible, and charac…
Advanced Strategies and Materials for Reinforcing Normal and Disturbed Regions in Brick Masonry Columns
2016
This work presents the results of an experimental investigation on the behavior of 42 solid clay brick masonry columns internally strengthened by fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) fabrics or stainless steel grids placed in horizontal mortar joints. In some cases, every course, and in other cases, alternate courses were reinforced with steel grids, carbon, and basalt FRP fabrics. Monotonic compressive loading tests were carried out under concentric and eccentric loads. Eccentric tests were carried out by loading the specimens on a reduced area with respect to the entire cross section, producing a disturbed region (D-region). A detailed characterization of the constituent materials was made expe…
Ultrasonic inspection for the detection of debonding in CFRP-reinforced concrete
2017
Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites are extensively used to retrofit civil structures. However, the quality and the characteristics of the bond between the FRP and the structure are critical to ensure the efficacy of the retrofit. For this reason, effective non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are often necessary to assess the bonding conditions. This article presents an ultrasonic technique for detecting defects at the FRP-substrate interface. The technique uses the Akaike Information Criterion, to detect automatically the onset of the ultrasonic signals, and the novel Equivalent Time Lenght (ETL) parameter, to quantify the energy of the propagating ultrasonic signals along the i…
Fatigue and Healing Properties of Low Environmental Impact Rubberized Bitumen for Asphalt Pavement
2017
The addition of recycled tyre rubber as a modifier to enhance the mechanical properties of bitumen has proven to provide asphalt mixtures with better mechanical performance. However the rubberised bitumen presents the limitation of requiring higher manufacturing and compaction temperatures. This could be solved by subjecting the tyre rubber to sort of pre-treatments such as: Adding warm-mix additives and/or using partial devulcanisation. These solutions have the potential of lowering the overall environmental impact of the asphalt pavement, however it is still not clear whether these can be detrimental for the rubberized asphalt binder mechanical properties. This paper investigates the effe…
The CRATI project: New insights on the consolidation of saltweathered stone and the case study of San Domenico Church in Cosenza (South Calabria, Ita…
2019
This paper presents the results of a laboratory experimentation carried out on stone materials in the framework of the CRATI project (Knowledge and Restoration through Advanced Integrated Technologies) aimed at testing new products with consolidating properties by means of an integrated methodological approach. After the preliminary characterization of stone materials collected in the pilot site, the second stage of the activities within the project were focused on the formulation and testing of products for the conservation of the same materials against decay, especially salt crystallization, one of the most aggressive and common degrading processes. The San Domenico Church, located in the…
Stress transfer and failure mechanisms in steel-concrete trussed beams: Experimental investigation on slab-thick and full-thick beams
2018
Abstract This study presents the results of an experimental investigation on semi-precast Hybrid Steel Trussed-Concrete Beams (HSTCBs) for analyzing the failure modes and the stress transfer mechanism between concrete and embedded steel elements (plate and truss). The available literature presents previous studies carried out by the authors mainly focused on the understanding of the local transfer mechanism by means of push-out tests. Conversely, in this paper original the results of laboratory tests conducted on six specimens of full-size HSTCBs subjected to four-point bending, with variation in the shear span, are reported on. From these results, the authors are able to assess the failure…
Brick Masonry Columns Externally Wrapped with Steel Wires under Concentric and Eccentric Loads
2017
This paper discusses an experimental investigation of clay brick columns that are externally strengthened by steel wire collars wrapping the horizontal mortar joints. The study aims to prove the effectiveness of the proposed strengthening technique and detect the efficiency of different numbers of steel collars. Additionally, the effect of eccentric loading is investigated. This paper proves that an analytical expression available in the previous literature can be modified to provide the strength of the equivalent homogeneous cross section in simple compression. To this aim, the biaxial strength domain of the bricks is modified to account for the lateral pressure exerted by the steel collar…
Mix design and mechanical performance of geopolymer binder for sustainable construction and building materials
2017
Sustainability in construction is a major concern worldwide, due to the huge volume of materials and energy consumed by this sector. Associated supplementing industries (e.g. Portland cement production) constitute a significant source of CO2 emissions and global warming. Valorisation and reuse of industrial wastes and by-products make geopolymers a solid and sustainable via to be followed as a valid alternative to Portland cement. In this work the mix design of a green fly ash-based geopolymer is evaluated as an environmentally friendly construction material. In the pursuit of sustainability, wastes from a regional kraft pulp industry are exploited for the material processing. Furthermore, …
Thermo-rheological analysis of WMA-additive modified binders
2020
AbstractThermo-rheological characteristics of unmodified and modified bitumen have significant impacts on the mechanical response of asphalt. This study investigates the impacts of an organic and a chemical Warm Mix Asphalt additive on bitumen thermo-rheological and mechanical characteristics. Modified binders with different concentrations of each additive were studied and analysed comparatively to a 40/60 penetration grade bitumen. Frequency sweep tests were performed at different ageing levels to characterise the Linear Viscoelastic properties. The multiple stress creep and recovery, linear amplitude sweep (LAS) and low temperature creep stiffness tests, together with the Glover–Rowe (G–R…
Characterization of Different Cable Ferrite Materials to Reduce the Electromagnetic Noise in the 2–150 kHz Frequency Range
2018
The gap of standardization for conducted and field coupled electromagnetic interferences (EMI) in the 2–150 kHz frequency range can lead to Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) problems. This is caused by power systems such as Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) controlled rectifiers, photovoltaic inverters or charging battery units in electric vehicles. This is a very important frequency spectral due to interferences generated in a wide range of devices and, specifically, communication problems in the new technologies and devices incorporated to the traditional grid to convert it into a Smart Grid. Consequently, it is necessary to provide new solutions to attenuate this kind of interference, which…