Connection of the prefabricated updeck of road tunnels by a short lap-spliced joint using ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete

Abstract

Prefabricated internal structures of road tunnels, consisting of precast elements and the connections between them, provide advantages in terms of quality control and manufacturing costs. However, the limited construction space in tunnels creates challenges for on-site assembly. To identify feasible connecting joints, flexural tests of precast straight beams connected by welding-spliced or lap-spliced reinforcements embedded in normal concrete or ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) are first performed and analyzed. With an improvement in the strength grade of the closure concrete for the lap-spliced joint, the failure of the beam transforms from a brittle splitting mode to a ductile flexural mode. The beam connected by UHPFRC100 with short lap-spliced reinforcements can achieve almost equivalent mechanical performance in terms of the bearing capacity, ductility, and stiffness as the beam connected by normal concrete with welding-spliced reinforcements. This favorable solution is then applied to the connection of neighboring updeck slabs resting on columns in a double-deck tunnel. The applicability is validated by flexural tests of T-shaped joints, which, fail in a ductile fashion dominated by the ultimate bearing capacity of the precast elements, similar to the corresponding straight beam. The utilization of UHPFRC significantly reduces the required lap-splice length of reinforcements owing to its strong bonding strength.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

UHPFRC / prefabricated updeck / road tunnel / lap-spliced rebars / flexural tests

References

[1] GuglielmettiVGrassoPMahtabA XuS. Mechanized Tunnelling in Urban Areas: Design Methodology and Construction Control. London: CRC Press, 2008

[2] WangSFu JZhangCYangJ. Shield Tunnel Engineering: From Theory to Practice. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2021

[3] Jiang X, Zhang X, Wang S, Bai Y, Huang B. Case study of the largest concrete earth pressure balance pipe-jacking project in the world. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2022, 2676(7): 92–105

[4] Jiang X, Zhang Y, Zhang Z, Bai Y. Study on risks and countermeasures of shallow biogas during construction of metro tunnels by shield boring machine. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2021, 2675(7): 105–116

[5] Breccolotti M, Gentile S, Tommasini M, Materazzi A L, Bonfigli M F, Pasqualini B, Colone V, Gianesini M. Beam−column joints in continuous RC frames: Comparison between cast-in-situ and precast solutions. Engineering Structures, 2016, 127: 129–144

[6] Choi H K, Choi Y C, Choi C S. Development and testing of precast concrete beam-to-column connections. Engineering Structures, 2013, 56: 1820–1835

[7] Parastesh H, Hajirasouliha I, Ramezani R. A new ductile moment-resisting connection for precast concrete frames in seismic regions: An experimental investigation. Engineering Structures, 2014, 70: 144–157

[8] ElliottK S. Precast Concrete Structures. London: CRC Press, 2019

[9] Liu T, Wang Z, Guo J, Wang J. Shear strength of dry joints in precast UHPC segmental bridges: Experimental and theoretical research. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 2019, 24(1): 04018100

[10] Ahmed G H, Aziz O Q. Shear behavior of dry and epoxied joints in precast concrete segmental box girder bridges under direct shear loading. Engineering Structures, 2019, 182: 89–100

[11] Lu C, Dong B, Pan J, Shan Q, Hanif A, Yin W. An investigation on the behavior of a new connection for precast structures under reverse cyclic loading. Engineering Structures, 2018, 169: 131–140

[12] Eom T S, Park H G, Hwang H J, Kang S M. Plastic hinge relocation methods for emulative PC beam−column connections. Journal of Structural Engineering, 2016, 142(2): 04015111

[13] Ghayeb H H, Razak H A, Sulong N R. Performance of dowel beam-to-column connections for precast concrete systems under seismic loads: A review. Construction & Building Materials, 2020, 237: 117582

[14] RamirezJ ARussell B W. Transfer, Development, and Splice Length for Strand/Reinforcement in High-Strength Concrete. Washington: Transportation Research Board, 2008, 603

[15] Maya L, Zanuy C, Albajar L, Lopez C, Portabella J. Experimental assessment of connections for precast concrete frames using ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete. Construction & Building Materials, 2013, 48: 173–186

[16] Haber Z B, Graybeal B A. Lap-spliced rebar connections with UHPC closures. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 2018, 23(6): 04018028

[17] Lagier F, Massicotte B, Charron J P. Experimental investigation of bond stress distribution and bond strength in unconfined UHPFRC lap splices under direct tension. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2016, 74: 26–38

[18] Lagier F, Massicotte B, Charron J P. Bond strength of tension lap splice specimens in UHPFRC. Construction & Building Materials, 2015, 93: 84–94

[19] YuanJGraybeal B A. Bond Behavior of Reinforcing Steel in Ultra-High Performance Concrete. FHWA-HRT-14-090. 2014

[20] Yu J, Zhang B, Chen W, He J. Experimental and multi-scale numerical investigation of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) with different coarse aggregate content and fiber volume fraction. Construction & Building Materials, 2020, 260: 120444

[21] Li V C. Postcrack scaling relations for fiber reinforced cementitious composites. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 1992, 4(1): 41–57

[22] Zheng X, Wang Y, Zhang S, Xu F, Zhu X, Jiang X, Zhou L, Shen Y, Chen Q, Yan Z, Zhao W, Zhu H, Zhang Y. Research progress of the thermophysical and mechanical properties of concrete subjected to freeze−thaw cycles. Construction & Building Materials, 2022, 330: 127254

[23] Li L, Gong W, Li J. Service life of prestressed high-strength concrete pile in marine environment considering effects of concrete stratification and temperature. Construction & Building Materials, 2020, 253: 119233

[24] Sun R, Han L, Zhang H, Ge Z, Guan Y, Ling Y, Schlangen E, Savija B. Fatigue life and cracking characterization of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) under flexural cyclic load. Construction & Building Materials, 2022, 335: 127465

[25] Farzad M, Shafieifar M, Azizinamini A. Experimental and numerical study on bond strength between conventional concrete and ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC). Engineering Structures, 2019, 186: 297–305

[26] GraybealB ADe la Varga IHaberZ B. Bond of Field-cast Grouts to Precast Concrete Elements. FHWA-HRT-16-081. 2017

[27] Marchand P, Baby F, Khadour A, Battesti T, Rivillon P, Quiertant M, Nguyen H H, Genereux G, Deveaud J P, Simon A, Francois T. Bond behaviour of reinforcing bars in UHPFRC. Materials and Structures, 2016, 49(5): 1979–1995

[28] Saleem M A, Mirmiran A, Xia J, Mackie K. Development length of high-strength steel rebar in ultrahigh performance concrete. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2013, 25(8): 991–998

[29] Haber Z B, Saiidi M S, Sanders D H. Seismic performance of precast columns with mechanically spliced column-footing connections. ACI Structural Journal, 2014, 111(3): 639–650

[30] GB50010-2010. Code for Design of Concrete Structures. Beijing: Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2010 (in Chinese)

[31] GB-T228-2002. Metallic Materials—Tensile Testing at Ambient Temperature. Beijing: State General Administration of the People’s Republic of China for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine, 2002 (in Chinese)

[32] GB-T50081-2002. Standard of Test Method of Mechanical Properties on Ordinary Concrete. Beijing: Ministry of Construction of the People’s Republic of China, 2002 (in Chinese)

[33] CECS13:89. Testing Method for Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete. Beijing: China Association for Engineering Construction Standardization, 1989

[34] EN1992-1-1. Eurocode 2: Design of Concrete Structures––Part 1–1: General Rules and Rules for Buildings. London: British Standards Institution, 2005

[35] Ueda T. Material mechanical properties necessary for the structural intervention of concrete structures. Engineering (Beijing), 2019, 5(6): 1131–1138

[36] Sadowski L. Multi-scale evaluation of the interphase zone between the overlay and concrete substrate: Methods and descriptors. Applied Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2017, 7(9): 893

[37] OuyangNDeng S. Study on the interfacial properties of UHPC-NC composite component. Journal of Chongqing University, 2019, 44(3): 63−74 (in Chinese)

[38] XuYWangH ShenW. Experimental research on force transition through lap-spliced reinforcements. Building Structure, 1993, 4: 20−24 (in Chinese)

[39] GuoZ. Principles of Reinforced Concrete. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2014

[40] Diab A, Eldin M. Slant shear bond strength between self compacting concrete and old concrete. Construction & Building Materials, 2017, 130: 73–82

[41] Wang B, Xu S, Liu F. Evaluation of tensile bonding strength between UHTCC repair materials and concrete substrate. Construction & Building Materials, 2016, 112: 595–606

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press