The seismic performance of a fully fabricated bridge is a key factor limiting its application. In this study, a fiber element model of a fabricated concrete pier with grouting sleeve-prestressed tendon composite connections was built and verified. A numerical analysis of three types of continuous girder bridges was conducted with different piers: a cast-in-place reinforced concrete pier, a grouting sleeve-fabricated pier, and a grouting sleeve-prestressed tendon composite fabricated pier. Furthermore, the seismic performance of the composite fabricated pier was investigated. The results show that the OpenSees fiber element model can successfully simulate the hysteresis behavior and failure mode of the grouted sleeve-fabricated pier. Under traditional non-near-fault ground motions, the pier top displacements of the grouting sleeve-fabricated pier and the composite fabricated pier were less than those of the cast-in-place reinforced concrete pier. The composite fabricated pier had a good self-centering capability. In addition, the plastic hinge zones of the grouting sleeve-fabricated pier and the composite fabricated pier shifted to the joint seam and upper edge of the grouting sleeve, respectively. The composite fabricated pier with optimal design parameters has good seismic performance and can be applied in high-intensity seismic areas; however, the influence of pile-soil interaction on its seismic performance should not be ignored.
Seismic analysis of historical masonry bridges is important for authorities in all countries hosting such cultural heritage assets. The masonry arch bridge investigated in this study was built during the Roman period and is on the island of Rhodes, in Greece. Fifteen seismic records were considered and categorized as far-field, pulse-like near-field, and non-pulse-like near-field. The earthquake excitations were scaled to a target spectrum, and nonlinear time-history analyses were performed in the transverse direction. The performance levels were introduced based on the pushover curve, and the post-earthquake damage state of the bridge was examined. According to the results, pulse-like near-field events are more damaging than non-pulse-like near-field ground motions. Additionally the bridge is more vulnerable to far-field excitations than near-field events. Furthermore, the structure will suffer extensive post-earthquake damage and must be retrofitted.
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.
Groundwater leakage in shield tunnels poses a threat to the safety and durability of tunnel structures. Disturbance of adjacent constructions during the operation of shield tunnels frequently occurs in China, leading to deformation of tunnel lining and leakage in joints. Understanding the impact of adjacent constructions on the waterproofing performance of the lining is critical for the protection of shield tunnels. In this study, the weakening behavior of waterproof performance was investigated in the joints of shield tunnels under transverse deformation induced by adjacent construction. First, the relationship between the joint opening and transverse deformation under three typical adjacent constructions (upper loading, upper excavation, and side excavation) was investigated via elaborate numerical simulations. Subsequently, the evolution of the waterproof performance of a common gasket with a joint opening was examined by establishing a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian model of joint seepage, and a formula describing the relationship between waterproof performance and joint opening was proposed. Finally, the weakening law of waterproofing performance was investigated based on the results of the aforementioned studies. It was determined that the joints with the greatest decline in waterproof performance were located at the tunnel shoulder in the upper loading case, tunnel crown in the upper excavation case, and tunnel shoulder in the side excavation case. When the waterproof performance of these joints decreased to 50% and 30%, the transverse deformations were 60 and 90 mm under upper loading, 90 and 140 mm under upper excavation, and 45 and 70 mm under side excavation, respectively. The results provide a straightforward reference for setting a controlled deformation standard considering the waterproof performance.
The integrity and bearing capacity of segment joints in shield tunnels are associated closely with the mechanical properties of the joints. This study focuses on the mechanical characteristics and mechanism of a bolted circumferential joint during the entire bearing process. Simplified analytical algorithms for four stress stages are established to describe the bearing behaviors of the joint under a compressive bending load. A height adjustment coefficient, α, for the outer concrete compression zone is introduced into a simplified analytical model. Factors affecting α are determined, and the degree of influence of these factors is investigated via orthogonal numerical simulations. The numerical results show that α can be specified as approximately 0.2 for most metro shield tunnels in China. Subsequently, a case study is performed to verify the rationality of the simplified theoretical analysis for the segment joint via numerical simulations and experiments. Using the proposed simplified analytical algorithms, a parametric investigation is conducted to discuss the factors affecting the ultimate compressive bending capacity of the joint. The method for optimizing the joint flexural stiffness is clarified. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the design and prediciting the damage of bolted segment joints in shield tunnels.
A fictitious soil pile (FSP) model is developed to simulate the behavior of pipe piles with soil plugs undergoing high-strain dynamic impact loading. The developed model simulates the base soil with a fictitious hollow pile fully filled with a soil plug extending at a cone angle from the pile toe to the bedrock. The friction on the outside and inside of the pile walls is distinguished using different shaft models, and the propagation of stress waves in the base soil and soil plug is considered. The motions of the pile−soil system are solved by discretizing them into spring-mass model based on the finite difference method. Comparisons of the predictions of the proposed model and conventional numerical models, as well as measurements for pipe piles in field tests subjected to impact loading, validate the accuracy of the proposed model. A parametric analysis is conducted to illustrate the influence of the model parameters on the pile dynamic response. Finally, the effective length of the FSP is proposed to approximate the affected soil zone below the pipe pile toe, and some guidance is provided for the selection of the model parameters.
Extrudability is one of the most critical factors when designing three-dimensional printable foam concrete. The extrusion process likely affects the foam stability which necessitates the investigation into surfactant properties particularly for concrete mixes with high foam contents. Although many studies have been conducted on traditional foam concrete in this context, studies on three-dimensional printed foam concrete are scarce. To address this research gap, the effects of surfactant characteristics on the stability, extrudability, and buildability of three-dimensional printed foam concrete mixes with two design densities (1000 and 1300 kg/m3) using two different surfactants and stabilizers (synthetic-based sodium lauryl sulfate stabilized with carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt, and natural-based hingot surfactant stabilized with xanthan gum) were investigated in this study. Fresh density tests were conducted before and after the extrusion to determine stability of the foam concrete. The results were then correlated with surfactant qualities, such as viscosity and surface tension, to understand the importance of key parameters in three-dimensional printing of foam concrete. Based on the experimental results, surfactant solu1tion with viscosity exceeding 5 mPa·s and surface tension lower than 31 mN/m was recommended to yield stable three-dimensional printable foam concrete mixes. Nevertheless, the volume of foam in the mix significantly affected the printability characteristics. Unlike traditional foam concrete, the variation in the stabilizer concentration and density of concrete were found to have insignificant effect on the fresh-state-characteristics (slump, slump flow, and static yield stress) and air void microstructure of the stable mixes.
Autogenous self-healing is the innate and fundamental repair capability of cement-based materials for healing cracks. Many researchers have investigated factors that influence autogenous healing. However, systematic research on the autogenous healing mechanism of cement-based materials is lacking. The healing process mainly involves a chemical process, including further hydration of unhydrated cement and carbonation of calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide. Hence, the autogenous healing process is influenced by the material constituents of the cement composite and the ambient environment. In this study, different factors influencing the healing process of cement-based materials were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy were used to examine the autogenous healing mechanism, and the maximum healing capacity was assessed. Furthermore, detailed theoretical analysis and quantitative detection of autogenous healing were conducted. This study provides a valuable reference for developing an improved healing technique for cement-based composites.
To investigate the mechanical process that occurs between rocks and tooth hobs, the crushing of sandstone with a tooth hob was simulated using reconstructed multi-mineral mesoscopic numerical models of various grain-sized sandstone samples. When a piece of sandstone is crushed by the tooth of a hob rolling at a constant speed, the resultant reaction forces of the sandstone on the tooth first hinder and then contribute to the rolling of the hob. The absolute value of the longitudinal reaction force is significantly higher than that of the lateral reaction force. Because the tooth was subjected to reaction forces from the sandstone, forces and moments were applied to the hob in order to keep the hob rolling. The applied forces were equal in value and opposite in direction to the reaction forces of the sandstone on the tooth. Three typical curves of the work done by the applied forces and moment were obtained, and the contribution of the applied lateral force and moment to the total work done for crushing sandstones was variable; however, no work was done by the applied longitudinal force. Moreover, the applied longitudinal force and total work were positively correlated with the strength of sandstone samples. The total work, applied forces, and moment increased with the maximum penetration depth of the tooth in the sandstone.
