Model to describe the mode I fracture of steel fiber reinforced ultra-high performance concrete

Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) has arisen from the implementation of a variety of concrete engineering and materials science concepts developed over the last century. This material offers superior strength, serviceability, and durability over its conventional counterparts. One of the most important differences for UHPFRC over other concrete materials is its ability to resist fracture through the use of randomly dispersed discontinuous fibers and improvements to the fiber-matrix bond. Of particular interest is the materials ability to achieve higher loads after first crack, as well as its high fracture toughness. In this research, a study of the fracture behavior of UHPFRC with steel fibers was conducted to look at the effect of several parameters related to the fracture behavior and to develop a fracture model based on a non-linear curve fit of the data. To determine this, a series of three-point bending tests were performed on various single edge notched prisms (SENPs). Compression tests were also performed for quality assurance. Testing was conducted on specimens of different cross-sections, span/depth (S/D) ratios, curing regimes, ages, and fiber contents. By comparing the results from prisms of different sizes this study examines the weakening mechanism due to the size effect. Furthermore, by employing the concept of fracture energy it was possible to obtain a comparison of the fracture toughness and ductility. The model was determined based on a fit to P-w fracture curves, which was cross referenced for comparability to the results. Once obtained the model was then compared to the models proposed by the AFGC in the 2003 and to the ACI 544 model for conventional fiber reinforced concretes

The realities of additively manufactured concrete structures in practice

Extrusion-based 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) is rapidly gaining popularity in the construction industry. Trial projects are now being realized at an increasing rate around the world to test the viability of the technology against real-world requirements. This step, from the ‘simple’ deposition of filaments of self-stable concrete to its application in buildings and structures, with all associated requirements and interfaces, comes with challenges. These range from matching the design intent to the manufacturing capabilities (through structural analysis and approval, and reinforcement) to quality consistency (robustness) on large scale, and compatibility with other materials. In many of these areas, much simply remains unknown due to a lack of experimental data or information from projects where 3DCP has been applied. This paper aims at reducing this knowledge gap by presenting a systematic discussion, based on the analyses of eight realized 3DCP projects from around the world. It was found that the structural application of printed concrete is limited, due to a lack of regulatory framework for expedient approval, as well as limited reinforcement options which require to resort to unreinforced masonry analogies. The application of the technology features a host of practical issues that relate to the print process, material, site conditions, building integration and design – or to the 3DCP technology in general. Although some potential risks, such as shrinkage cracking and quality consistency are generally recognized, the measures taken to mitigate them vary considerably, and are largely based on individual expertise. The actual effectiveness is generally unknown. Finally, it was observed that, while the printing itself is fast, the preparation time is generally considerable. This is partially due to a lack of knowledge amongst professionals. In the practical production of a 3DCP project, three expertise areas are crucial: one for the digital part, one for the machine side, and one for the material side. Thus there is a strong need for educational institutions to develop dedicated training courses and incorporate relevant topics into their curricula

Damage investigation of single-edge notched beam tests with normal strength concrete and ultra high performance concrete specimens using acoustic emission techniques

The non-intrusive and non-destructive Acoustic Emission (AE) techniques acquire and analyze the signals emitted from the deformation or fracture of materials under external loading. In this study, the AE techniques with statistical analysis were used to study the damage process of single-edge notched beam (SEB) tests with normal strength concrete (NSC) and ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) specimens. The SEB tests with the lab-prepared NSC and UHPC specimens were conducted by employing a clip-gauge controlled servo-hydraulic testing system and an AE damage detection system. It was found that the cumulative AE events with respect to the crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) or the crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) correlate to the mechanical loading of the specimens. A Weibull rupture probability distribution was proposed to quantitatively describe the mechanical damage behavior under the SEB test. A bi-logarithmic regression analysis was conducted to calibrate the Weibull damage distribution with detected AE signals and to predict the damage process as a function of the crack opening displacements. The calibrated Weibull damage functions were compared among NSC and UHPC specimens with different notch depths and locations. More AE damage events were detected for the specimen with larger notch-depth at the beginning of the damage process due to a higher initial stress concentration factor K I. The offset-notched specimen also produced more AE damage events due to shear damage effects. The results indicate that the calibrated Weibull rupture probability functions with AE event data can be applied to study damage processes under mechanical loading for brittle materials such as concrete. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Adaptive sampling and monitoring of partially observed images

Image-based monitoring techniques have achieved great success in many engineering applications. However, most existing image monitoring methods require fully observed images to implement modeling/monitoring. This requirement limits the application of these techniques for images with large size and/or cameras with limited scanning area. In this article, we propose to solve this issue by splitting the large image into multiple sub-images and using partially observed sub-images to implement monitoring of the whole large image. More specifically, the two-dimensional multivariate functional principal component analysis (2D-MFPCA) is proposed to model the cross-and-within correlation among sub-images, which facilitates the information augmentation from partially observed sub-images. The asymptotic properties of the 2D-MFPCA estimators are investigated to justify the use of MFPC scores as the monitoring statistics, which are fed into a multivariate CUSUM control chart to implement adaptive sampling and monitoring of image data. The developed chart can dynamically select locations of partially observed sub-images and adaptively focus on the most suspicious sub-images. The proposed method is validated and compared with various benchmark methods in both numerical and case studies. The results demonstrate the proposed method can achieve superior monitoring performance for large images when only partially observed sub-images are available.</p

The realities of additively manufactured concrete structures in practice

Extrusion-based 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) is rapidly gaining popularity in the construction industry. Trial projects are now being realized at an increasing rate around the world to test the viability of the technology against real-world requirements. This step, from the ‘simple’ deposition of filaments of self-stable concrete to its application in buildings and structures, with all associated requirements and interfaces, comes with challenges. These range from matching the design intent to the manufacturing capabilities (through structural analysis and approval, and reinforcement) to quality consistency (robustness) on large scale, and compatibility with other materials. In many of these areas, much simply remains unknown due to a lack of experimental data or information from projects where 3DCP has been applied. This paper aims at reducing this knowledge gap by presenting a systematic discussion, based on the analyses of eight realized 3DCP projects from around the world. It was found that the structural application of printed concrete is limited, due to a lack of regulatory framework for expedient approval, as well as limited reinforcement options which require to resort to unreinforced masonry analogies. The application of the technology features a host of practical issues that relate to the print process, material, site conditions, building integration and design – or to the 3DCP technology in general. Although some potential risks, such as shrinkage cracking and quality consistency are generally recognized, the measures taken to mitigate them vary considerably, and are largely based on individual expertise. The actual effectiveness is generally unknown. Finally, it was observed that, while the printing itself is fast, the preparation time is generally considerable. This is partially due to a lack of knowledge amongst professionals. In the practical production of a 3DCP project, three expertise areas are crucial: one for the digital part, one for the machine side, and one for the material side. Thus there is a strong need for educational institutions to develop dedicated training courses and incorporate relevant topics into their curricula

Effect of Small and Large Energy Surpluses on Strength, Muscle, and Skinfold Thickness in Resistance-Trained Individuals: A Parallel Groups Design

Abstract Background Many perform resistance training (RT) to increase muscle mass and strength. Energy surpluses are advised to support such gains; however, if too large, could cause unnecessary fat gain. We randomized 21 trained lifters performing RT 3 d/wk for eight weeks into maintenance energy (MAIN), moderate (5% [MOD]), and high (15% [HIGH]) energy surplus groups to determine if skinfold thicknesses (ST), squat and bench one-repetition maximum (1-RM), or biceps brachii, triceps brachii, or quadriceps muscle thicknesses (MT) differed by group. COVID-19 reduced our sample, leaving 17 completers. Thus, in addition to Bayesian ANCOVA comparisons, we analyzed changes in body mass (BM) with ST, 1-RM, and MT changes via regression. We reported Bayes factors (BF10) indicating odds ratios of the relative likelihood of hypotheses (e.g., BF10 = 2 indicates the hypothesis is twice as likely as another) and coefficients of determination (R 2) for regressions. Results ANCOVAs provided no evidence supporting the group model for MT or squat 1-RM. However, moderate (BF10 = 9.9) and strong evidence (BF10 = 14.5) indicated HIGH increased bench 1-RM more than MOD and MAIN, respectively. Further, there was moderate evidence (BF10 = 4.2) HIGH increased ST more than MAIN and weak evidence (BF10 = 2.4) MOD increased ST more than MAIN. Regression provided strong evidence that BM change predicts ST change (BF10 = 14.3, R 2 = 0.49) and weak evidence predicting biceps brachii MT change (BF10 = 1.4, R 2 = 0.24). Conclusions While some group-based differences were found, our larger N regression provides the most generalizable evidence. Therefore, we conclude faster rates of BM gain (and by proxy larger surpluses) primarily increase rates of fat gain rather than augmenting 1-RM or MT. However, biceps brachii, the muscle which received the greatest stimulus in this study, may have been positively impacted by greater BM gain, albeit slightly. Our findings are limited to the confines of this study, where a group of lifters with mixed training experience performed moderate volumes 3 d/wk for 8 weeks. Thus, future work is needed to evaluate the relationship between BM gains, increases in ST and RT adaptations in other contexts

A roadmap for quality control of hardening and hardened printed concrete

This article focuses on the specifics in characterizing the properties of additively manufactured, cement-based materials in their hardening and hardened states. Such characterization is required for the material development, structural design, and quality control of both printable material and 3D-printed elements. The related challenges are associated with the printed material's layered structure, which results in higher degrees of anisotropy and inhomogeneity in comparison to conventionally cast concrete. Thus, in the production of test specimens, the particularities of the real-scale 3D-printing process must be considered. Here a distinction is made between the production of samples for material testing prior to or parallel to actual application and those extracted from full-scale elements. Specifics of destructive testing are analyzed with emphasis on mechanical characteristics, while the discussion of non-destructive testing mainly addresses the geometry of the deposited layers and printed elements, measuring deformations, and finding such defects as voids and gaps. Finally, approaches required for developing/adapting guidelines and standards for testing of 3D-printed, cement-based materials are discussed