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This paper aims to address the problems of safety and durability in China's ballastless track structures, particularly the lack of accurate analysis and methods for predicting the reliability of the new type of prefabricated track structure during the design phase. We propose a reliability prediction method for a new prefabricated track structure, the modular assembled track structure with built-in position retention. By adopting the fuzzy Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (fuzzy FMECA) method, a comprehensive assessment of fault severity, fault occurrence probability, and fault detection difficulty is conducted on the CRTS II slab track structure and the modular assembled track structure with built-in position retention. Consequently, a fault mode hazard assessment model for the new prefabricated track structure is constructed. Based on the assessment model and using a similar product method, a reliability prediction model for the new prefabricated track structure is established, and reliability prediction for the track structure is conducted. The research results indicate that the modular assembled track structure with built-in position retention has lower hazard levels and higher reliability compared to the CRTS II slab track structure. This study provides a scientific basis for the design optimization of new prefabricated track structures, helping to improve their safety and reliability, reduce operating and maintenance costs, and thereby promote the green and low-carbon development of the railway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has emerged as a prominent global player in the field of railways, with numerous railway construction projects spanning across diverse locations. Railway bridges, as a crucial component of railway construction, warrant significant attention. Meta-analysis, a statistical method that systematically synthesizes research findings, has been utilized to summarize and compare the results of safety risk management studies pertaining to railway bridge construction in China. By integrating social network analysis and evidence-based assessment of the literature, this study explores the interrelationships among risk factors. Within a specific railway bridge construction project, various safety risk factors may originate from common sources, including environmental factors, material and equipment factors, technical factors, management factors, personnel factors, and bridge-specific factors. Notably, there exists coupling among these security risk factors, whereby the presence or occurrence of one factor can influence the probability or severity of consequences associated with other factors. The results reveal that safety risk factors in railway bridge construction accumulate and propagate, thereby impacting the efficacy of safety risk management. Moreover, these factors are significantly influenced by the complexities inherent in the geo-meteorological and social-technical systems. This finding provides valuable insights for innovations in security risk management practices and offers suggestions for future innovation pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the combination of ordinary cement concrete (OCC) and shrinkage-compensating concrete (SCC) was utilized to pour super-long mass concrete. The temperature and strain of the concrete were continuously monitored and managed actively after pouring. The investigation focused on the temporal and spatial distribution patterns of the temperature field, the temperature difference between the core and surface, and the strain evolution. Based on the constructed hydration exothermic model of layered poured concrete, the effects of the SCC, molding temperature, and surface heat transfer coefficient on the temperature field were analyzed. The results show that the temperature of super-long mass concrete rises quickly but falls slowly. SCC exhibits higher total hydration heat than OCC. The temperature field is symmetric along the length but asymmetric along the thickness due to varying efficiency of heat dissipation between the upper and lower parts of the concrete. After final setting of the concrete, the strain varies opposite to the temperature and peaks at −278 με. A few short cracks are observed on the end of the upper surface. Moreover, the numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the measured results. Increasing the molding temperature and surface wind speed increases the temperature difference between the core and surface. Conversely, increasing the thickness of the insulation layer is an effective way to curtail this difference. Thermal stress analysis is carried out and shows that lowering the molding temperature of SCC and increasing the thickness of insulation material can effectively reduce thermal stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind flow over complex terrain is strongly influenced by the topographical features of the region, resulting in unpredictable local wind characteristics. This paper employs numerical simulation to study the wind flow at a towering peak extending out of a steep mountainside and the wind-induced effect on onsite landscape platforms. First, the wind flow from seven different directions is explored via 3D numerical simulations, and the wind load distribution on the platforms is highlighted. Second, a 2D numerical simulation is conducted to evaluate the wind speedup effect at the side peak, examining the influence of the side peak height and the mountainside steepness on the wind speedup factor. The numerical simulations presented in this research were validated by replicating a published numerical and experimental study. The results illustrate the amplifying and blocking effects of the surrounding topography, yielding unpredictable and nonuniform wind pressure distribution on the platforms. The presence of the side peak leads to a significant increase in the speedup factor, and the side peak height and the mountainside steepness have a moderate influence on the value of the speedup factor. Additionally, the speedup factor obtained from this study varies significantly, especially near the surface, from the recommendations of several wind load standards. Consequently, the impact of the local terrain and the wind speedup effect must be thoroughly assessed to ensure the structural integrity of structures installed at a similar topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a microscopic constitutive model is established that includes friction, plastic, and spring elements and has clear physical meaning. The friction unit reflects the mutual friction between crack surfaces, the plastic unit reflects the development of concrete plasticity, and the fracture of the spring unit reflects the formation and expansion of interior cracks in concrete. In addition, the integration of the random field theory into this model uncovers the physical underpinnings of the relationship between concrete's nonlinearity and randomness. The multi-scale modeling of the concrete static damage constitutive model is then realized once the parameters of the random field are discovered using the macro test results. In order to apply the model's applicability in finite element programs, a subroutine was ultimately constructed. The experimental data and the anticipated values from the numerical simulation are in good agreement, supporting the model's realism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy-haul railways have a high passing frequency of trains with a large axle weight, causing rapid accumulation of fatigue damage in reinforced concrete (RC) bridge structures, which significantly affects the safety of the bridges. To study the fatigue reliability of RC beams in heavy-haul railways, the fatigue performance function for RC beams in heavy-haul railways was established, and the fatigue reliability assessment method for bridge structures in heavy-haul railways based on the point estimate method (PEM) was developed. An 8 meter-span plate beam in an existing heavy-haul railway illustrates the method. The train axle weight and dynamic coefficient were considered random variables, and the first four moments of equivalent stress ranges were obtained. The traffic quantity of the heavy-haul railways was investigated, and the fatigue reliability was evaluated using the proposed method. In addition, the effects of annual freight volume and train axle weight on fatigue reliability were discussed. Results indicate that PEM can effectively and accurately evaluate the fatigue reliability of RC beams in heavy-haul railways. In the first 20 years of operation, the fatigue failure probability was less than the limit value specified in the standard. The increase in annual traffic volume and train axle weight will cause a significant increase in fatigue failure probability. The research results of this paper are expected to provide an important basis for the design and maintenance of reinforced concrete bridges for heavy-haul railways in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To minimize the adverse effects of high temperatures on the service performance of track structures, research on the application of reflective coatings on track structures is urgently needed. Based on meteorological data and the characteristics of the multi-layer structure of the ballastless track, refined finite element models (FEMs) for the temperature field and temperature effect analysis of the CRTS III slab ballastless track structure on bridges were established. The temperature deformation characteristics and temperature stress distribution of the CRTS III slab ballastless track under natural environmental conditions were investigated. Similarly, the influence of a reflective coating on the structural temperature field and temperature effect was studied. The results showed that the temperature and vertical temperature gradient of the track slab were significantly reduced after the application of the reflective coating. Meanwhile, the thermal deformation and thermal stresses of the track slab and the self-compacting concrete (SCC) layer were minimized. Under high-temperature conditions in summer, the maximum temperature of the track slab decreased from 47.0 °C to 39.6 °C after the application of the reflective coating, and the maximum vertical temperature gradient of the track slab decreased from 61.5 °C/m to 39.1 °C/m after the application of the reflective coating. Under the maximum positive temperature gradient, the peak displacement of the upper arch in the middle of the slab and the peak displacement of the sinking in the slab corner decreased from 0.814 mm and 1.240 mm to 0.441 mm and 0.511 mm, respectively, and the maximum transverse tensile stresses of the track slab reduced from 2.7 MPa to 1.5 MPa as well. In addition, the reflective coating could also inhibit the failure of the interlayer interface effectively. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis and reference for the application of reflective coatings on ballastless tracks on bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simply supported prestressed concrete (PC) box girders have been widely adopted in high-speed railway bridges. In complex climatic environments, the corrosion of the prestressing strands always occurs and deteriorates the flexural behavior of PC box girders. In the present study, six T-shaped scaled beams were designed and fabricated according to the specifications for a high-speed railway PC box girder. The corrosion process of the prestressing strand in scaled beams was experimentally simulated by using the constant current accelerated corrosion method. The flexural behavior of corroded high-speed railway simply supported PC box girders was then investigated through four-point bending tests and theoretical investigation. The experimental results showed that strand corrosion significantly decreased the flexural behavior of the test beams. When the mass loss was 12.30%, the cracking load, ultimate load, and ductility decreased by 27.8%, 29.9%, and 11.5%, respectively. The effect of strand corrosion on flexural stiffness displayed a difference before and after concrete cracking. The failure mode changed when strand mass loss was above a critical value (7%). The flexural bearing capacity degradation law of corroded PC beams could be divided into two distinct stages. A strand mass loss of less than 7% could lead to a linear degradation law with a relatively slight reduction. As mass loss increased, it exhibited an exponential and sharp declining trend. An analytical model including the effects of strand cross-section reduction, strand property deterioration, and concrete cracking was also proposed to predict the flexural behavior of corroded PC beams. By comparison with the experimental data, it was found that the model could predict the cracking moment, flexural bearing capacity, and failure mode well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the tensile and bonding properties between cement-based grouting materials (CBGM) and high-strength bolts. The associated failure mechanism, load-slip curve, ultimate pull-out load and bond stress were also studied. The effects of anchorage length and square steel tube restraint on the bonding properties were explored on the basis of 24 specimens used in central pull-out testing, and a bond stress–slip constitutive relationship model between high-strength bolts and CBGM was proposed. The results indicate that with the increase in the anchorage length of high-strength bolts, the failure modes of specimens can be divided into three types: the fracture failure of high-strength bolt that occurred when the anchorage lengths ranged from 18 d to 31 d, the specimens that experienced splitting failure with the constraint of square steel tube when the anchorage length was less than 15 d and the high-strength bolt that experienced pull-out failure without the constraint of square steel tubes. When the high-strength bolt experiences tensile failure, the ultimate pull-out load remains constant and the bond stress decreases as the anchorage length of high-strength bolts increases. Due to the lateral constrained effect of the square steel tube, the CBGM embodies a three-dimensional stress state, which can delay the generation and development of internal cracks and enhance the bond strength. A calculation formula was proposed to determine the bond strength between high-strength bolt and CBGM, and a constitutive model of the bond stress–slip constitutive relationship was modeled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of energy conservation and environmental protection, as well as the industrialization of buildings, precast concrete (PC) structures have been developed and increasingly applied in construction industries due to their advantages of outstanding workability and ecofriendliness. In order to verify the reliability of overlapping U-bar loop connections and a modified form of these connections, and study the seismic performance of PC wall–beam–slab joints with these connection methods, three full-scale wall–beam–slab joints were designed and tested under low reversed cyclic loading, including one cast-in-place (CIP) specimen and two PC specimens. Based on the test results, the seismic performance of the PC joints was studied by comparing their damage process, hysteretic loops and skeleton curves, load-carrying capacity, ductility, equivalent stiffness, and energy dissipation with those of the CIP joint. After analyzing the experimental results, the following conclusions can be drawn: the overlapping U-bar loop connection and its modified form are effective and reasonable; the specimen with the modified connection form showed slightly better mechanical properties; the failure mode of the PC joints was consistent with that of the CIP joint; and the generation, distribution, and development of cracks in the PC specimens were similar to those in the CIP specimen. In addition, the stiffness of the PC joints was similar to that of the CIP joint, and the load-carrying capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation of the PC joints were better than those of the CIP joint. Moreover, the research in this paper can also provide some guidance for assembling wall–beam–slab joints in PC shear wall structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concrete track slab and the base slab of the high-speed railway CRTS II track structure are prone to transverse cracks in the initial service period, which are subjected to environmental action and train load. In order to investigate the influence of transverse cracks on chloride ingress of concrete track slab and base slab in a coastal environment, drying-wetting cycle chloride erosion tests were carried out on reinforced concrete track slab and base slab specimens with cracks ranging from 0 mm to 0.6 mm, subjected to continuous bending moment. The chloride ion concentration of concrete along the depth direction was collected during the test process. The experimental results show that the chloride ion concentration of concrete at the crack section is much higher than that at the intact section, and it increases with the increase of crack width in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm. A chloride diffusion coefficient model of cracked concrete is proposed for slab track based on the experimental results, which can comprehensively consider the effects of surface chloride ion concentration, chloride binding effect, time-varying effect, temperature, relative humidity, and transverse crack width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of fatigue damage in reinforced concrete (RC) beams is affected by various factors such as repetitive loads and material properties, and there exists a complex nonlinear mapping relationship between their fatigue performance and each factor. To this end, a fatigue performance prediction model for RC beams was proposed based on the deep belief network (DBN) optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO). The original database of fatigue loading tests was established by conducting fatigue loading tests on RC beams. The mid-span deflection, reinforcement strain, and concrete strain during fatigue loading of RC beams were predicted and evaluated. The fatigue performance prediction results of the RC beam based on the PSO-DBN model were compared with those of the single DBN model and the BP model. The models were evaluated using the R2 coefficient, mean absolute percentage error, mean absolute error, and root mean square error. The results showed that the fatigue performance prediction model of RC beams based on PSO-DBN is more accurate and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a full-scale test on the bending performance of concrete sandwich laminated floor slabs with integrated thermal and sound insulation was carried out, and the effects of different reinforcement ratios on the bending performance of concrete sandwich laminated floor slabs were investigated as well as the variation law of the failure modes, characteristic loads, load-mid span deflection, load-rebar strain curves, and anti-slip performance. The results indicate that the concrete sandwich laminated floor slabs present typical bending failure characteristics. According to bending failure characteristics, the damage process can be divided into three stages, i.e., elasticity, cracking, and failure. The bearing capacity significantly increases with the increase in reinforcement ratio. The normal service, yield, and ultimate loads of bearing capacity of the floor slabs with a larger reinforcement ratio increase by 54.55%, 52.94%, and 46.46%, respectively. Moreover, the mid-span deflection decreases significantly with the increase in reinforcement ratio, and the cracking expansion is also delayed. Before cracking, the prefabricated layer and laminated layer can realize load bearing together, and the floor slab is in a state of complete interaction. When the floor slabs reach the ultimate state, the superimposed surface produces a sliding effect, and the floor slab is in a state of partial interaction. The finite element analysis software ABAQUS (with the version number of ABAQUS 2020, the chief creator of David Hibbitt, and the sourced location of the United States) was used to perform nonlinear numerical simulation. The test results accord well with the simulation results, which verifies the correctness of the finite element model. Based on finite element simulation, the influence of post-cast concrete strength on the ultimate load can be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of the type and content of fibers, water to cement ratio (W/C), and content of cementitious materials on the shrinkage and creep of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) were investigated. The relationships between curing age, shrinkage, and unit creep of the UHPC were also discussed. The results showed that the shrinkage of the UHPC decreased with the increase in W/C, where there existed a quadratic function between shrinkage and W/C. However, the unit creep of the UHPC increased with W/C. The shrinkage and unit creep of the UHPC increased with the increase in the content of the cementitious materials. The type and content of fibers had different effects on the shrinkage and unit creep of the UHPC, that is, the shrinkage of the UHPC first increased and then decreased with the increase in the content of steel fibers, where there existed a quadratic function between them. There was a linear function between the shrinkage of the UHPC and the content of carbon fibers, but the shrinkage of the UHCP first increased and then decreased with the increase in PVA content. The shrinkage and unit creep of the UHPC at the initial curing age were significant, which tended to be constant with the increase in curing age. Although the steel fibers had a significant inhibiting effect on the unit creep of the UHPC, the carbon fibers and PVA had positive and negative effects on the unit creep of the UHPC. The effects of the type and content of fibers on the shrinkage and unit creep of the UHPC were caused by the slenderness ratio, shape, surface roughness, and elasticity modulus of the fibers. The shrinkage and creep of the UHPC were caused by the chemical autogenous shrinkage and free water evaporation of the UHPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the demand for increasing trainload and enhancing some existing heavy-haul railways, the low reserve value of bearing capacity is a problem for the 32 m-span simply supported beam. The fatigue behavior of prestressed concrete beams in a heavy-haul railway loaded by 33 t and larger axle weight of trains was experimentally investigated. The experimental results of the fatigue behaviors, including fatigue deformation, crack propagation behavior, and strains of classical materials were obtained and analyzed. A fatigue behavior assessment model was established to investigate the residual stiffness and yield point degradation of the beams loaded by the trainload. The effects of train fatigue cycles and prestress loss on the residual stiffness and yield point degradation models of the beams were analyzed. The results indicated that the crack development process had three stages during the fatigue process: the derivative stage, gradual development stage, and fatigue failure stage. Trainload was the main external factor influencing the fatigue behavior of prestressed concrete beams. The increase in trainload accelerated the degradation rate of the residual stiffness of the beams and yield point, reducing the fatigue life. The prestressing strand was primarily used to delay the concrete cracking in the tension zone. When the beam was not cracked, the prestressed concrete beam showed good fatigue performance, and the degree of prestressing did not affect the fatigue life of the beams. When the maximum fatigue load exceeded the cracking load of the beam, prestress loss in beams became a critical issue that accelerated the degradation rate of fatigue strength and reduced fatigue life. The higher the fatigue damage degree, the more pronounced the effect of prestress loss on the fatigue strength of the beams. The fatigue failure of prestressed concrete beams occurred in the bottom tensile steel bar. Therefore, when the trainload of a heavy-haul railway is greater than the cracking load of the beam, it is recommended to strengthen the beam by prestressing and strictly control the trainload to avoid yield failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The secondary development of ABAQUS was carried out to calculate the shrinkage and creep of concrete, and a finite element model of the China Railway Track System (CRTS) II slab ballastless track was established. Then, the interlaminar stress of CRTS II slab ballastless track at different ages of the track slab during laying (AOTSL) caused by concrete shrinkage and creep was studied. The obtained results showed that the stress redistribution occurred in the sliding layer, which resulted in the generation of a gap. Although the gap length was slightly reduced due to the shear cogging, the sliding layer at the slab edge is more prone to produce gaps. Under the effect of shrinkage and creep of the ballastless track, large additional shear stress, up to 0.676 MPa, was induced at the interface between CA mortar and the track slab. Meanwhile, the appearance of additional vertical and lateral forces of the shear cogging was caused by the shrinkage and creep of the ballastless track. Additionally, by further analysis, the recommended AOTSL ranges from 120 days to 180 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental investigation on cement emulsified asphalt mortar (CA mortar) under uniaxial monotonic compression by taking into account the stochastic properties were investigated. An analytical constitutive model based on the statistic damage approach capable of mimicking the stochastic mechanical responses of CA mortar under uniaxial compression was proposed. The comparison between the experimental results and the predictions demonstrated that the proposed model was able to characterize the salient features for CA mortar under uniaxial monotonic compression. Furthermore, the compressive stochastic evolution (SE) of CA mortar tested in this work and comparative analyses among typical China Railway Track System-I (CRTS-I) type CA mortar and concrete in several aspects were examined and performed; it was revealed that the Lognormal distribution density function can well represent the damage probability density for CA mortar, and its stochastic constitutive relationship can be reflected by a media process of transition from microscale to macroscale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For concrete, fatigue is an essential mechanical behavior. Concrete structures subjected to fatigue loads usually experience a progressive degradation/damage process and even an abrupt failure. However, in the literature, certain essential damage behaviors are not well considered in the study of the mechanism for fatigue behaviors such as the development of irreversible/residual strains. In this work, a damage model with the concept of mode-II microcracks on the crack face and nearby areas contributing to the development of irreversible strains was proposed. By using the micromechanics method, a micro-cell-based damage model under multi-axial loading was introduced to understand the damage behaviors for concrete. By a thermodynamic interpretation of the damage behaviors, a novel fatigue damage variable (irreversible deformation fatigue damage variable) was defined. This variable is able to describe irreversible strains generated by both mode-II microcracks and irreversible frictional sliding. The proposed model considered both elastic and irreversible deformation fatigue damages. It is found that the prediction by the proposed model of cyclic creep, stiffness degradation and post-fatigue stress-strain relationship of concrete agrees well with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupled action of concrete carbonation and repeated loading strongly influences the safety of reinforced concrete (RC) structures and substantially reduces service life. A novel corrosion-fatigue life prediction model for RC structures under coupled carbonation and repeated loading was developed. The effect of fatigue damage on concrete carbonation and carbonation-induced corrosion rate was considered, and the acceleration of fatigue damage accumulation due to reinforcement corrosion was considered in this approach. The proposed corrosion-fatigue life prediction model was illustrated by a 6 m-span RC slab in a simply supported slab bridge for the highway, and the effects of traffic frequency, overloading, carbonation environment grade, and environmental temperature and relative humidity on corrosion-fatigue life were discussed. The results indicate that the proposed model can predict the corrosion-fatigue life of RC structures simply and conveniently. Traffic frequency, overloading, carbonation environment grade, and environmental temperature and relative humidity can decrease the corrosion-fatigue life of the RC slab by up to 66.86%, 58.90%, 77.45%, and 44.95%, respectively. The research is expected to provide a framework for the corrosion-fatigue life prediction of RC structures under coupled carbonation and repeated loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report in this article the structural properties, spectral behavior and heterogeneity of ZnCl2-ethanol (EtOH) mixtures in a wide-composition range (1:3 to 1:14 in molar ratios), using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. To improve the resolution of the initial IR spectra, excess spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy were employed. The transformation process was suggested to be from EtOH trimer and EtOH tetramer to EtOH monomer, EtOH dimer and ZnCl2-3EtOH complex upon mixing. The theoretical findings showed that increasing the content of EtOH was accompanied with the flow of negative charge to ZnCl2. This led to reinforcement of the Zn←O coordination bonds, increase of the ionic character of Zn‒Cl bond and weakening and even dissociation of the Zn‒Cl bond. It was found that in some of the ZnCl2-EtOH complexes optimized at the gas phase or under the solvent effect, there existed hydroxyls with a very special interactive array in the form of Cl‒Zn+←O‒H...Cl−, which incredibly red-shifted to wavenumbers <3000 cm−1. This in-depth study shows the physical insights of the respective electrolyte alcoholic solutions, particularly the solvation process of the salt, help to rationalize the reported experimental results, and may shed light on understanding the properties of the deep eutectic solvents formed from ZnCl2 and an alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of the admixtures, erosion age, concentration of sulfate solution, and erosion form of sulfate attack on the mechanical properties of mortar were investigated. Simultaneously, the microstructure, pore characteristics, kinds and morphologies of erosion products of mortar before and after sulfate attacks were performed by Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP), Environment Scanning Electronic Microscope and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (ESEM-EDS). In addition, the crystal form and morphology characteristics of crystallization on mortar surfaces attacked by partial immersion form were studied. The results showed that the compressive and flexural strengths of mortar attacked by sulfate for four months decreased with the increase of the replacement of cement with fly ash, and the corresponding strength of mortar containing slag first increased and then decreased. The admixtures can improve the microstructure and mechanical properties of mortar within the replacement ratio of 10%. Although the change laws of the mortar specimens containing different admixtures were similar, the mortar containing slag had an excellent sulfate resistance under the same condition. Compared with the complete immersion form, the strength variation of the mortar containing fly ash attacked by semi-immersion form was less. The porosity and average pore diameter of mortar attacked by sulfate for four months increased, and the percentage of micropore with the pore diameter less than 200 nm increased. Plenty of rod-like and plate-like erosion products were generated in mortar attacked by a sulfate solution with a high concentration. A larger number of fibrous and flocculent crystallization covered the mortar's surface containing fly ash, but it was a granular and dense crystallization formed on the mortar's surface containing slag. Much dendritic erosion product was generated in the mortar attacked by semi-immersion form, and ESEM-EDS analysis revealed that it may be scawtite, spurrite, and residue of the decomposed calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) in the inner mortar; however, the crystallization sodium sulfate was crystallized on mortar surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stochastic bond stress-slip behavior is an essential topic for the rebar-concrete interface. However, few theoretical models incorporating stochastic behavior in current literature can be traced. In this paper, a stochastic damage model based on micro-mechanical approach for bond stress-slip relationship of the interface under monotonic loading was proposed. In order to describe the mechanical behaviors of the rebar-concrete interface, a microscopic damage model was proposed. By introducing a micro-element consists of parallel spring element, friction element and a switch element, the model is formulated. In order to reflect the randomness of the bond stress-slip behavior contributed by the micro-fracture in the interface, a series of paralleled micro-elements are adopted with the failure threshold of individual spring element is set as a random variable. The expression of both mean and variance for the bond stress-slip relationship was derived based on statistical damage mechanics. Furthermore, by utilizing a search heuristic global optimization algorithm (i.e., a genetic algorithm), parameters of the proposed model are able to be identified from experimental results, which a lognormal distribution has adopted. The prediction was verified against experimental results, and it reveals that the proposed model is capable of capturing the random nature of the micro-structure and characterizing the stochastic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is increasingly applied in the construction industries due to its advantages of outstanding workability and eco-friendliness. However, few experimental studies on the mechanical behaviors of SCC under cyclic direct tension are available in the literature. In this work, experimental investigations of mechanical behaviors of SCC under cyclic direct tension were conducted. Especially, direct tensile load equipment was developed. It is found that the envelope stress-strain curve under cyclic direct tension is close to that under monotonic direct tension; however, it is different from that in a compressive case. It is also revealed that the ratio of unloading strain to irreversible strain is approximately linearly dependent on unloading strain. The evolutions of energy dissipation for SCC under both cyclic direct tension and compression are similar to those of normally vibrated concrete. In addition, Poisson's ratio is observed to be nearly 0.21 for SCC. Furthermore, a damage model enabling characterization of the stress-strain curve under both monotonic and cyclic loading was proposed and verified against experimental results. Therefore, the results in this work provide original research material for studying and modelling the mechanical behaviors of SCC under uniaxial cyclic direct tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of temperature, CO2 concentration and relative humidity on the carbonation depth and compressive strength of concrete was investigated. Meanwhile, phase composition, types of hydration products and microstructure characteristics of samples before and after the carbonation were analyzed by XRD and ESEM. Research results demonstrate that temperature, CO2 concentration and relative humidity influence the carbonation depth and compressive strength of concrete significantly. There is a linear relationship between temperature and carbonation depth, as well as the compressive strength of concrete. CO2 concentration and relative humidity present a power function and a polynomial function with carbonation depth of concrete, respectively. The concrete carbonation depth increases with the increase of relative humidity and reaches the maximum value when the relative humidity is 70%. Significant differences of phase composition, hydration products and microstructure are observed before and after the carbonation. Carbonization products of samples are different with changes of temperatures (10 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C). The result of crystal structure analysis indicates that the carbonation products are mainly polyhedral spherical vaterite and aragonite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a microscopic constitutive model is established that includes friction, plastic, and spring elements and has clear physical meaning. The friction unit reflects the mutual friction between crack surfaces, the plastic unit reflects the development of concrete plasticity, and the fracture of the spring unit reflects the formation and expansion of interior cracks in concrete. In addition, the integration of the random field theory into this model uncovers the physical underpinnings of the relationship between concrete's nonlinearity and randomness. The multi-scale modeling of the concrete static damage constitutive model is then realized once the parameters of the random field are discovered using the macro test results. In order to apply the model's applicability in finite element programs, a subroutine was ultimately constructed. The experimental data and the anticipated values from the numerical simulation are in good agreement, supporting the model's realism.

A method to prepare novel organic-inorganic hydrophobic nanocomposite films was proposed by a site-specific polymerization process. The inorganic part, the core of the nanocomposite, is a ternary SiO₂-Al₂O₃-TiO₂ nanoparticles, which is grafted with methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane (KH570), and wrapped by fluoride and siloxane polymers. The synthesized samples are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), contact angle meter (CA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that the novel organic-inorganic hydrophobic nanocomposite with a core-shell structure was synthesized successfully. XRD analysis reveals the nanocomposite film has an amorphous structure, and FTIR analysis indicates the nanoparticles react with a silane coupling agent (methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane KH570). Interestingly, the morphology of the nanoparticle film is influenced by the composition of the core. Further, comparing with the film synthesized by silica nanoparticles, the film formed from SiO₂-Al₂O₃-TiO₂ nanoparticles has higher hydrophobic performance, i.e., the contact angle is greater than 101.7°. In addition, the TEM analysis reveals that the crystal structure of the particles can be changed at high temperatures.