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Fibers and Techniques for Upgrading of Concrete and Masonry Constructions

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Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Fibers (ISSN 2079-6439).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2017) | Viewed by 39944

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francesco Bencardino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci Cubo 39B, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy
Interests: innovative materials for structural applications; strengthening, repair and seismic retrofitting of structures; based-concrete materials in civil engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many existing constructions need to be strengthened and/or repaired due to several issues, such as the aging process, increased load, change in use, and deterioration. To this end, various fibers, materials and techniques are available in the civil engineering field.

This Special Issue of Fibers looks forward to communicating to the scientific and engineering communities the most recent advances and prospects in fibers, materials, systems and techniques for rehabilitation of existing civil and historical structures/infrastructures.

Both theoretical and experimental studies, examining the following topics, but not limited to them, are welcome: Synthesis, preparation, characterization, modeling of fibers (aramid, basalt, carbon, flax, glass, hemp, jute, poliparafenilenbenzobisoxazolo, steel) and other materials used for strengthening interventions; effectiveness of traditional/innovative systems (Fiber Reinforced Polymer, Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix, and similar systems) and techniques (Externally Bonded, Near Surface Mounted, and others) for consolidation and repair of reinforced concrete and masonry buildings; fracture-mechanics-based analysis of strengthening materials/systems and retrofitted structures; challenges in design and field applications on historical constructions, structures and infrastructures. Attention will be also paid to the use of eco-friendly materials.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. We hope that the Special Issue will recognize useful information on strengthening/repair materials and techniques for existing concrete and masonry constructions.

Francesco Bencardino
Guest Editor

Antonio Condello
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fibers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Concrete
Externally Bonded
Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix
Fiber Reinforced Polymer
Masonry
Near Surface Mounted
Rehabilitation
Repair
Retrofitting
Strengthening

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 16052 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Polypropylene Fibers on Self-Healing and Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity Recovery of Fiber Reinforced Concrete

by Adham El-Newihy, Pejman Azarsa, Rishi Gupta and Alireza Biparva

Fibers 2018, 6(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib6010009 - 01 Feb 2018

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 8170

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate self-healing properties and recovered dynamic moduli of engineered polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete using non-destructive resonant frequency testing. Two types of polypropylene fibers (0.3% micro and 0.6% macro) and two curing conditions have been investigated: Water curing (at ~25 Celsius) and air curing. The Impact Resonance Method (IRM) has been conducted in both transverse and longitudinal modes on concrete cylinders prior/post crack induction and post healing of cracks. Specimens were pre-cracked at 14 days, obtaining values of crack width in the range of 0.10–0.50 mm. Addition of polypropylene fibers improved the dynamic response of concrete post-cracking by maintaining a fraction of the original resonant frequency and elastic properties. Macro fibers showed better improvement in crack bridging while micro fiber showed a significant recovery of the elastic properties. The results also indicated that air-cured Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete (PFRC) cylinders produced ~300 Hz lower resonant frequencies when compared to water-cured cylinders. The analyses showed that those specimens with micro fibers exhibited a higher recovery of dynamic elastic moduli. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers and Techniques for Upgrading of Concrete and Masonry Constructions)

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6021 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Model for the Prediction of the Tensile Strength of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Members, Before and After Cracking

by Emmanouil Vougioukas and Maria Papadatou

Fibers 2017, 5(3), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib5030027 - 28 Jul 2017

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6936

Abstract

The tensile behavior of concrete or mortar plays an important role for delaying the formation and propagation of cracks, and also for upgrading the bearing capacity of existing concrete and masonry constructions. Although the presence of steel fibers is known to improve, often considerably, the tensile capacity of concrete members, methods for the quantification of this improvement are still limited. For this reason, a model has been developed for the prediction of the tensile strength of steel fiber-reinforced concrete members, as crack opening occurs. Given the geometry and the physical characteristics of reinforced concrete member and fibers, the model predicts: (1) the number of fibers crossing a crack’s surface; (2) the distribution of these fibers in terms of (i) the angle a fiber forms with the crack surface (fiber inclination) and (ii) the embedded length of the fiber at both sides of the surface; (3) resistance to crack opening provided by each fiber, in relation to its position and inclination. On the results of the results obtained, the influence of the number of fibers on the reduction of crack widening in concrete or mortar is remarkable and can be estimated with satisfactory precision. In upgrading existing concrete and masonry constructions, this tensile behavior is found to play important role. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers and Techniques for Upgrading of Concrete and Masonry Constructions)

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Graphical abstract

5560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexural Behavior of Epoxy under Accelerated Hygrothermal Conditions

by Abulgasem Mohamed Elarbi and Hwai-Chung Wu

Fibers 2017, 5(3), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib5030025 - 07 Jul 2017

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5761

Abstract

Fibers by themselves have a limited use in engineering applications since they cannot transmit loads from one to another; therefore, the matrix material plays an important role in the overall function of the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. This paper intends to study the long term strength of epoxy resins subject to accelerated hygrothermal conditions. Such tests are able to predict the weather durability performance of epoxy materials, which is particularly important for many FRP bonded concrete structures. Several sets of epoxy beam specimens have been constructed and exposed to various hygrothermal environments (25 °C, 100 °C, 180 °C and 0% or 100% relative humidity). Specimens were then evaluated at selected thermal cycles by three-point flexural tests. The flexural strength, mid-span deflection, and stiffness, as well as the mode of failure, have been examined in this study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers and Techniques for Upgrading of Concrete and Masonry Constructions)

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3499 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental and Analytical Modeling of GFRP Strengthened Grouted Mortarless Masonry Prisms

by Liang Huang, Chang Gao, Libo Yan, Xiaoxi Li, Gao Ma and Tianfeng Wang

Fibers 2017, 5(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib5020018 - 12 May 2017

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6181

Abstract

The compressive performance of grouted mortarless masonry prisms strengthened with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites was investigated in this study. A total of 18 grouted mortarless masonry specimens, i.e., nine strengthened with GFRP (called G-GMM) and nine without GFRP (called GMM), were tested under uniaxial compression. The effect of grout strength on the compressive strength of the prisms was discussed. Moreover, the effect of GFRP on the cracking load, modulus of elasticity, ultimate bearing capacity, failure modes, compressive stress–strain behavior, and deformation behavior of the specimens was analyzed. The test results indicated that GFRP strengthening increased the ratio of initial cracking load and ultimate load bearing capacity of mortarless masonry to a great extent, i.e., the ratio is 50–80% for G-GMM and 40–65% for GMM. In addition, GFRP clearly improved the deformation capability of the GMM. The tested experimental data were in good agreement with the predicted values using classic expressions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers and Techniques for Upgrading of Concrete and Masonry Constructions)

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38359 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation on Strengthening Approaches Adopted for Poorly Detailed RC Corbels

by Ram Chandra Neupane, Liyanto Eddy and Kohei Nagai

Fibers 2017, 5(2), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib5020016 - 01 May 2017

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 12298

Abstract

Poor detailing of the position of bearing pad over reinforced concrete (RC) corbel may lead to premature failure, which is undesired and structurally vulnerable. An appropriate retrofitting solution is necessary to ensure the functionality of such RC corbels. Considering the growing popularity of external carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in retrofitting, this research examines the effectiveness of an externally wrapped unidirectional CFRP sheet and compares its performance against traditional retrofitting methods. Moreover, it is intended to fulfill the lack of extensive research on external CFRP application for corbel strengthening. A total of eight medium-scale corbel specimens were tested on vertical load. Observed premature failure due to placing the bearing pad near the edge of corbel was verified and the effectiveness of the proposed structural strengthening solutions was studied. Experimental results show that although the loading capacity of the damaged corbel due to the poor detailing of bearing pad position could not be fully recovered, the external CFRP wrapping method demonstrated superior performance over RC jacketing and was able to prevent localized failure. Further study based on non-linear 3D finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to identify the governing parameters of each retrofitting solution. Numerical studies suggested important parameters of various retrofitting alternatives for higher capacity assurance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers and Techniques for Upgrading of Concrete and Masonry Constructions)

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