09 - Chapter 1
09 - Chapter 1
09 - Chapter 1
1.0 General:
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enough to handle without segregation or bleeding (Ozawa et al., 1989; Okamura,
1997; Goodier, 2003; Oliverira et al., 2015).
Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) as the name itself indicates, that it does not
require any external compaction, it compact itself under its own weight only. Due to
the above property it need no vibration, subsequently no noise pollution and also
reduces the labour cost and can compact to every corner of the form by means of its
self-weight without undergoing any significant segregation, predominantly in heavy
congested reinforcement.
Generally, diagonal cracks in beams arise when the principal tensile stress of
concrete exceeds the tensile strength of concrete in structural members subjected to
pure torsion or torsion along with bending/shear. (Seshu et al., 2003). As we know
that torsional failure is sudden and brittle arise without any prior warning. To
overcome these type of failures in beams are to be reinforced to increase its tensile
strength.
Torsion is the one of the important design criteria in limit state of collapse. The
exact analysis of torsion in reinforced beams is quite complex. Torsion is one of the
basic structural action which is low prioritized though very essential in analyzing the
structures subjected to earthquake and wind loads. It is predominant in many
structural members such as space frames, inverted L-beams as in supporting
sunshades, curved beams in water tanks, edge beams of slab, spandrel beams etc.
Generally, part of torsion in reinforced concrete member is contributed by concrete
which is a fraction of the torsional strength of a corresponding plain concrete
member. Torsion test on plain concrete members are helpful in understanding the
more complex problem of torsion of reinforced concrete members. It is used as
prelude study of reinforced concrete. Nowadays usage of short steel fiber in concrete
has gained importance. The major advantages of using steel fibers are, it enhances
the flexural tensile strength and also improves the ultimate load carrying capacity of
the concrete beam by means of arresting and bridging the cracked surfaces. So, the
effect of steel fibers in resisting torsion can be understood when added to plain
concrete members. The concrete reinforced internally by means of short and
discrete steel fibers is known as Steel fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC).
Torsion failure is mainly due to inherent weakness of concrete in tensile
strength. The presence of the cracks both in interfacial transition zone and the
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mortar matrix of concrete is the factor responsible for insignificant strength. Tensile
properties of concrete can be significantly improved with addition of various fibers
such as glass, steel, polypropylene etc. From literature review, it was found that
tensile properties of concrete can be significantly enhanced with the inclusion of
steel fibers. However, steel fibers are most commonly used because of its low cost
and easy availability. Steel fibers in reinforced concrete helps in bridging crack faces,
delaying the failure of specimen and increase the ultimate load carrying capacity.
(Darwish, I.Y.S, 1987; Hanai, 1997; Yang, 2014; Arslan et al., 2017). If steel fibers
are added in sufficient amount, brittle torsional failure can be modified to a ductile
behavior, also with reduced crack widths (Kishor et al., 2012).
Self compacting concrete (SCC), a composite material with ability to flow under its
own weight without segregation over long distances. It is a solution to all compaction
related problems and can achieve consolidation without the use of vibrators. SCC
can fill the formwork whilst maintaining integrity, homogeneity even at places of
congested reinforcement without any use of external energy and attain full
compaction without any segregation in its ingredients (Day et al, 2005; EFNARC,
2005). Self Compacting Concrete (SCC), was originally established by Okamura in
1986, which is a well thought-out answer to solve the difficulties involved in placing
and compaction of conventional concrete. Conventional concrete used in civil
engineering applications and construction require external compaction to attain
strength and durability. Self compacting concrete is cohesive enough to handle
without segregation or bleeding (Ozawa et al., 1989; Okamura, 1997; Goodier,
2003; Oliverira et al., 2015). As it requires no vibration, hence no sound pollution
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and also reduces the cost of vibration equipment required, labor cost and can be
compacted to every place of the congested reinforcements without undergoing any
significant segregation (Ouchi et.al, 1996). The constituent materials in SCC differ
from conventional concrete only in case of imparting high workability with Viscosity
Modifying Agents (VMA) and High Range Water Reducing (HRWR) admixtures. The
cement content in SCC is relatively high compared to conventional concrete. Fine
fillers can be used in addition to cement to achieve required fresh and hardened
properties. The amount of fine aggregate is often greater than 50% in the total
aggregate fraction. In despite of all these SCC has several advantages as follows.
Ability to flow in complex reinforcements.
Quick placement of concrete without vibration or conventional consolidation.
Enhancement in construction ability.
Higher performance in terms of workability, durability and strength.
Improvement in structural integrity.
Adequate bond between reinforcing steel and concrete.
Reduction of voids in highly reinforced areas.
Minimization in requirement of labour.
Reduces noise levels produced by conventional vibrators.
Superior surface with uniform finishing can be achieved.
Construction period can be decreased.
The property of compaction by its own weight in SCC is attained by reducing the
content of coarse aggregate and using higher powder content. The cement content
in SCC is relatively high compared to conventional concrete. Fine fillers can be used
in addition to cement to achieve required fresh and hardened properties. The amount
of fine aggregate is often greater than 50% in the total aggregate fraction. The inter
particle friction between aggregates is minimized by limiting the size of aggregate
content, which helps in increasing the flow ability of SCC (Ozawa, et al., 1995). In
SCC, fracture plane is relatively smooth due to the presence of lesser amount and
small size of coarse aggregate as compared to vibrated concrete. The addition of
steel fiber in SCC combines the benefits of fresh properties and enhances the tensile
properties in the hardened state. The difference between Steel Fibre Reinforced Self
Compacting Concrete (SFRSCC) and traditional Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC) is
that the fibre content of FRC is mainly determined by the post-cracking behaviour,
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and the fibre content of SFRSCC is mainly restricted by the workability of fresh SCC.
SFRSCC combines the advantages of both SCC and FRC (Cuenca, et al., 2015).
However, research work on the study of SFRSCC beams, specifically on the
torsional behaviour of SFRSCC, is still limited.
Due to use of higher power content and super plasticizers, the cost of SCC is
relatively higher compared to normal concrete.
Due to low water to binder ratio, plastic shrinkage cracks may occur but these
can be avoided by curing the concrete properly.
Highly skilled and experienced workers are required for production of SCC on
the site.
In hot climatic conditions SCC cannot be produced.
SCC should satisfy the vital physical properties in fresh state such as
flowability, resistance to segregation, passing ability and viscosity. The consistency
of fresh state of SCC is checked by Slump-flow value which describes the flowability.
Additional information regarding resistance to segregation and uniformity is obtained
by visual observations and measurement of T 500mm time. V-funnel flow time and V-
funnel 5 min-time assess the viscosity and segregation resistance of SCC in fresh
state respectively. Resistance to segregation is rudimentary for SCC in-situ quality
and homogeneity. The ability of fresh mix to flow through areas of congested
reinforcements and confined spaces without losing uniformity, resistance to
segregation is described as passing ability. J-ring and L box tests are used to
evaluate the passing ability of SCC as per guidelines of EFNARC (2005).
SCC is wide range of applications in tunnel constructions, earth retaining
systems, bridges, drilled shafts, columns and areas with high amount of
reinforcements. It has achieved wide spread in precast industry, where all its
advantages are verified under skilled labour and put to a profitable use. It also
enhances aesthetics and durability performance of precast elements (D’Souza et
al., 2012).
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1.2 Fiber Reinforced Concrete:
Over the years, various attempts were made to improve the tensile properties
of concrete by way of using conventional steel bars and also by pre tensioning
techniques. Although both these methods improve the tensile strength of concrete
members, however they do not increase the inherited tensile strength of concrete.
Under loading, micro cracks present inside the concrete propagate and open up and
results in early failure of the RC member. In the past few years, use of short and
randomly disturbed fibers in concrete has gained attention which helps in resolving in
arresting these micro cracks and thereby improving the flexural and tensile strength
of concrete. The use of fiber in concrete is termed as Fiber reinforced concrete.
Fiber is small piece of reinforcing material possessing certain characteristic
properties. The geometry of the fiber can be flat or rounded and are describe by a
parameter “aspect ratio”. It is defined as the ratio of length to diameter of the fiber.
Fiber generally used in concrete are made of steel, glass, polypropylene, carbon and
basalt. Each type of fiber has its characteristics and limitations (Mehmet C 2007).
Fiber reinforced concrete is a composite material containing fiber in cement
matrix, in orderly manner or randomly distributed manner. The major properties of
fiber are: fiber geometry, fiber volume fraction, fiber orientation and distribution. Fiber
have widespread application in concrete like, bridging the crack surfaces, crack
arresting and controlling and also to modify the behaviour of RC member.
Over the past few years studies on Fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) have
dealt with use of steel fiber in concrete, since then Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete
(SFRC) has most commonly used fibrous concrete. Steel fibers in concrete greatly
improves the toughness and also increases the post cracking behaviour of concrete.
Initially steel fibers are normally used to passive reinforcement to increase the post
cracking behaviour and also increase the flexural toughness of reinforced concrete.
Currently, steel fibers are used to substitute the secondary reinforcement in flat
slabs, beams, tunnel lining and pavement as well as in various repair applications.
These days steel fiber are also progressively used either to replace conventional
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reinforcement or to balance it. Some of the commonly used steel fibers are shown in
Figure 1.1.
Steel used for preparing fiber are of normally carbon steel or stainless steel
alloys. The manufacture process of steel fibers may be done in numerous ways
based on the desired geometry, size and length. Depending upon the specific
making process and the nature of steel, the tensile strength of steel fiber ranges in
between 450-2100 MPa. Typically, flat surfaced fibers do not have enough bond with
concrete matrix, whereas crimped or hooked end fiber have perfect bond with
concrete matrix.
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by connecting the cracked surfaces of concrete matrix thereby delaying the failure of
the member.
While fibers enhances the properties of concrete matrix, under all categories
of loading, but they are primarily effective only under direct tensile stresses and also
they are equally effective when the members are subjected to flexure, shear, impact
and fatigue loading and they are less active under compressive loading (Arnon et
al., 2013).
Generally plain unreinforced concrete is brittle material under low tensile load
and strain capacities. Self compacting concrete (SCC) remains to be brittle and fails
under low tensile stresses. This behaviour of brittleness can be overcome by using
randomly distributed short steel fibers. Steel fiber not only subdue the crack
development but also subsides the propagation of crack growth. Steel fiber
reinforced self compacting concrete is made from cement, various sizes of
aggregates, which combines with discrete and discontinuous fibers (Sable et al.,
2012).
Any complex force system can be defined in terms of six basic actions viz.
axial force, two shear forces, two bending moments and a torsional moment. These
actions may exist independently or in combination. A torsional moment usually
occurs along with bending and/or shear. The interaction between these
aforementioned actions is usually defined in terms of strength of element under
individual actions. This necessitates the study of behaviour of a given element under
pure bending, pure shear and pure torsion.
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An applied torsion can be of primary or secondary nature. It occurs as a
primary action when external load has no other alternative but to be resisted by the
torsional resistance of section only, e.g. a lintel beam carrying a canopy slab. A
neglect of primary torsion in design may lead to collapse. The magnitude of primary
torque can be determined by static equilibrium conditions. Therefore, such torsion is
also called as equilibrium torsion. The example for behaviour of equilibrium torsion is
shown in Figure 1.2.
A torsional moment required to maintain the compatibility of deformation in a
continuous structure is defined as secondary torsion e.g. main beam supporting a
secondary beam in a grid structure. As this torsion is required for the compatibility of
deformation, it is termed as compatibility torsion. If such torsional action is not
accounted in structural design, the structure may still be safe but will show large
deformations and cracking. The magnitude of this torsion can be calculated by
accounting the compatibility and equilibrium conditions. The example for behaviour
of compatibility torsion is shown in figure 1.3.
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Figure 1.3 Structural members subjected to compatibility torsion
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and zero at corners. Nadai (1923) proposed a methodology to calculate the torsional
strength of plastic materials.
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Researchers attempted to improve tensile strength of plain concrete by
adding discrete fibers, thoroughly dispersed across the matrix. Fibers of steel,
polymer, carbon etc. are used for this purpose. However, steel fibers are most
commonly used because of its low cost and easy availability.
Figure 1.4 Mode-1 and Mode-2 failure pattern of skew bending failure
1.3.4 Torsional Behaviour of Fiber reinforced concrete:
Torsion is the one of major criteria in the limit sate of collapse. The exact
analysis of torsion in reinforced concrete design is extremely difficult due to its
various forms. It may be primary or secondary, also it may occur either alone or in
combination with bending/shear. The main contents that influence the torsional
behaviour of reinforced concrete beams are: tensile strength of concrete (ft),
compressive strength of concrete (fc), aspect ratio of steel fiber (l/d) and volume
fraction of fibers (Vf).
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1.4 Recycled Concrete Aggregate:
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1.4.2 Need for the use of recycled aggregates in concrete:
Concrete is one of the most used material by mankind next only to water. The
demand for concrete by way of construction material was there in past and continues
to in future. Concrete uses substantial amount of non-renewable materials and
resources especially natural aggregates (coarse and fine aggregates). The waste
produced from construction and demolishing process is getting accumulated as
landfills (Rathish et al, 2001; Vivian et al, 2007). This results to ground and water
pollution which is harmful to environment. Some of the matters that can help
environment form this type of pollution is by usage of recycled concrete aggregates
in construction process as substitute to both natural fine and coarse aggregates.
As we recognize that self compacting concrete is highly flowable and does not
require any external compaction and can also fill into every corner of the form work.
The use of recycled aggregates as a partial replacement of natural coarse
aggregates there is decline in mechanical properties, due to formation of second
Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) which is the weakest link in the concrete where
failure take place. Addition of steel fiber in concrete can overcome this defect and a
new concrete by way of steel fiber reinforced self compacting concrete can be
produced.
Steel fiber reinforced recycled aggregate based self compacting concrete
(RASFRSCC) combines the benefits of SCC in the fresh state by avoiding cracking
and shows an improved performance in the hardened state compared to
conventional concrete. Although use of recycled concrete aggregate in place of
natural aggregate has now received considerable attention as a sustainable method.
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There is considerable amount of work available in the literature on the use of
recycled aggregates as partial replacement of normal aggregates up to 100 %. In the
present context, natural coarse aggregates are replaced 25 % by weight with
recycled aggregates in SCC. The torsional behaviour of recycled aggregate based
self compacting concrete is studied by adding steel fibers.
1.5 ATENA- GID:
ATENA is finite element based software, generally used for performing non-
linear analysis on the Reinforced Concrete (RC) members. The behaviour of RC
members such as concrete crushing, cracking and yielding of reinforcement can be
performed using ATENA. It helps in visualization of crack propagation even while
performing the analysis can be accomplished. GiD is an interactive graphical user
interface programme used for preparation of input data for analysis, and it also used
for defining, preparing and visualizing all the input data for numerical simulation
(Cervenka V).
In the present study a finite element model of a beam is created in ATENA
and nonlinear analysis is performed to study the shear behaviour of steel fiber
reinforced Self compacting concrete.
1.6 Summary:
Use of SCC has numerous advantages as it does not require any external
compaction, it compacts under its own weight. Use of steel fibers in concrete not
only improves the post cracking behaviour but also enhances the ultimate load
carrying capacity of concrete. Addition of steel fibers help in altering the failure mode
from sudden brittle failure to ductile mode. As the part of torsion in reinforced
concrete member is contributed by concrete which is a fraction of the torsional
strength of a corresponding plain concrete member. The effect of addition of steel
fibers on torsional strength in plain concrete (SCC and VC) is studied in this
investigation. In wake of sustainability in construction, use of recycled concrete
aggregates as partial replacement of natural aggregates is unavoidable. The use of
recycled concrete aggregates in SCC is advantage and is also sustainable way of
construction. Finite element modeling using ATENA-GID software helps in
understanding the behaviour of steel reinforced SCC and VC beams, such as
concrete cracking, yielding of reinforcement and also supports in analyzing the
behaviour of fiber reinforced concrete beams.
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A literature review was planned to understand the behaviour of concrete
especially in torsion and furthermore the influence of steel fiber on torsional
behaviour of reinforced SCC is required. The effect of replacement of natural
aggregates with recycled aggregates is also intended in the study. Finally, a
thorough literature review was planned on various finite element software available
in investigating the torsional behaviour of reinforced concrete is also planned in the
present study.
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