Numerical analysis of under-designed reinforced concrete beam-column joints under cyclic loading

Saptarshi Sasmal,Balthasar Novák,K. Ramanjaneyulu 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2010 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.7 No.3

In the present study, exterior beam-column sub-assemblage from a regular reinforced concrete (RC) building has been considered. Two different types of beam-column sub-assemblages from existing RC building have been considered, i.e., gravity load designed (‘GLD’), and seismically designed but without any ductile detailing (‘NonDuctile’). Hence, both the cases represent the under-designed structure at different time frame span before the introduction of ductile detailing. For designing ‘NonDuctile’ structure, Eurocode and Indian Standard were considered. Non-linear finite element (FE) program has been employed for analysing the sub-assemblages under cyclic loading. FE models were developed using quadratic concrete brick elements with embedded truss elements to represent reinforcements. It has been found that the results obtained from the numerical analysis are well corroborated with that of experimental results. Using the validated numerical models, it was proposed to correlate the energy dissipation from numerical analysis to that from experimental analysis. Numerical models would be helpful in practice to evaluate the seismic performance of the critical sub-assemblages prior to design decisions. Further, using the numerical studies, performance of the sub-assemblages with variation of axial load ratios (ratio is defined by applied axial load divided by axial strength) has been studied since many researchers have brought out inconsistent observations on role of axial load in changing strength and energy dissipation under cyclic load.

Computational methodology to determine the strength of reinforced concrete joint

Sasmal, Saptarshi,Vishnu Pradeesh, L.,Devi, A. Kanchana,Ramanjaneyulu, K. Techno-Press 2016 Advances in computational design Vol.1 No.1

Seismic performance of structures depends on the force flow mechanism inside the structure. Discontinuity regions, like beam-column joints, are often affected during earthquake event due to the complex and discontinuous load paths. The evaluation of shear strength and identification of failure mode of the joint region are helpful to (i) define the strength hierarchy of the beam-column sub-assemblage, (ii) quantify the influence of different parameters on the behaviour of beam-column joint and, (iii) develop suitable and adequate strengthening scheme for the joints, if required, to obtain the desired strength hierarchy. In view of this, it is very important to estimate the joint shear strength and identify the failure modes of the joint region as it is the most critical part in any beam-column sub-assemblage. One of the most effective models is softened strut and tie model which was developed by incorporating force equilibrium, strain compatibility and constitutive laws of cracked reinforced concrete. In this study, softened strut and tie model, which incorporates force equilibrium equations, compatibility conditions and material constitutive relation of the cracked concrete, are used to simulate the shear strength behaviour and to identify failure mechanisms of the beam-column joints. The observations of the present study will be helpful to arrive at the design strategy of the joints to ensure the desired failure mechanism and strength hierarchy to achieve sustainability of structural systems under seismic loading.

Simplified computational methodology for analysis and studies on behaviour of incrementally launched continuous bridges

Sasmal, Saptarshi,Ramanjaneyulu, K.,Srinivas, V.,Gopalakrishnan, S. Techno-Press 2004 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.17 No.2

Incremental launching method is one of the highly competitive techniques for construction of concrete bridges. It avoids costly and time consuming form work and centralizes all construction activities in a small casting yard, thus saving in cost and time against conventional bridge construction. From the quality point of view, it eliminates the uncertainty of monolithic behaviour by allowing high repetitiveness and industrial environment. But, from analysis and design point of view, the most characteristic aspect of incrementally launched bridges is that, it has to absorb the stresses associated with the temporary supports that are gradually taken on by the deck during its launch. So, it is necessary to analyse the structure for each step of launching which is a tedious and time consuming process. Effect of support settlements or temperature variation makes the problem more complex. By using transfer matrix method, this problem can be handled efficiently with minimal computational effort. This paper gives insight into method of analysis, formulation for optimization of the structural system, effect of support settlement and temperature gradient, during construction, on the stress state of incrementally launched bridges.

Detection of flaw in steel anchor-concrete composite using high-frequency wave characteristics

Rajanikant Rao,Saptarshi Sasmal 국제구조공학회 2019 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.31 No.4

Non-monolithic concrete structural connections are commonly used both in new constructions and retrofitted structures where anchors are used for connections. Often, flaws are present in anchor system due to poor workmanship and deterioration; and methods available to check the quality of the composite system afterward are very limited. In case of presence of flaw, load transfer mechanism inside the anchor system is severely disturbed, and the load carrying capacity drops drastically. This raises the question of safety of the entire structural system. The present study proposes a wave propagation technique to assess the integrity of the anchor system. A chemical anchor (embedded in concrete) composite system comprising of three materials viz., steel (anchor), polymer (adhesive) and concrete (base) is considered for carrying out the wave propagation studies. Piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) affixed to the anchor head is used for actuation and the PZTs affixed to the surrounding concrete surface of the concrete-anchor system are used for sensing the propagated wave through the anchor interface to concrete. Experimentally validated finite element model is used to investigate three types of composite chemical anchor systems. Studies on the influence of geometry, material properties of the medium and their distribution, and the flaw types on the wave signals are carried out. Temporal energy of through time domain differentiation is found as a promising technique for identifying the flaws in the multi-layered composite system. The present study shows a unique procedure for monitoring of inaccessible but crucial locations of structures by using wave signals without baseline information.

Electro-mechanical impedance based strength monitoring technique for hydrating blended cements

Thirumalaiselvi, A.,Saptarshi Sasmal 국제구조공학회 2020 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.25 No.6

Real-time monitoring of stiffness and strength in cement based system has received significant attention in past few decades owing to the development of advanced techniques. Also, use of environment friendly supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in cement, though gaining huge interest, severely affect the strength gain especially in early ages. Continuous monitoring of strength- and stiffness- gain using an efficient technique will systematically facilitate to choose the suitable time of removal of formwork for structures made with SCM incorporated concrete. This paper presents a technique for monitoring the strength and stiffness evolution in hydrating fly ash blended cement systems using electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) based technique. It is important to observe that the slower pozzolanic reactivity of fly ash blended cement systems could be effectively tracked using the evolution of equivalent local stiffness of the hydrating medium. Strength prediction models are proposed for estimating the strength and stiffness of the fly ash cement system, where curing age (in terms of hours/days) and the percentage replacement of cement by fly ash are the parameters. Evaluation of strength as obtained from EMI characteristics is validated with the results from destructive compression test and also compared with the same obtained from commonly used ultrasonic wave velocity (UPV). Statistical error indices indicate that the EMI technique is capable of predicting the strength of fly ash blended cement system more accurate than that from UPV. Further, the correlations between stiffness- and strength- gain over the time of hydration are also established. From the study, it is found that EMI based method can be effectively used for monitoring of strength gain in the fly ash incorporated cement system during hardening.

Damage progression study in fibre reinforced concrete using acoustic emission technique

Nawal Kishor Banjara,Saptarshi Sasmal,V. Srinivas 국제구조공학회 2019 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.23 No.2

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the true fracture energy and monitor the damage progression in steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) specimens using acoustic emission (AE) features. Four point bending test is carried out using pre-notched plain and fibre reinforced (0.5% and 1% volume fraction) - concrete under monotonic loading. AE sensors are affixed at different locations of the specimens and AE parameters such as rise time, AE energy, hits, counts, amplitude and duration etc. are obtained. Using the captured and processed AE event data, fracture process zone is identified and the true fracture energy is evaluated. The AE data is also employed for tracing the damage progression in plain and fibre reinforced concrete, using both parametric- and signal- based techniques. Hilbert - Huang transform (HHT) is used in signal based processing for evaluating instantaneous frequency of the acoustic events. It is found that the appropriately processed and carefully analyzed acoustic data is capable of providing vital information on progression of damage on different types of concrete.

A vibration based acoustic wave propagation technique for assessment of crack and corrosion induced damage in concrete structures

Rahul Dev Kundu,Saptarshi Sasmal 국제구조공학회 2021 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.78 No.5

Early detection of small concrete crack or reinforcement corrosion is necessary for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). Global vibration based methods are advantageous over local methods because of simple equipment installation and cost efficiency. Among vibration based techniques, FRF based methods are preferred over modal based methods. In this study, a new coupled method using frequency response function (FRF) and proper orthogonal modes (POM) is proposed by using the dynamic characteristic of a damaged beam. For the numerical simulation, wave finite element (WFE), coupled with traditional finite element (FE) method is used for effectively incorporating the damage related information and faster computation. As reported in literature, hybrid combination of wave function based wave finite element method and shape function based finite element method can addresses the mid frequency modelling difficulty as it utilises the advantages of both the methods. It also reduces the dynamic matrix dimension. The algorithms are implemented on a three-dimensional reinforced concrete beam. Damage is modelled and studied for two scenarios, i.e., crack in concrete and rebar corrosion. Single and multiple damage locations with different damage length are also considered. The proposed methodology is found to be very sensitive to both single- and multiple- damage while being computationally efficient at the same time. It is observed that the detection of damage due to corrosion is more challenging than that of concrete crack. The similarity index obtained from the damage parameters shows that it can be a very effective indicator for appropriately indicating initiation of damage in concrete structure in the form of spread corrosion or invisible crack.

Performance of cement composite embeddable sensors for strain-based health monitoring of in-service structures

Rajani Kant Rao,B.S. Sindu,Saptarshi Sasmal 국제구조공학회 2021 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.28 No.2

There is a growing need to develop sensors which can be embedded into the structures during the construction stage itself for developing smart structures. It is preferred to develop these kinds of sensors with the material same as that of material used in construction for the sake of compatibility and better capturing the actual state of distress in the structure. Towards this, in this study cement based piezo-resistive sensors are developed with the help of conductive nano-fillers (Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs)). Since the sensors are cement based, and porous in nature, the characteristics of the sensor will vary due to water penetration into the sensor. As the structures with such embedded sensors have to perform for years, understanding the variations in the characteristics of the sensor due to pore structure is very important. In this regard, the conductivity of the sensor is assessed where the effect of dosage of CNTs, functionalization of CNTs, type of electrical conductivity measurement (both DC and AC) and pore water are the parameters. The strain sensitivity of the sensors under cyclic stress is also investigated and reported in the present study. The findings of this study will help in developing continuous health monitoring strategies using highly sensitive embeddable cement-based nanocomposites.

Studies on structural interaction and performance of cement composite using Molecular Dynamics

Sindu, B.S.,Alex, Aleena,Sasmal, Saptarshi Techno-Press 2018 Advances in computational design Vol.3 No.2

Cementitious composites are multiphase heterogeneous materials with distinct dissimilarity in strength under compression and tension (high under compression and very low under tension). At macro scale, the phenomenon can be well-explained as the material contains physical heterogeneity and pores. But, it is interesting to note that this dissimilarity initiates at molecular level where there is no heterogeneity. In this regard, molecular dynamics based computational investigations are carried out on cement clinkers and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) under tension and compression to trace out the origin of dissimilarity. In the study, effect of strain rate, size of computational volume and presence of un-structured atoms on the obtained response is also investigated. It is identified that certain type of molecular interactions and the molecular structural parameters are responsible for causing the dissimilarity in behavior. Hence, the judiciously modified or tailored molecular structure would not only be able to reduce the extent of dissimilarity, it would also be capable of incorporating the desired properties in heterogeneous composites. The findings of this study would facilitate to take step to scientifically alter the structure of cementitious composites to attain the desired mechanical properties.

Simplified computational methodology for analysis and studies on behaviour of incrementally launched continuous bridges

K. Ramanjaneyulu,V. Srinivas,S. Gopalakrishnan,Saptarshi Sasmal 국제구조공학회 2004 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.17 No.2