RCAAP Repository

Abstract The current study presents the results of tests conducted in 5 reinforced concrete slabs (415 cm x 415 cm x 7 cm) in order to experimentally check the possibility of reinforcing their upper surface, as well as to assess the adhesion between the old and the reinforcing concrete layers in the slab. The main variables were the concrete and reinforcement strength deficiencies. Reference slab “L1” was tested until reaching the failure load, whereas the others were tested until reaching certain load limit, reinforced and retested until reaching the failure load. All slabs failed under bending. The strengthening increased the failure load by 30% in slabs reinforced at minimum reinforcement rate when they were compared to similar non-reinforced slabs, regardless of the original concrete strength. None of the tests conducted in the reinforced slabs showed detachments or evidence of adhesion loss between the old and reinforcing concretes.

Abstract The main goal of this research is to determine the mechanical properties of bedding mortar by assessing the mortar damage onset, the stiffness plasticity degradation and the apparent Poisson´s ratio under compression. Two mortar types, 1:0.5:4 and 1:1:6 (cement:lime:sand ratio), were used and tested at 28 days; specimens had diameter-to-height (d/h) ratios of 0.3 and 1.0. These diameter-to-height (d/h) ratios were chosen to evaluate the effect of confinement caused by the friction between the steel plates of the testing machine and the sample. Numerical models were developed, and their response compared with the experimental results. From the experimental results, it was concluded that there are meaningful differences in their responses with weak and strong mortar types and different d/h ratios. The d/h ratio influences the relationship between the stress and strength and the apparent Poisson´s ratio of the specimen, which is defined herein as the ratio of the horizontal to vertical strain, regardless of cracking of the specimen. The mortar damage onset and stiffness plasticity degradation for both mortar types and d/h ratio are different and depend on the stress/strength ratio level. All samples with a d/h ratio of 0.3 show a constant decrease in the volumetric strain until failure but with negligible expansion on the horizontal deformation. In contrast, samples with a d/h ratio of 1.0 present an increase of stiffness after development of the first crack, which causes the increase of the sample volume. Numerical simulation and experimental results for mortar 1:0.5:4 with a d/h ratio of 0.3 are similar until approximately 10 MPa, after which the numerical results diverge from the experimental results. For the d/h ratio of 1.0, the vertical strain results are also similar, but the horizontal strains results near failure are very different. The model can not represent the nonlinear increase of the horizontal strain near failure probably because the crack propagation and the stiffness plasticity degradation could not be controlled. For mortar 1:1:6, vertical strains from numerical and experimental results are similar, but again the model can not reproduce the nonlinear increase of horizontal strain near failure.

Abstract The behavior under fire conditions of composite steel and concrete beams, not subjected to local buckling (compact steel profile), was studied considering the support rotational stiffness provided by the upper longitudinal slab reinforcement, usually present by means of anti-cracking meshes, and restriction of the steel profile’s lower flange, additional procedure required for development of the support bending moment resistance. Usually composite beams at room temperature are designed as simply supported and the semi-rigidity provided by this longitudinal reinforcement, if considered under fire conditions, may lead to a lower cost solution for fire protection of composite beams. The purpose of this study is to verify the viability of this proposal, using simplified design code methods.

Abstract In this work a computational model is presented to evaluate the ultimate bending moment capacity of the cross section of reinforced and prestressed concrete beams. The computational routines follow the requirements of NBR 6118: 2014. This model is validated by comparing the results obtained with forty-one experimental tests found in the international bibliography. It is shown that the model is very simple, fast and reaches results very close to the experimental ones, with percentage difference of the order of 5%. This tool proved to be a great ally in the structural analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete elements, besides it is a simplified alternative to obtain the cross section ultimate bending moment.

Abstract In the region of negative bending moments of continuous and semi-continuous steel and concrete composite beams, the inferior portion of the steel section is subjected to compression while the top flange is restricted by the slab, which may cause a global instability limit state know as lateral distortional buckling (LDB) characterized by a lateral displacement and rotation of the bottom flange with a distortion of the section’s web when it doesn’t have enough flexural rigidity. The ABNT NBR 8800:2008 provides an approximate procedure for the verification of this limit state, in which the resistant moment to LDB is obtained from the elastic critical moment in the negative moment region. One of the essential parameters for the evaluation of the critical moment is the composite beam’s rotational rigidity. This procedure is restricted only to to steel and concrete composite beams with sections that have plane webs. In this paper, an equation for the calculation of the rotational rigidity of cellular sections was developed in order to determine the LDB elastic critical moment. The formulation was verified by numerical analyses performed in ANSYS and its efficiency was confirmed. Finally, the procedure described in ABNT NBR 8800:2008 for the calculation of the critical LDB moment was expanded to composite beams with cellular sections in a numerical example with the appropriate modifications in geometric properties and rotational rigidity.

Abstract This paper describes the scene of the Real Class building collapse, a residential building with reinforced concrete structural system and located in the urban area of the city of Belem / PA, occurred in 2011. The unconformities found in the building are displayed using data extracted from reports and verification of structural and architectural designs. The data was compared with the Brazilian code for reinforced concrete structures, NBR 6118 (2007), valid at the time of the accident. The security of the building was evaluated through a computer model with linear analysis with the software used by the designer. The conditions of the structural system designed and as built was evaluated with parameters of global stability and load capacities of columns and foundations. The results showed that the structure of the building was subject to large displacements and the sections of columns were unable to resist the stresses produced by regional wind actions.

Abstract This article proposes a standardized solution for the application of Tuned-Mass Dampers to the control of floor vibrations based on the characteristics of the acting loads associated to human usage and the characteristics of the most common structures of the contemporary engineering practice. In order to simplify its usage by the technical community, the tuning is proposed through the selection of pre-determined components for the assembly of the TMD and the choice of disposition and spacing of the mechanisms. The system efficacy is then verified through the computational case study of a floor before and after the application of the mechanisms.

Abstract The current compressive strength test for cement classification is performed under a fixed water to cement ratio according to the Brazilian and European standards, regardless the consistency obtained. However, under practical conditions the amount of water required is related to the rheological need to obtain and maintain a desired workability. Intrinsic cement characteristics influence the water demand such as the cement particle’s granulometry, specific surface area, density, the presence or not of water reducing admixtures, chemical and mineralogical nature of raw materials, etc., influence particles agglomeration state. Because water demand influences the mechanical properties of cement based products, the compressive strength class under a fixed water to solids ratio specified by the standards may not be representative for the user. The present work investigates the influence of mixing conditions on mini-slump spread results, a test that has been used for many years but never standardized. Cement paste samples were produced with varied mixing conditions (time and rotation speed) using a conventional stirrer and subjected to mini-slump spread test immediately after mixing and at fixed hydration times. Results show that mixing and hydration time do influence on mini-slump spread. At lower rotation speeds, results variability increases. Under fixed time after first contact with water, increasing rotation speed leads in a reduction of results variability and increase the test’s repeatability on cement pastes.

Abstract Punching is a possible failure mode for slender footings and it may lead a structure to ruin through progressive collapse. Although footing present different geometric characteristics, their punching shear design is based on the empirical methods used for flat slabs. This paper uses experimental results from 216 tests to evaluate the performance of design code recommendations presented by ACI 318 (2014), ABNT NBR 6118 (2014) and Eurocode 2 (2010) to estimate the punching shear resistance of reinforced concrete footings. Great dispersion between theoretical and experimental results was observed, being evident that the test system affects the punching shear capacity of footings. The more complex method proposed by Eurocode 2 resulted in a better correlation with experimental results.

Abstract The aim of this study is to compare the load contour diagrams generated for rectangular RC cross-sections under combined axial compression and biaxial bending obtained by the two forms of analysis allowed by NBR 6118:2014 [1]: the first using the parabolic-rectangular stress-strain diagram (DPR) and the second using the rectangular (constant stress) diagram (DR). In order to compare the load contours generated, a reference cross-section was adopted for which the concrete strength class (from C20 to C90) and the deformation domains (4, 4a and 5) were varied for the study. It was studied whether the use of the different diagrams (DPR or DR) would provide greater (or smaller) resistant efforts for the same section. The results show that the use of the DR is only acceptable when the section is working up to the 4th domain. Above this domain, it was observed that the use of this diagram shows resistant efforts inferior to those calculated by the DPR. In addition, it was found that, for concretes with resistance class above C50, in oblique loading directions, the use of the DR presents higher resistant efforts than those calculated using the DPR.

Abstract This paper studies the influence of the corrosion degree calculated by the mass loss and by the smaller diameters on the yield strength, ultimate strength and final elongation. Reinforcements buried and naturally corroded for 60 years were studied. The mechanical properties of the protruding reinforcing steel were compared to reference bars, which also remained buried for 60 years, but without going through the corrosion process. Micrographs, besides the chemical composition and the characterization of the aggressiveness of the soil were realized. The micrographs and the chemical composition show the presence of pits in the reinforcements and sulfur contents for steel above the prescriptions of the time when the foundations were initially implement, respectively. The results also show that the effects of pitting corrosion on the mechanical properties of the naturally corroded bars may not be adequately expressed by the mass loss. This type of corrosion (pits) produces geometric variations in the cross sections along the length of the test specimens, generating stress gradients between successive sections. This has a noticeable impact on the mechanical properties of the reinforcements. In general, the effects of corrosion are more pronounced on the ductility of the reinforcement. Regarding the aggressiveness of the soil, high corrosion rates were identified in the reinforcement, even with the soil being classified as essentially non-corrosive.

Abstract The fresh concrete lateral pressure generates a load that has great influence in the design of the formworks of columns, walls and lateral faces of the beams.Its prediction must be performed in such a way in order to approach precisely well over the rate values supported by the formworks, avoiding, therefore, the oversizing or undersizing of these temporary structures which represent up to 12% of the total cost of the construction. The calculation of the lateral pressure that fresh concrete exerts on the formworks involves several variables; one of them is the placement rate. The main objective of this work was to study the influence of the placement rate, in situ, on the lateral pressure of fresh concrete calculated from theoretical models presented by norms and international references. For this purpose, measurements of the placement rate were conducted on columns of five building work places at Goiânia city, Goiás, Brazil and it was calculated the maximum pressure supported by their respective formworks from the dimensions and spans between the supports of the components that constituted them. The obtained results indicate that the placement rate in the field observations reach 249 m/h, exceeding the values limited by the theoretical methods of calculation, and that the lateral pressure estimation produced from the placement rate measured in situ exceed the maximum values supported by the formworks up to 604 times. Thus, it was concluded that it is necessary to adjust equations to estimate the lateral pressure of fresh concrete at high rate of concrete placement, according to the current practices in the construction market.

Abstract One of the most widespread methods to the nonlinear analysis of structures is the Finite Element Method (FEM). However, there are phenomena whose behavior is not satisfactorily simulated by the standard FEM and this fact has quickened the development of new strategies such as the Generalized Finite Element Method (GFEM), understood as a variation of the FEM. In parallel, nonlinear analysis of concrete structures requires the use of constitutive models that represents the nucleation and propagation of cracks. In this paper it is used an anisotropic constitutive model, based on the microplane theory, which is able to represent the behavior of concrete structures, together with the GFEM approach. These resources are incorporated on the INSANE system (INteractive Structural ANalysis Environment), used in the numerical simulations presented here to demonstrate the feasibility of using the GFEM enrichment strategy, in the nonlinear analysis of concrete structures, with validation made from comparisons with experimental results available in the literature.

Abstract The study of alternative binders to Portland cement, such as geopolymer cements, offers the chance to develop materials with different properties. With this purpose, this study evaluated experimentally the mechanical behavior of a geopolymer concrete beam and compared to a Finite Element (FE) nonlinear numerical model. Two concrete beams were fabricated, one of Portland cement and another of metakaolin-based geopolymer cement. The beams were instrumented with linear variable differential transformers and strain gauges to measure the deformation of the concrete and steel. Values for the compressive strength of the geopolymer cement concrete was 8% higher than the Portland cement concrete (55 MPa and 51 MPa, respectively) and the tensile rupture strength was also 8% higher (131 kN) for the geopolymer concrete beam in relation to Portland cement concrete beam (121 kN). Distinct failure mechanisms were verified between the two samples, with an extended plastic deformation of the geopolymer concrete, revealing post-fracture toughness. The geopolymer concrete showed higher tensile strength and better adhesion in cement-steel interface.

Abstract The main cause of concrete structures deterioration is related to the resistance against the penetration of aggressive agents. Aiming at increase the impermeability and reduce the diffusivity of concrete elements, making it less susceptible to the ingress of chloride ions, the use of crystalline catalyst emerges as a good alternative. Its mechanism of autogenous healing enhances the natural pore-filling process of concrete. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the use of crystalline catalyst on the chloride ions penetration and service life prediction of concrete. For the concrete mixtures production, it was used blast-furnace slag blended cement, three different water/cement (w/c) ratios (0.45; 0.55; 0.65), with and without crystalline catalyst, totaling six different mixtures. The concrete specimens were cured in a moist chamber and tested at 28 and 91 days. It was performed tests of compressive strength, rapid chloride permeability (ASTM C1202:12), and silver nitrate colorimetric indicator. The results show that, compared to the reference mixture, the use of crystalline catalyst conserved the compressive strength and reduced the chloride ions penetration up to 30%, increasing service life up to 34%.

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Neuroschistosomiasis (NS) is the second most common form of presentation of infection by the trematode, Schistosoma mansoni. Granulomatous inflammatory reaction occurs as a result of schistosome eggs being transmitted to spinal cord or brain via the vascular system, or by inadvertent adult worm migration to these organs. The two main clinical syndromes are spinal cord neuroschistosomiasis (acute or subacute myelopathy) and localized cerebral or cerebellar neuroschistosomiasis (focal CNS impairment, seizures, increased intracranial pressure). Presumptive diagnosis of NS requires confirming the presence of S. mansoni infection by stool microscopy or rectal biopsy for trematode eggs, and serologic testing of blood and spinal fluid. The localized lesions are identified by signs and symptoms, and confirmed by imaging techniques (contrast myelography, CT and MRI). Algorithms are presented to allow a stepwise approach to diagnosis.

Os objetivos deste estudo foram verificar a presença de cistos de Toxoplasma gondii em lingüiça de origem suína tipo frescal e de anticorpos anti-T. gondii no soro de trabalhadores de indústrias produtoras, com Serviço de Inspeção Municipal (SIM) de Londrina, PR. Buscou-se ainda, obter informações relativas às práticas adotadas nestas indústrias e aos hábitos dos trabalhadores, que pudessem influenciar na prevalência desta parasitose. Foram coletadas 149 amostras de lingüiça em oito indústrias produtoras e 47 amostras de sangue de todos os trabalhadores destes locais. Após a realização do bioensaio em camundongos, obteve-se 13 (8,72%) amostras de lingüiça positivas, sendo que em uma o parasita foi isolado e nas outras 12 os camundongos soroconverteram. Dos 47 trabalhadores, 36 (76,6%) atuavam na produção de lingüiça e 11 (23,4%) exerciam outras funções; os percentuais de soropositivos ao T. gondii foram, respectivamente, 59,5% (28/47), 55,5% (20/36) e 72,7% (8/11). Não houve diferença significativa entre nenhuma das variáveis relacionadas às indústrias e aos trabalhadores. Os resultados permitem inferir que lingüiças tipo frescal possuem importância na cadeia epidemiológica da toxoplasmose no Município de Londrina-PR.