Patent Grant
11136777
The present invention relates generally to reinforced concrete structures, and more particularly to reinforced concrete structures with unique beam-column joints of improved seismic performance.
Superior behaviour of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) in terms of corrosion resistance, electrical and magnetic non-conductivity, and high strength-to-weight ratio introduced this material as a promising alternative for steel reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Up to date, many researchers have been involved in investigating the behaviour of various FRP-RC elements ranging from individual members such as beams and slabs to structural assemblies where two or more structural elements interact with each other, such as beam-column joints and slab-column connections.
Although performance of FRP-RC structures under monotonic loading has shown promising results toward replacing steel reinforcement with FRP, the performance of such structures under earthquake-induced loads is still a major concern. One of the main reasons is the linear behaviour of FRP reinforcement which results in lack of ductile behaviour of concrete structures under seismic loading. Therefore, without any special consideration, this linear behaviour could increase the probability of brittle failure and collapse of FRP-RC structures exposed to large deformations, such as moment-resisting frames in seismic regions.
Up to date, only few studies have been involved in investigating the seismic performance of FRP-RC frames (Ghomi and El-Salakawy 2016, Hasaballa and El-Salakawy 2016, Mady and El-Salakawy 2011, Said and Nehdi 2004, Fukuyama et al. 1995). To evaluate the seismic performance of FRP-RC frames, the majority of the researchers in this field focused on the behaviour of beam-column joints, as a key element in stability of frames, under lateral loading. Ghomi and El-Salakawy (2016), Hasaballa and El-Salakawy (2016), Mady and El-Salakawy (2011) investigated the feasibility of using FRP-RC beam-column joints in seismic regions and the effect of varies parameters on their seismic performance.
Results of these studies showed that beam-column joints reinforced with Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) can be proportioned such that they are able to withstand high lateral drift ratios (9%) without exhibiting brittle failure due to rupture of the reinforcement. This observation was against what is generally expected from FRP-RC elements. This particular behaviour was observed in GFRP-RC members due to the relatively low modulus of GFRP (60 GPa) combined with relatively high tensile strength (1100 MPa), which makes these materials capable of withstanding high strains compared to the other main FRP alternatives, carbon FRP and aramid FRP.
Moreover, the test results indicated that GFRP-RC beam-column joints can maintain their elastic properties up to drift ratios as high as 5% with minimum residual damage. Due to this linear behaviour, replacing steel with GFRP materials might be an effective solution to eliminate the drastic damage caused by plastic deformation of steel-RC elements during an earthquake event. Damage to steel-RC structures after an earthquake can cause costly rehabilitation or even, in some cases, result in the demolition of the whole structure. Therefore, using concrete frames reinforced with FRP reinforcement (such as GFRP) in seismic regions can be a new approach toward earthquake-resistant structures since the frame could be capable of withstanding several severe ground shakings without significant residual damage.
However, despite the satisfactory performance of FRP-RC beam-column joints in terms of residual damage, these elements still show lack of energy dissipation which is one of the main philosophies for designing earthquake-resistant structures. Moreover, low modulus of elasticity of GFRP reinforcement decreases initial stiffness of RC moment-resisting frames which increases the lateral deformation of the frames during earthquakes. Large lateral deformation of the frames results in excessive secondary moments especially at the lower grades due to significant movement of the centre of gravity of the building from its original location. This effect is known as P-Δ effect. Moreover, large lateral deformation increases the pounding probability of adjacent buildings. Therefore, the advantage of FRP's linear behaviour cannot be utilized in eliminating the residual damage after an earthquake unless these two issues are addressed.
Accordingly, it remains desirable to improve the seismic performance of FRP-RC beam-column joints. In previous studies (Ghomi and El-Salakawy 2016, Hasaballa and El-Salakawy 2016), to compensate for low energy dissipation, researchers suggested to use conjugated lateral load resisting systems in FRP-RC frames; for example, using steel-RC shear walls or hybrid system frames (using FRP-RC elements only in surrounding parts of the frame that have direct contact with harsh environment while the core of the frame is reinforced with steel). However, these solutions are suggested based on the assumption that the main goal of using FRP reinforcement is to protect the structure against corrosion and not improving its seismic performance. Therefore, these solutions necessarily include using steel-RC elements in some parts of the frame which again increases the probability of permanent deformation after an earthquake.
Up to date, no solution has been introduced to improve energy dissipation or low initial stiffness of FRP-RC elements, which seems to be the only reason for holding back FRP-RC moment-resisting frames from being eligible for resisting lateral seismic loads by themselves.
The inventors of the present application focussed on conjugating FRP-RC frames with simple and easy-to-install mechanical devices to improve their seismic performance. The approach is to improve the overall performance of GFRP-RC frames (or any other type of FRP-RC frame with similar behaviour) by installing the device on the beam-column joints in the frame. In this approach, the energy dissipation and initial stiffness of FRP-RC joints will be improved while still possible to take advantage of the linear behaviour nature of the structure.
The conventional approach to design an earthquake-resistant RC structure is based on members' plastic deformation mainly due to yielding of reinforcing steel. Ductility of steel-RC structures provides significant energy dissipation due to inelastic deformation of members. This plastic deformation; however, comes with the cost of severe damage to the elements after an intense earthquake. In some cases, the damage is so drastic that the structure may need to be demolished.
Investigating new approaches for designing earthquake-resistant structures always has been undertaken by engineers. There are two main paths that have been followed to improve the dynamic response of structures: 1) seismic isolation, and 2) providing additional energy dissipating systems (damping). In the isolation approach, the base of the structure is decoupled from the superstructure. In the damping approach, on the other hand, the focus is not on limiting the force transmitted to the structure, but rather on dissipating the seismic energy by means of additional damping devices in a way that structural elements remain in the elastic behaviour phase (Duggal 2014).
Lack of plastic deformation in FRP-RC structures, despite eliminating costly repairs after earthquakes, significantly decreases the amount of seismic energy dissipated by the structure. In this case using one of the mentioned approaches (isolation or damping) may be effective to improve the dynamic response of GFRP-RC moment-resisting frames.
However, using base isolation approach may not be as effective as using additional damping systems in the case of GFRP-RC frames. Base isolation is mostly recommended for relatively stiff structures. It may not be suitable for GFRP-RC frames because of large deflection possibilities. Moreover, base isolation is generally a complex and expensive procedure (Duggal 2014).
Using additional damping mechanism, on the other hand, seems to be very suitable for GFRP-RC frames. There are many damping mechanisms available for the construction industry; however, it remains desirable to introduce an easy-to-build damping system with relatively low cost. Since beam-column joints are the main elements for dissipating energy in moment-resisting-frames to endure lateral loads, it seems reasonable to introduce a mechanism that can enhance energy dissipation feature of GFRP-RC beam-column joints while maintaining their linear behaviour nature.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided beam-column joint at an integral juncture between a concrete column and a concrete beam that are integrally and directly attached to one another by concrete of said concrete column and concrete beam, said beam-column joint comprising internal reinforcements of fiber reinforced polymer embedded within integrally and directly interconnected concrete cores of said concrete column and said concrete beam, and said beam column joint further comprising at least one external member attached to said concrete beam and spanning across said juncture in external relation to said concrete column and said concrete beam.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided concrete multi-story moment resisting frame comprising intersecting columns and beams, said multi-story moment resisting frame comprising beam-column joints of the type according to the first aspect of the invention at one or more lower stories of said multi-story moment resisting frame, and also comprising one or more upper stories lacking the external members of said beam-column joints found in the one or more lower stories.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of repairing a seismically damaged concrete moment resisting frame that comprises intersecting columns and beams, at least some of which are joined together by beam-column joints of the type according to the first aspect of the invention, said method comprising substituting a replacement external member for a damaged external member at one or more said beam-column joints.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of improving the seismic resistance of a beam-column joint at which a concrete column and a concrete beam meet one another and are integrally and directly attached to one another by concrete of said concrete column and said concrete beam, and within which fibre reinforced polymer reinforcements embedded within integrally and directly interconnected concrete cores of said concrete column and said concrete beam, the method comprising externally attaching at least one external member to the concrete beam in a position spanning across a juncture between said concrete beam and said concrete column.
The present invention thus introduces a method to design deformable reinforced concrete moment-resistant structural system capable of resisting high intensity lateral loads. The lateral loads may be due to earthquake, wind or other sources. The invention provides a framed structure with sufficient initial stiffness and ductility to resist lateral loads, while providing fast, easy and cost-effective repairing process following the application of lateral loads to restore the initial properties of the structure. The invention can be used as the lateral load-resisting system solely or in conjunction with regular FRP-RC moment-resisting frames or shear walls. The invention may be used in buildings, bridges or any other structural systems. The method may be implemented in new structures or in rehabilitation of existing structures.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
In the present application, attachment of external steel plates to beam-column joints is proposed as an effective solution to improve dynamic performance of FRP-RC frames. It should be mentioned that steel has been chosen as an example of a suitable material for these external plates, but any other material with similar properties may alternatively be used, for example including shape memory alloys. However, for consistency, the words “steel” and “metal” are primarily used herein in relation to the externally attached plates of the unique beam-column joint.
In this approach, plastic behaviour of steel is used to dissipate energy and high modulus of elasticity of steel is used to increase initial stiffness of the frames. In the proposed apparatus and method, the concrete section is internally reinforced with GFRP bars and is designed based on GFRP material characteristics. A metal member (e.g. steel plates), then, will be added to the section in order to dissipate energy through plastic deformations while the member undergoes large drift ratios. The metallic member is attached to the structure externally. Assuming perfect linear and bi-linear stress-strain relationship for GFRP-RC beams and steel plates, respectively, schematic behaviour of a GFRP-RC beam with a steel plate is shown in
The plates are tied to both the concrete beam and the concrete column by several threaded support elements (e.g. structural bolts, or cast-in anchors) partially embedded in the concrete core of the beam and column during casting thereof so that part of support element's threaded shaft projects externally outward from the side of finished beam/column. Each metal plate has an array of fastener holes through which the threaded shafts of the support elements project from the side of the beam and column. Accordingly, fastened attachment of the metal plate to the concrete core of the beam and column requires mere engagement of nuts onto the protruding shafts of the support elements in order to clamp the plate in place against the side of the concrete. This fastened anchoring of the plates to the beam is to ensure that the plates deflect with the same curvature as the concrete beam. The idea is to dissipate seismic energy by plastic deformation of the plates after yielding. The damaged and deformed plates following an earthquake will be replaced with new plates. As mentioned before, since GFRP-RC frames can undergo large deformations while maintaining their linear nature and original condition (to an acceptable degree), replacement of damaged steel plates with new ones restores the original condition of the structure with no need for additional repair. This feature is one of the key advantages of the proposed structure over a conventional steel-RC structure. In an internally steel-RC frame, since there is no access to the embedded reinforcement, the original condition can never be restored once yielding of the reinforcement has occurred.
Prior to pouring of the concrete, the steel plates may be placed over the ends of the support elements inside the formwork being used to cast the concrete. This way, during the casting process, the flowable concrete will inherently fill any small gaps between the diameter of the threaded shaft and the respective fastener hole in the plate to optimally fix the shaft in stationary relation to the beam. Alternatively, rather than installing both the partially embedded support elements and the steel plates during casting of the concrete, the plates may alternatively be installed after the casting process, by sliding the fastener holes of the plate over the matching layout of cast-in support elements, and then threading the nuts onto the shafts of the support elements that project through the fastener holes. In such post-casting installation of the plates, grout is injected into the gap openings around the threaded shafts of the support elements inside the fastener holes of the plate before sealing the openings closed with washers and nuts. This filling of the gaps with grout thereby compensates for the lack of concrete between the shafts and fastener holes in the event of such post-casting installation of the plates.
In the present disclosure, greater focus is made on the linear behaviour of GFRP-RC members and their ability to withstand large deformations than on their corrosion resistance, the latter of which is typically considered the conventional motivation for replacing steel reinforcement with GFRP material. Instead, the focus herein is on achieving a new type of structure with improved seismic performance compared to the structures that are solely reinforced with steel or GFRP.
Therefore, using corrodible steel plates in a GFRP-RC frame of the present invention will not interfere with this goal since the focus is not specifically on achieving a corrosion-resistant structure. However, the proposed frame structure does have superior behaviour in terms of controlling corrosion of steel components compared to conventional steel-RC structures. This is because the main metallic components of the proposed structure are situated externally of the concrete, and thus visually and physically accessible, whereby corrosion assessment and prevention are more convenient compared to the structures that are internally reinforced with steel reinforcement. Moreover, corroded steel plates can be easily replaced with new plates if needed, by unfastening the nuts and removing the corroded plates, and substituting same with a replacement set of non-corroded plates.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed solution on the seismic performance enhancement of GFRP-RC moment-resisting frames, three full-scale cantilever beams (one steel-RC, one GFRP-RC and one GFRP-RC with steel plates) were constructed and tested under reversal-cyclic loading.
Specimens
The test specimens were identically sized beams of the shape and dimensions shown in
Two of the T-joints were used as control specimens with no steel plates, one representing a GFRP-RC joint and one representing a conventional steel-RC joint. The control joints were designed to have the same flexural capacity.
Test results of the control specimens were used to investigate the differences between the seismic behaviour of GFRP-RC structures and steel-RC ones. Moreover, the results drew guidelines to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method of increasing energy dissipation of the GFRP-RC beams using the steel plates.
The third specimen was constructed by replicating the control GFRP-RC beam, but with addition of the steel plates in the manner described above with reference to
The control and test specimens were each assigned a two-letter designation. The first letter indicates the type of internal reinforcement material (“G” for GFRP, and “S” for steel). The second letter indicates whether the steel plates are attached to the specimens (“N” for the specimens with no plates, “M” for the specimen with the metallic plates). Table 1 shows properties of test specimens.
Materials
The specimens were cast with ready-mix concrete with a target 28-day strength of 40-MPa, normal weight and maximum aggregate size of 20-mm. The actual concrete compressive strength of the specimens was obtained based on standard 150×300-mm cylinder test on the day of testing, as reported in Table 1.
Deformed CSA grade G400 regular steel bars were used in the steel-RC specimen. The average yield and tensile strengths of the longitudinal bars, 440 and 620 MPa, respectively, were obtained in the laboratory according to CSA/A23.1-14 (CSA 2014). Deformed GFRP bars and stirrups (Schoeck 2014) were used in the GFRP-RC specimens. The mechanical characteristics and dimensions of used GFRP reinforcement, as provided by the manufacturer, are listed in Table 2.
Test Set-Up
The actuator was attached to the distal tip of the beam by means of a swivel head to prevent any moment application. Moreover, a set of rollers were put between the concrete beam and loading plates to prevent the actuator from applying unwanted axial loads to the beam during the reversal vertical loading.
Loading Procedure
The loading procedure was started by applying axial compressive load to the support column portion. The magnitude of the load was equal to 15% of maximum concentric capacity of the support column. This load remained constant during the testing procedure.
Following the support column loading, the reversal-cyclic loading of the beam started. The loading was in a displacement-controlled mode.
As mentioned earlier, one aspect of this undertaking was to evaluate the ability of GFRP-RC elements to maintain their original condition after being loaded to high drift ratios. Therefore, the GFRP-RC specimens were tested under two series of cyclic loading. In the first series, they were loaded under the above specified loading procedure up to 4% drift ratio. In the second series, the loading scheme was repeated from 0% drift ratio and was continued until failure of the specimens. It should be mentioned that according to ACI 374.1-05 (ACI 2005), failure is defined when at least 25% decrease in lateral load-carrying capacity of the specimens compared to the maximum observed capacity is occurred.
This two-phase loading procedure was to investigate the performance of the GFRP-RC beams after undergoing a severe seismic loading and to measure possible stiffness reduction. The reasons for choosing the 4% drift ratio as the limit for the first loading step are as follows:
Overall Behaviour and Hysteresis Diagram
Following the first loading phase, the specimen was loaded under the second loading series from 0% drift ratio until failure. Picture of the specimen at failure and its hysteresis diagram in the second loading phase are shown in
Due to yielding of steel reinforcement, it was not possible to restore the original condition of Specimen S-N after the first loading phase, thus the logic behind the two-phase loading procedure that was used for the GFRP-RC specimens was note applicable to the steel-RC specimen. Therefore, after 4% drift ratio the loading procedure was continued according to
The damaged steel plates in Specimen G-M were replaced with new plates and the specimen was re-tested under the second series of cyclic loading (from 0% till failure).
Energy Dissipation
As expected, steel plates increased the amount of energy dissipated by the GFRP-RC beam. The improvement was 160% at 2.5% drift ratio and 145% at 4% drift ratio compared to Specimen G-N. It should be mentioned that the dissipated energy by Specimen S-N was 475% and 500% higher compared to Specimen G-N at 2.5% and 4% drift ratio, respectively.
In order to better illustrate the effect of steel plates on the overall seismic performance of structures with a moment-resisting frame system, a computer model was created to simulate non-linear dynamic response of an arbitrary 10-story moment-resisting frame under the ground acceleration history recorded for the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake with peak ground acceleration (PGA) of approximately 0.5 g (
It should be mentioned that by using properties of the test specimens for the columns in the dynamic model, the model does not represent an actual moment-resisting frame since the columns in test specimens were relatively stiff and the boundary condition (fixed columns) simulated a cantilever beams and not a beam-column assembly, which could better represent lateral stiffness of each story. However, for the purpose of comparison, the constructed model is valid since all specimens were tested under the same condition. Therefore, it is emphasised that the purpose of this dynamic analysis was only to evaluate the effectiveness of the steel plates in improving the seismic performance of GFRP-RC frames.
The beam-column joints (springs) in each frame were modeled based on nonlinear lateral load-displacement response of the test specimens. The exterior beam-column joints in the modeled frames were assumed to have the same lateral load-drift ratio response as the test specimens. By assuming a height of 3000 mm for the columns (
For simplicity, constant damping ratio was used for the analysis. Same as the stiffness, the damping ratio for the beam-column joints in each frame was obtained from the test specimens. The damping ratio for each specimen was calculated using the area enclosed by the hysteresis diagrams at 1.5% drift ratio. Therefore, the equivalent Viscus ratio for Specimens G-N, S-N and G-M was calculated as 0.03, 0.06 and 0.036, respectively. By assuming 6,000 kg mass for each interior beam-column joint (3,000 kg for exterior and roof joints), damping coefficient for the beam-column joints corresponding to each specimen was calculated. Table 3 shows the calculated damping coefficients.
The analysis was performed by direct integration. The results of the non-linear dynamic analysis are provided in
The frame corresponding to Specimen S N (steel RC) was able to survive the earthquake. However, the maximum lateral displacement of the first story (109 mm) exceeded the linear range of the structure as shown in
The frame corresponding to Specimen G-M (GFRP-RC with steel plates) also was able to survive the ground shaking. As shown in Table 4, the maximum lateral drift ratio recorded for the frame was 3.47%. This drift ratio is less than 4%, the maximum drift ratio of the first loading phase in the experimental program. As indicated by the test results, Specimen G-M was able to reach 4% drift ratio with insignificant concrete damage; therefore, by replacing damaged steel plates with new ones and with following proper procedure to ensure effective composite behaviour of the concrete beam and the new steel plates the frame will be able to restore its service condition.
As Table 4 shows, the frames corresponding to Specimens S-N and G-M, showed very similar behaviour in terms of maximum drift ratio of each story. In both cases the maximum drift ratio decreases in higher stories. Therefore, since GFRP-RC frames can undergo large deformations without significant permanent damage, it may not be necessary to use steel plates in beam-column joints of the higher stories. Eliminating the steel plates from higher stories allows larger lateral displacement in them (to an acceptable level according to a GFRP-RC capacities) while eliminating the extra process and expense of installing steel plates at higher levels.
To investigate the effectiveness of using steel plates only in lower stories on the seismic performance of GFRP-RC frames, the previous model of the frame corresponding to Specimen G-N was replicated, but differed by using steel plates on the beam-column joints of only the first two or six stories.
According to the figure, all frames were able to survive the ground acceleration; therefore, adding steel plates to beam-column joints of the first two stories of the GFRP-RC frame prevented the failure due to the earthquake. However, the last story still undergoes significantly larger deformations compared to the frame with steel plates on all beam-column joints. This can result in excessive secondary moments in lower stories due to P-Δ effect. The lateral displacement response of the last story in the frame with steel plate on the first six stories; however, is closer to the frame with steel plates on all beam-column joints.
Table 5, compares the maximum drift ratio of each story in the frames with steel plates in the first three and four stories. As expected, removing steel plates from beam-column joints of the higher stories increased their maximum drift ratio. However, the maximum drift ratios in the frame with steel plates on the first six stories remains in the elastic range of the frame (under 4% drift ratio).
It worth mentioning that in analyzing a real moment-resisting frame, it is necessary to also include potential P-Δ effects due to relatively larger deformations of the higher stories caused by eliminating steel plates.
According to the results obtained from the test specimens and the analytical study, the following conclusions were made:
The experimental tests to demonstrate the principles of the present invention used simple two-dimensional, single-beam T-joints, but it will be appreciated that in practical application, the principles of the present invention will be applied to buildings with more complex multi-beam joints, bridges or any other structural systems. In the case where multiple beams connect to the column from different sides thereof, as schematically illustrated in
As shown in
The first leg 22a of each bent plate 22 is fastened to the first beam 10 by a respective set of embedded support members projecting to a respective side of the first beam, while the second leg of each bent plate is fastened to the respective one of the second or third beams 12, 16 by another embedded set of support members whose threaded shafts project from the face 12a, 16a of the second or third beam. This way, the first leg 22a of each bent plate spans across the first beam's juncture with the column 14. It is also important to take proper measures to ensure that the second and third beams 12, 16 provide sufficient stiffness to properly anchor each bent plate 22. In the illustrated example, the second and third beams 12, 16 are not only narrower than the first beam, but also shorter in height than the first beam, and the topside of all three beams 10, 1216 are flush or coplanar with one another, whereby the undersides of the shorter second and third beams 12, 16 are elevated relative to the underside of the first beam 10. The first leg 22a of each bent plate 22 includes a lower extension tab 24, which can be seen in
It will be appreciated that other configurations of the steel plate and particular geometric relationships between the multiple beams and the column of a three dimensional, multi-beam joint may alternatively be employed to enable similar placement of the steel plate at the joint so as to span across the juncture of the column with one or more of the beams.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2018/051133 | 9/13/2018 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2019/056091 | 3/28/2019 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8935892 | Buchanan | Jan 2015 | B2 |
| 9316004 | Hatzinikolas | Apr 2016 | B1 |
| 20110239581 | Linares, III | Oct 2011 | A1 |
| 20140099456 | Raghavendran | Apr 2014 | A1 |
| 20150322666 | Hardy | Nov 2015 | A1 |
| 20200263445 | El-Salakawy | Aug 2020 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 106988551 | Jul 2017 | CN |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200263445 A1 | Aug 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62560358 | Sep 2017 | US |
