Abstract:The advent of Industry 4.0 has spawned the widespread application of digital twin technology, providing digital solutions for intelligent manufacturing and product life-cycle management. In the field of civil engineering, the enhancement of digital disaster prevention and civil structure management is a critical component in the development of future smart cities. On one hand, the establishment of precise and reliable digital twins of real-life civil structures can facilitate disaster prevention from extreme hazards, as well as identify and warn against potential risks. On the other hand, digital twins lay the foundation for technological advancements in the digital construction and management of future cities. This study first categorizes the fundamental concepts and developmental stages of digital twin technology. Then, the acquisition of twining data and construction of digital twins for civil structures are systematically summarized. Building on this foundation, a comprehensive review and outlook is presented on the application of digital twin technology in civil engineering, encompassing the operation and maintenance of structures, disaster simulation and digital twin cities.

Abstract:With the gradual deepening of the study of seepage erosion in soil, the research methods of soil particle loss and deformation and failure mechanism show the characteristics of multi-scale. The computational fluid dynamics-discrete element coupling method (CFD-DEM) provides an effective method to study the macroscopic mechanical characteristics of soil on the microscale, considering the influence of fluid-solid interaction. Regarding the current application status of CFD-DEM coupling method in geotechnical engineering, this paper systematically summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of existing fluid-solid coupling calculation methods, focusing on the modeling strategies of CFD-DEM coupling method. These strategies include solid particle shape modeling and inter-particle contact models, control equations and parameter calculation methods for the fluid phase, as well as CFD-DEM coupling calculation. Furthermore, the paper conducts an in-depth exploration of related issues and concludes by proposing future development directions for the CFD-DEM coupling method.

Abstract:To investigate widely applicable shear capacity calculation methods of reinforced concrete column-steel beam (RCS) hybrid connection, this study analyzed the shear failure experimental data of RCS connections in recent years. The experimental results were compared with the calculation results of Chinese specification, Nishiyama method, Parra method, and ASCE guideline, and the parametric applicability of each method was discussed. The comparison results showed that all the four methods had engineering value. The minimum discreteness of the results of Parra method was obtained, and the calculation process of Chinese specification was the simplest. The results of parametric study showed that all the four methods were suitable for connections with different stirrup ratios and positions. However, conservative estimates were obtained for specimens with small axial load ratios (from 0 to 0.2) and column-through connections. For the Chinese specification, the predicted strength of connections with concrete strength higher than 60 MPa was unsafe, while the predicted strength of connections with transverse beams was conservative. Therefore, it is suggested to introduce concrete strength coefficient and confined coefficient of transverse beam into the equation considering the influence of these two factors.

Abstract:To accurately evaluate the safety and comfortability of structures after a long period of service under dynamic loads such as earthquakes and wind, it is critical to establish a structural dynamic model that can accurately reflect the dynamic responses of actual buildings under seismic, wind and other dynamic loads utilizing the monitoring/inspection data. In this paper, for popular frame building structures, an equivalent simplified dynamic modeling method is proposed by using a few numbers of wireless mobile sensors. First, the principle of equivalent interstory shear force for a simplified model of buildings is proposed, which proves that the simplified model constructed based on this principle has the ability to accurately simulate the dynamic response of actual buildings. Second, the form of simplified model of frame structure was derived, and the characteristics of the simplified model parameters were studied. Then, an iterative identification method for the parameters of the simplified model was proposed, which can identify all parameters of the simplified model by solely using a small number of wireless mobile sensors. Finally, a numerical simulation example of a 12-story 3-span steel frame structure was conducted, which investigates the predictive capability of the equivalent simplified model constructed by the method proposed herein to predict the dynamic responses of the actual frame structure subjected to different types of horizontal excitations, under the condition of without knowing the specific format of structural stiffness degradation and using only a small number of moving acceleration sensors. Simulation results show that the equivalent simplified model can very accurately predict the dynamic responses of the actual frame structure subjected to different types of horizontal excitations. Therefore, the model updating method for the equivalent simplified model of frame structures proposed herein will have important application potential in evaluating the structural safety and comfort of existing frame building structures under dynamic loads, such as wind and earthquake.

Abstract:To reasonably select a suitable set of ground motion parameters and effectively reduce the uncertainty of structural damage prediction, various ground motion parameters were preferentially selected based on the elastic network regression technique. First, the elastic network regression model was established based on various ground motion parameters and the seismic capacity of a generic set of single-degree of freedom (SDOF) systems obtained from the results of incremental dynamical analysis. Second, the values of regression coefficients in the elastic network regression model and the number of times that the regression coefficients have non-zero values were used to define the sensitivity and frequency of ground motion parameters, respectively. Third, the ranking of ground motion parameters used for seismic capacity prediction was established in terms of sensitivity and frequency of ground motion parameters obtained from the results of elastic network regression on a generic set of SDOF systems. Results were statistically organized to evaluate the influence of various ground motions, structural types and structural limit-states. The analysis result obtained from an 8-story steel frame verified that the use of ground motion parameters selected based on elastic network regression can effectively reduce the uncertainty of structural damage prediction. In addition, results showed that the standard deviation of the residuals in the regression analysis for different structural limit-states was significantly reduced when the representative ground motion parameters were employed in the least squares regression model. Moreover, representative ground motion parameters that are less affected by various ground motions, structural types and structural limit-states were selected based on the ranking results obtained from a generic set of SDOF systems. Findings of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the comparison of ground motion parameters used for the prediction of structural seismic capacity.

Abstract:To improve the ductility of steelultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) composite structures, we proposed a type of demountable steelUHPC composite slab based on demountable shear connectors. The flexural tests for demountable steelUHPC composite slabs with different shear connection degrees were designed and completed. The failure mode, ultimate capacity, stiffness, cracking behavior, and relative slip of demountable steelUHPC composite slabs were analyzed and compared with those of steelUHPC composite slabs with welded shear connectors. The demountability of demountable steelUHPC composite slabs was discussed. The ultimate flexural capacity and flexural stiffness of demountable steelUHPC composite slabs were theoretically analyzed, and related calculation formulas were deduced. Results showed that the failure mode of demountable steelUHPC composite slabs was longitudinal horizontal shear bonding failure. Reducing the stud spacing could enhance the cooperative deformation capacity of demountable steelUHPC composite slabs, resulting in the improvement of their ultimate flexural capacity, stiffness at the elastic-plastic stage, and crack control ability. Different from the steelUHPC composite slabs with welded shear connectors, the steel slab and UHPC slab of the demountable steelUHPC composite slabs could be easily disassembled even in the condition of large deformation. The formulas for the ultimate flexural capacity and flexural stiffness of demountable steelUHPC composite slabs were derived. It was proposed that the height of UHPC slab should be reduced when calculating the flexural stiffness, and the reduction coefficient (β_U) was suggested to be 0.85 in serviceability state. The theoretical calculation results were in good agreement with the test results. The research results can provide theoretical basis for the design and application of steelUHPC composite slabs with demountable shear connectors.

Abstract:In order to give full play to the advantages of the high degree of industrialization of assembly and the excellent mechanical properties of steel-concrete composite structures, a kind of assembled double-slotted channel steel-concrete composite floor slab was proposed. Three groups of simply supported composite floor slab specimens were tested under four-point loading, and the mechanical properties of the composite floor slab under vertical static load were studied. The development law of floor cracks, deflection and strain (steel bar, steel beam, concrete slab) with load was analyzed. Based on the limit equilibrium method, the bearing capacity calculation formula considering the tensile membrane effect and stiffness strengthening coefficient was proposed. The results showed that the deformation of the composite slab is characterized by two-way slab. When the specimens are destroyed, the corner cracks and arc cracks appear on the top of the slab, the central area of the concrete slab bottom shows mesh cracks and oblique cracks extending to the corner, and the plastic bending of the double main girder occurs. When the center deflection of the floor reaches l₀/40, the load of the specimens is 327.63 kN, 436.92 kN and 406.12 kN respectively, and the bearing capacity of the composite floor is higher. The strain development of the steel bar is larger in the direction perpendicular to the steel beam and yields along the plastic hinge line. The calculation formula considering the tensile membrane effect and the stiffness strengthening coefficient is in good agreement with the test results, and the load-deflection curve of the floor is accurately predicted.

Abstract:In order to investigate the flexural behavior of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) lightweight composite decks under local wheel load, four demountable steelUHPC composite slabs connected by high-strength bolts were designed and four-point bending test was conducted. The influence of steel plate type and spacing of shear connector on the flexural characteristics of demountable steelUHPC composite slabs was analyzed, including failure mode, load-deflection curve, interface relative slip, crack width, and sectional strain distribution. Results showed that under positive bending moment, the failure mode of composite slabs adopting Q355 steel plate was that the high-strength bolt was cut off. While the failure mode of composite slabs using steel plate with negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) was as follows: part of high-strength bolts was cut off, part of pre-embedded elongated nuts with cushion was pulled out, and UHPC collapsed due to instantaneous instability. Besides, under the same spacing of high-strength bolts, the relative slip of plate end of composite slabs employing NPR steel plate was relatively small, indicating that NPR steel plate can effectively delay and restrain the relative slip between steel plate and UHPC plate, thus improving the synergistic deformation capacity, flexural stiffness, and flexural bearing capacity for composite slabs. According to the sectional strain distribution analysis, due to the negative Poisson’s ratio effect, high stiffness, and high yield strength of NPR steel plate, the tensile strain between NPR steel plate and the bottom UHPC layer maintained strain compatibility during the whole loading process, and the upward displacement for sectional plastic neutral axis could be ignored with increasing load. Therefore, under the premise that NPR steel plate is employed to improve the flexural performance of steelUHPC composite slab system, the thickness of UHPC should be reasonably matched with the performance of NPR steel plate, so as to give full play to their material properties, and avoid the buckling failure prior to the material strength failure of UHPC.

Abstract:To study the bending performance of prestressed steelbamboo composite I-shaped beams, 12 prestressed composite I-shaped beams were designed and manufactured for bending tests, considering prestress loads, prestressing schemes, and loading schemes as basic parameters. The experimental phenomenon was observed, and failure characteristics were analyzed during the test. The influences of different parameters on the load-bearing capacity, strain distribution, and deformation performance were explored, and an approximate formula for the bearing capacity of the prestress composite beam was proposed. The results indicated that the prestressed composite beams have relatively good performances from the perspectives of combination effect, deformation characteristic, and bearing capacity. Failure modes of tested specimens were mainly owing to the bamboo flanges damage and the local buckling of steel plates. With the technique of prestress and the increase of prestress level, the deformation performances can be improved effectively, as well as the load-bearing capacity considering the same deflection situation. Moreover, the improvements can be more significant with the two-point prestressing scheme. The mid-span strain distribution of prestressed composite beams conforms to the plane section assumption, and the neutral axis moves down with the increase of the prestressing level. Finally, the bearing capacities based on the theoretical calculation matched well with the experimental results, which showed the applicability of the proposed methods.

Abstract:To investigate the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) columns with stay-in-place ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) formworks, named URC columns for short, we selected different assembly methods and surface treatment methods of UHPC formworks as design parameters and carried out pseudo-static tests on nine URC columns and one RC column. The assembly methods of UHPC formworks were boltangle steel connection, bolt connection, and epoxy resin mortar. The surface treatment methods of UHPC formworks were natural surface, bubble film printing, and adding ribs. The pseudo-static tests were conducted to study the influence of different assembly methods and surface treatment methods on the seismic behaviors of the URC columns. Additionally, on the basis of the assumption of plane section, a formula was proposed to predict the eccentric compressive bearing capacity of the URC columns. Results show that the bonding surface between UHPC formwork and concrete core had no apparent damage before the peak load, indicating that the URC columns have good integrity. In particular, the URC columns connected by boltangle steel had no interface bonding failure even under the failure load. Compared with the traditional RC column, the ultimate bearing capacity, ductility, and energy consumption of the URC columns were increased by 6.4%43.3%, 11.4%48.7%, and 27.7%85.3%, respectively. Among the three assembly methods, the URC columns connected by bolt and angle steel had the highest bearing capacity and the most reliable connection. Finally, the results calculated by the proposed formula were in good agreement with the test results, which can provide reference for practical application.

Abstract:To study the mechanical performance of concrete-filled double-skin steel tubular long columns under compressive and torsional loads, two ordinary circular steel tube reinforced concrete columns and two double-layered steel tube reinforced concrete columns were subjected to low-cycle reciprocating tests under pure torsion and torsion-compression loading using a developed Stewart six-degree-of-freedom loading platform. Based on the tests, the bearing capacity, torsional deformation, energy dissipation, and hysteresis performance of each specimen were compared and analyzed, and finite element parameter analysis was conducted. The study shows that both ordinary circular steel tube reinforced concrete columns and double-layered circular steel tube reinforced concrete columns have good torsional resistance. Compared with ordinary circular steel tube reinforced concrete columns, the initial stiffness and bearing capacity of double-layered steel tube reinforced concrete columns are slightly improved, the hysteresis curve is more full, and the energy dissipation capacity and ductility are greatly improved. Parameter analysis shows that when the steel content is constant, the larger the thickness ratio of the inner steel tube, the more beneficial it is for torsional resistance; and within a certain range of axial loads, the torsional resistance of steel tube reinforced concrete columns can be improved.

Abstract:To improve the construction efficiency of building envelope and solve the long-term problems of falling off and ignition of traditional external insulation systems, a kind of rock wool composite insulation external formwork (RWCIEF) system integrating insulation and building formwork was proposed. The RWCIEF structure from inside to outside was designed as follows: inner reinforcing layer, rock wool insulation core material, adhesive layer, insulation transition layer, and outer reinforcing layer. Taking Harbin as an example, the optimal thickness of rock wool insulation core material was determined based on the life cycle cost (C_lc). The feasibility of RWCIEF in engineering was explored by combining finite element analysis with theoretical calculation. The bending properties, construction bearing capacity, and stress and deformation under temperature effect of RWCIEF were calculated and analyzed. The influences of groove form, groove width, groove depth, and groove spacing on the bending properties of RWCIEF were discussed. Results showed that the theoretical calculation results of bending properties of RWCIEF were in good agreement with the finite element analysis results. The grooving treatment effectively improved the bending properties of RWCIEF. Considering the bending properties, thermal characteristics, and processing angle, groove forms of symmetrical cross grooves or symmetrical longitudinal grooves were suggested, with the groove depth and width of 10 mm and the groove spacing of 150 mm. The designed RWCIEF met the construction bearing capacity and could fully guarantee the construction quality of the thermal insulation works of the outer enclosure structure. The maximum tensile stress and compressive stress caused by temperature effect did not exceed the bearing capacity of the outer reinforcing layer of RWCIEF, which indicates that RWCIEF is unlikely to hollow in summer or crack in winter. The proposed RWCIEF system can provide a new idea and method for the future research directions of exterior envelope insulation and building formwork engineering.

Abstract:To study the impact of corrosion of both longitudinal bar and stirrup on the bonding performance of steel bar and concrete, we fabricated 25 corroded reinforced concrete (RC) specimens by the accelerated corrosion method of electroosmosis-constant current-dry wet cycles. Pullout tests were carried out on the specimens, and the influences of parameters such as longitudinal bar corrosion, stirrup corrosion, cover thickness, and stirrup spacing on bonding properties were studied. The effect of corrosion on the bonding force between concrete and steel bar was analyzed, and the degradation of the bonding performance was attributed to the reduction of the material behavior and the degradation of the constraint effect. On the basis of the test results, a modified bondslip constitutive model was established and verified considering design parameters and both corrosion of longitudinal bar and stirrup. A stressslip model of corroded longitudinal bar was obtained by combining the proposed constitutive model and infinitesimal algorithm. In the OpenSees platform, the stressslip model was applied to the zero-length section element, and the numerical model of corroded RC components considering bondslip behavior was established by adopting fiber-based beam-column element and zero-length section element. The accuracy of the model was verified according to the quasi-static test data of the corroded RC column, and the fiber model considering only corrosion damage was used for auxiliary verification. Results show that the bonding force between concrete and steel bar increased first and then decreased with the increase in the corrosion degree. Increasing the cover thickness could slightly improve the bonding force, while the increase in stirrup density could significantly improve the bonding force. Compared with the fiber model, the bearing capacity, cumulative energy dissipation, and ultimate displacement errors were reduced by 12.8%, 23.5%, and 14.2% in the constructed fiber model, indicating that the constructed model can reasonably calculate the contribution of steel bar slip and accurately predict the overall seismic response of the corroded RC columns.

Abstract:In order to compare the mechanical performance differences between grouted sleeve lapping connectors and butt connectors, uniaxial tensile and high stress repeated tension-compression tests were conducted on 41 lap connectors and 20 butt connectors. Results showed that under uniaxial tension and high stress repeated tension-compression loading, the total elongation ratio with maximum force of two kinds of connectors was greater than 6% and the ductility coefficient was greater than 4. The strength basically met the requirements of the codes. Under uniaxial tension after high stress repeated tension-compression, the bearing capacity of both connectors increased, while the initial stiffness and ductility of the specimens decreased. Moreover, the residual deformation of the lap connector was reduced by the anti-deflection measures, but the measured value of the residual deformation of the lap connector was slightly larger than that of the butt connector due to the limited constraint stiffness of the anti-deflection measures. However, the residual deformation of the lap connector and the butt connector of anti-deflection generally met the requirements of the specification. After high stress repeated tension-compression, during uniaxial tension testing, the middle section of the sleeve of the lap connector was longitudinally compressed and circumferentially stretched in the early stage of loading. In the later stage of loading, it experienced longitudinal stretch and circumferential compression, while the sleeve of the butt connector was longitudinally stretched and circumferentially stretched throughout the loading process. In the case of uniaxial tension after high stress repeated tension-compression, the maximum longitudinal tensile strain of the middle section of the sleeve near the bar side of the anti-deflection and non-deflection lap connector was 0.10 to 0.39 times and 0.13 to 0.18 times of the butt connector, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum circumferential compressive strain was 0.09 to 0.49 times and 0.02 to 0.32 times of the butt connector, respectively, which indicated that the lap connector had relatively low requirements on the material of the sleeve. When the diameter of rebar was the same, the material cost of the lap connector was about 35% lower than that of the butt connector.

Abstract:To study the influence of the alkaline activator on the performance of steel slag cement, the effects of alkaline activators (water glass、Na₂CO₃/NaOH、NaOH) on the macroscopic mechanical properties of steel slag cement are studied in this article. Further, the microscopic characteristic is investigated by hydration heat release, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (DSC-TG), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry test (MIP). The results show that the alkaline activators increased the basicity in the early hydration liquid phase of steel slag cement, accelerating depolymerization of steel slag vitreous to produce H₃SiO-₄ and H₃AlO^2-₄, improving the reaction rate, facilitating the formation of C-S-H gel and zeolite products, which is manifested by the shortening of setting time and induction period, the increase of reaction heat, cumulative heat release and early mechanical strength; the influence of alkaline activators on the properties of steel slag cement is related to its molecular structure of activators, and the order of influence was water glass, Na₂CO₃/NaOH, NaOH in descending order; Water glass could increase the alkalinity of liquid phase in steel slag cement, and the SiO^2-₃ could react with Ca(OH)₂ to produce C-S-H gel. The addition of alkaline activators can promote the hydration reaction of steel slag cement, which is helpful to the improvement of the mechanical properties and the compactness of the microstructure of steel slag cement.