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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the durability and flexibility characteristics of latex modified ferrocement in comparison with conventional ferrocement particularly when exposed to severe environmental conditions.

The research programme encompasses the laboratory investigation on the structural, the deformation behaviour and characteristic of latex modified ferrocement elements cured in air and salt‐water environments. The tests include determination of load and deflection characteristics, moments, crack widths, crack spacing, and the number of cracks when subjected to static flexure.

Test result indicates a significant improvement in reducing and bridging micro cracks, especially in the pre‐peak load region. Fracture toughness and deformability increased significantly. However, the post peak behaviour was quite similar to conventional ferrocement.

The results show that latex modification has improved the mechanical properties of cement mortars, particularly their flexural strength.

During service period, due to the overload or other non-load factors, diagonal cracks of the pre-stressed concrete beam are seriously affecting the safety of the bridge structure. The purpose of this paper is to quickly realize the shear bearing capacity and shear stiffness through maximum width of the diagonal cracks and make correct judgments.

Through the shear failure test of four test beams, collecting data of diagonal cracks and shear stiffness loss value. According to the deformation curve of the shear stiffness, and combined with the calculation formula of the maximum width of diagonal cracks, the formula for calculating the effective shear stiffness based on the maximum width of diagonal cracks is deduced, then the results are verified by test data. Data regression method is used to establish the effective shear stiffness loss ratio calculation formula, the maximum width of diagonal cracks used as a variable factor, and the accuracy of this formula is verified by comparing the shear failure test results of pre-stressed hollow plates.

With the increase in width of the diagonal crack, the loss rate of shear stiffness of the concrete beams is initially fast and then becomes slow. The calculation formulae for shear stiffness based on the maximum width of the diagonal cracks were deduced, and the feasibility and accuracy of the formulae were verified by analysis and calculation of shear test data.

A method for quickly determine the shear stiffness loss of structures by using maximum width of the diagonal cracks is established, and using this method, engineers can quickly determine effective shear stiffness loss ratio, without complex calculations. So this method not only ensures the safety of human life, but also saves money.

The properties of materials under impact load are introduced in terms of metal, nonmetallic materials and composite materials. And the application of impact load research in biological fields is also mentioned. The current hot research topics and achievements in this field are summarized. In addition, some problems in theoretical modeling and testing of the mechanical properties of materials are discussed.

The situation of materials under impact load is of great significance to show the mechanical performance. The performance of various materials under impact load is different, and there are many research methods. It is affected by some kinds of factors, such as the temperature, the gap and the speed of load.

The research on mechanical properties of materials under impact load has the characteristics as fellow. It is difficult to build the theoretical model, verify by experiment and analyze the data accumulation.

This review provides a reference for further study of material properties.

In this paper, to obtain shear and bending performance of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP)-strengthened beams bonded by geopolymers, the effects of impregnated adhesive types, strengthened scheme, CFRP layer and pre-cracked width are investigated, and the performance of CFRP-strengthened beams is validated by the establishment of Finite Element Models (FEMs).

In this paper, static loading test and finite element analysis of epoxy-CFRP-strengthened (ECS) and geopolymer-CFRP-strengthened (GCS) were carried out, and the bearing capacity and stiffness were compared, the results show that GCS reinforced concrete (RC) beam is feasible and effective.

The bearing capacity, crack distribution and development, load–deflection curves of GCS RC beams with different pre-crack widths were investigated. The reinforcement effect of geopolymer achieves the same as epoxy, effectively improving the ultimate bearing capacity of the beam, with a maximum increase rate of 28.9%. The failure mode of CFRP is broken in the yield failure stage of GCS RC beam with reasonable strengthening form, and the utilization rate of CFRP is improved. CFRP-strengthened layers, pre-cracked widths significantly affect the mechanical properties, and deformation properties of the strengthened beams.

Compared with ECS RC beams, the bearing capacity and stiffness of GCS RC beams are similar to or even better, indicating that GCS RC beam is feasible and effective. It is a new method for CFRP-strengthened beams, which not only conforms to the concept of national ecological civilization construction, but also provides an economical, environmentally friendly and excellent performance solution for structural reinforcement.

The interaction between rock mass structural planes and dynamic stress levels is important to determine the stability of rock mass structures in underground geotechnical engineering. In this work, the authors aim to focus on the degradation effects of fracture geometric parameters and unloading stress paths on rock mechanical properties.

A three-dimensional Particle Flow Code (PFC3D) was used for a systematic numerical simulation of the strength failure and cracking behavior of granite specimens containing prefabricated cracks under conventional triaxial compression and triaxial unilateral unloading. The authors demonstrated the unique mechanical response of prefabricated fractured rock under two conditions. The crack initiation, propagation, and coalescence process of pre-fissured specimens were analyzed in detail.

The authors show that the prefabricated cracks and unilateral unloading conditions not only deteriorate the mechanical strength but also have significant differences in failure modes. The degrading effect of cracks on model strength increases linearly with the decrease of the dip angle. Under the condition of true triaxial unilateral unloading, the deterioration effect of peak strength of rock is very significant, and unloading plays a role in promoting the instability failure of rock after peak, making the rock earlier instability failure. Associating with the particle vector diagram and crack coalescence process, the authors find that model failure mode under unilateral loading conditions is obviously distinct from that in triaxial loading. The peak strain in the unloading direction increases sharply, resulting in a new shear slip.

This study is expected to improve the understanding of the strength failure and cracking behavior of fractured rock under unilateral unloading.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an embedded crack finite element (FE) model for reinforced concrete (RC) structures, including a bond‐slip methodology to take into consideration the steel contribution in the rupture process, capable of capturing the global behavior of the structure as well as details of cracking phenomenon.

The reinforcement contribution is added in the equilibrium at element level in an embedded crack FE model, based on displacement localization lines inside the elements.

The model is able to determine the steel stress in the crack besides the volumetric average steel stress. It is shown that the steel stress in the crack can be considerable greater than the average value. Other important aspect detected is the contribution of the concrete softening in the steel stress in the crack and in the overall behavior. The number, the distribution and the opening of cracks can be estimated too.

The yield of the steel in the cracking process can be detected more precisely by this methodology, allowing a better design and understanding of RC structures. In addition, the knowledge of crack openings is an important information to predict corrosion and other degradation phenomena of the reinforcement bars.

The bond‐slip procedure is linked with the embedded crack model in an original way: sliding gives the crack width. Moreover, the inclusion of steel forces in the crack equilibrium balance was not a usual procedure and permits an understanding of reinforcement effect in both levels (macro and micro) studied in this work.

This paper presents the experimental and numerical results of the bending properties of low-height prestressed T-beams. The purpose is to study the bearing capacity, failure state and strain distribution of low-height prestressed T-beams.

First, two 13 m-long full-size test beams were fabricated with different positions of prestressed steel bundles in the span. The load–deflection curves and failure patterns of each test beam were obtained through static load tests. Secondly, the test data were used to validate the finite element model developed to simulate the flexural behavior of low-height prestressed T-beams. Finally, the influence of different parameters (the number of prestressed steel bundles, initial prestress and concrete strength grade) on the flexural performance of the test beams is studied by using a finite element model.

The test results show that when the distance of the prestressed steel beam from the bottom height of the test beam increases from 40 to 120 mm, the cracking load of the test beam decreases from 550.00 to 450.00 kN, reducing by 18.18%, and the ultimate load decreases from 1338.15 to 1227.66 kN, reducing by 8.26%, therefore, the increase of the height of the prestressed steel beam reduces the bearing capacity of the test beam. The numerical simulation results show that when the number of steel bundles increases from 2 to 9, the cracking load increases by 183.60%, the yield load increases by 117.71% and the ultimate load increases by 132.95%. Therefore, the increase in the number of prestressed steel bundles can increase the cracking load, yield load and ultimate load of the test beam. When the initial prestress is from 695 to 1,395 MPa, the cracking load increases by 69.20%, the yield load of the bottom reinforcement increases by 31.61% and the ultimate load increases by 3.97%. Therefore, increasing the initial prestress can increase the cracking load and yield load of the test beam, but it has little effect on the ultimate load. The strength grade of concrete increases from C30 to C80, the cracking load is about 455.00 kN, the yield load is about 850.00 kN and the ultimate load is increased by 4.90%. Therefore, the improvement in concrete strength grade has little influence on the bearing capacity of the test beam.

Based on the experimental study, the bearing capacity of low-height prestressed T-beams with different prestressed steel beam heights is calculated by finite element simulation, and the influence of different parameters on the bearing capacity is discussed. This method not only ensures the accuracy of bearing capacity assessment, but also does not require a large number of samples and has a certain economy. The study of prestressed low-height T-beams is of great significance for understanding the principle and application of prestressed technology. Research on the mechanical behavior and performance of low-height prestressed T beams can provide a scientific basis and technical support for the design and construction of prestressed concrete structures. In addition, the study of prestressed low-height T-beams can also provide a reference for the optimization design and construction of other structural types.

The fatigue problems of the carriageway slabs of reinforced concrete rib-beam bridges were studied. The analysis of the carriageway slabs could not achieve the actual stress state.

Based on this characteristic, the reinforced concrete T-beam group structure system was taken as the research object. Four scale models of the carriageway slabs of reinforced concrete ribbed bridges were designed. The fatigue failure modes and actual fatigue resistance of the carriageway slabs with different length-to-side ratios were systematically studied through static load and fatigue experiments. Based on this, the concrete damage plasticity model (CDP model) was combined with numerical simulation analysis to study the influence of the length-to-short-side ratio of the carriageway slab on the fatigue performance and the remaining bearing capacity.

The results show that the fatigue failure of the carriageway slab is a three-stage failure; the ratio of the long and short sides has a significant effect on the fatigue performance of the carriageway slab. Under the same fatigue load level, the smaller the ratio of the long and short sides of the carriageway slab.

The fatigue resistance of the unidirectional board is significantly lower than that of the bidirectional board. It is recommended to use the bidirectional board in actual engineering design.

Considering the “size effect” and the properties degradation of building materials on the strengthened engineering, in this paper, the technology of pasting steel plate was adopted to shear strengthen a 16 m prestressed concrete hollow slab, which had serviced 20 years in cold regions. The shear properties of shear strengthen beams are analyzed.

Shear loading test of the shear strengthened beam and the contrast beam was conducted. Then the mechanical characteristics, failure mechanism, the mechanical response and shear capacity of shear strengthened beam and contrast beam had been discussed.

The failure mode of shear strengthened beam and contrast beam was shear compression failure, and the bond failure between concrete and prestressed reinforcement happened in both of test beams. The shear strengthening method of pasting steel plate can effectively improve the mechanical response for the shear strengthened beam. Compared with the contrast beam, the cracking load and failure shear capacity for the shear strengthened beam can be effectively increased by 12.2 and 27.6%, respectively.

The research results can be a reference for the detection and evaluation of shear strengthened bridges, which are strengthened by pasting steel plate. Engineers can refer to the shear strengthening method in this paper to strengthen the existing bridge, which can guarantee the safety of shear strengthened bridges.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate damaging processes in TaN thin film absorbers under action of high-voltage electrical pulse of nanosecond duration. Despite having mechanical origin of crack opening, estimation based on the readings from oscillograms shows uncharacteristically high velocities of the crack propagation.

Microscopic images of damaged absorbers showing the final result of the damaging process provided initial information about its geometrical peculiarities. Then, to clarify the dynamics of the process, the authors create the model of the crack, having elements of self-similarities and multiple stage opening. The influence of heating induced by current concentration at crack tip and of magnetic stress of this concentrated current are both included in the model.

Using physical parameters of TaN layers with flowing current and performing calculations the authors define the conditions required to initiate the damaging process and to sustain it. Danger of such damage is relevant for high-T_c superconducting thin films after their switching to normal state which is induced by the high-voltage pulse.

There were made recommendations to manufactures aiming to improve electrical durability of the absorbers in an effort to prevent the damaging influence of power nanosecond electrical pulses.

Three stage opening model implies the appearance of zone of high-energy dissipation that can lead to detonation-like destruction of the film and, therefore, explain the high velocities of crack propagation.