Josef Novak

3D concrete printing technology (3DCP) is a relatively new technology that was first established in the 1990s. The main weakness of the technology is the interface strength between the extruded layers, which are deposited at different time intervals. Consequently, the interface strength is assumed to vary in relation to the time of concrete casting. The proposed experimental study investigated the behavior of a hardened concrete mixture containing coarse aggregates that were up to 8 mm in size, which is rather unusual for 3DCP technology. The resulting direct tensile strength at the layer interface was investigated for various time intervals of deposition from the initial mixing of concrete components. To better understand the material behavior at the layer interface area, computed tomography (CT) scanning was conducted, where the volumetric and area analysis enabled validation of the pore size and count distribution in accordance with the layer deposition process. The analyzed CT data related the macroscopic anisotropy and the resulting crack pattern to the temporal and spatial variability that is inherent to the additive manufacturing process at construction scales while providing additional insights into the porosity formation during the extrusion of the cementitious composite. The observed results contribute to previous investigations in this field by demonstrating the causal relationships, namely, how the interface strength development is determined by time, deposition process, and pore size distribution. Moreover, in regard to the printability of the proposed coarse aggregate mixture, the specific time interval is presented and its interplay with interface roughness and porosity is discussed.

This study predicts the shear strength of steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) members at elevated temperature using numerical modelling. The authors derived the stress-strain relation in the pure shear mode at ambient temperature based on a damage model calibrated at ambient and elevated temperatures. The model was validated on the special experimental arrangement for the pure shear mode of the SFRC in torsion. These results enables to determine the stress-strain diagram at elevated temperature. The shear strength of SFRC is compared with the compressive and tensile strength and used to observe reasons for experimentally observed failure model. The work is a part of comprehensive project focused on development of design models for the steel and SFRC composite columns with circular hollow section (CHS) at elevated temperature. Research includes two levels accuracy/complexity, allowing simplified or advanced approach to design following the coming changes in European standard for composite member design in fire, EN1994-1-2:2021. Experimental studies of the project include mechanical material tests of heated fibre-concrete samples in tension and compression, thermal uniform and non-uniform tests of insulated fragments of CHS and tests of full scale SFRC CHS columns in steady-state and transient-state regimes. Developing advanced FEM simulation of global mechanical behaviour of SFRC CHS columns is a multi-levelled composite mechanical and thermo-model and provide numerous numerical experiments. Together with steel material model in fire, validated FEM model of mechanical behaviour of fibre-reinforce concrete at elevated temperature is performed. Validated simplified and advanced thermal model of SFRC in CHS at elevated temperature gives temperature fields and moisture distribution inside section which depends on direction, heat flux, sizes and gives possibility to model different fire cases of full-scale columns in bending, shear, and buckling at elevated temperature. Proposed analytical and simplified FEM mechanical model of column is taking into account degradation of mechanical properties, analytical models of transfer of heat inside the column section and provides simple solutions for designers.

Long-term traffic restrictions belong to the key disadvantages of conventional cast-in-plane concrete pavements which have been used for technical structures such as roads, parking place and airfield pavements. As a consequence, the pressure is put on the development of such systems which have short construction time, low production costs, long-term durability, low maintenance requirements etc.. The paper presents the first step in the development of an entirely new precast concrete pavement (PCP) system applicable to airfield and highway pavements. The main objective of the review of PCP systems is to acquire a better understanding of the current systems and design methods used for transport infrastructure. There is lack of information on using PCP systems for the construction of entirely new pavements. To most extensive experience is dated back to the 20 th century when hexagonal slab panels and system PAG were used in the Soviet Union for the military airfields. Since cast-in-situ pavements became more common, the systems based on precast concrete panels have been mainly utilized for the removal of damaged sections of existing structures including roads, highways etc.. Namely, it concerns Fort Miller Super Slab system, Michigan system, Uretek Stitch system and Kwik system. The presented review indicates several issues associated with the listed PCP systems and their applications to the repair and rehabilitation of existing structures. Among others, the type of manufacturing technology, particularly the position of slots for dowel bars, affects the durability and performance of the systems. Gathered information serve for the development of a new system for airfield and highway pavement construction.

The recent development in technology of production and transportation of steel fibre-reinforced concrete enables its utilization in composite steel-concrete structures. This work is a part of a project which focuses on development of mechanical behaviour of circular hollow section (CHS) composite steel and fibre-concrete (SFRC) columns at elevate temperature. Research includes two levels of accuracy/complexity, allowing simplified or advanced approach for design that follows upcoming changes in European standard for composite member design in fire EN1994-1-2 [1]. One part is dedicated to determination and description of flexural stiffness of the SFRC CHS columns. To determinate flexural stiffness were prepared series of pure bending tests at elevated and ambient temperature. Presented paper focuses on the results of the tests and determination of flexural stiffness at ambient temperature. Obtained outputs were compared to data of existing studies about concrete-filled tube members with plain concrete and values analytically calculated according to the existing European standard EN1994-1-1 [2].

Although concrete when subject to fire performs very well, its behaviour and properties change dramatically under high temperature due to damaged microstructure and mesostructure. As fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) represents a complex material composed of various components with different response to high temperature, to determine its behaviour and mechanical properties in fire is a demanding task. The presented paper provides a summary of findings on the fire response of fibre FRC. Namely, the information on steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC), synthetic fibre reinforced concrete and hybrid (steel + synthetic) fibre reinforced concrete have been gathered from various contributions published up to date. The mechanical properties including the melting point and ignition point of fibres affect significantly the properties of concrete composites with addition of fibres. The combination of steel and synthetic fibres represents a promising alternative how to ensure good toughness of a concrete composite before heating and improve its residual mechanical behaviour and spalling resistance as well as the ductility after heating. While synthetic fibres increase concrete spalling resistance, steel fibres in a concrete mix leads to an improvement in both mechanical properties and resistance to heating effects.

In the paper, a gas-fired radiant heater system for testing of structural elements and materials at elevated temperatures is described. The applicability of the system is illustrated on an example of the heat transfer experiment on a hybrid fibre reinforced concrete-steel composite column specimen. The results obtained during the test are closely analysed by common data visualization techniques. The experiment is simulated by a mathematical model of heat transfer, assuming the material data of the concrete determined by in-house measurements. The measured and calculated data are compared and discussed.

Purpose: This work aims to present an experimental study of steel fibre-reinforced concrete (SFRC) subjected to high temperature, especially focusing on residual behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: Compressive strength and split tensile strength of SFRC cubes and ultimate bending strength of prisms were evaluated under ambient and elevated temperatures. The specimens were heated by ceramic heaters and then repacked for testing. Findings: The results showed that a compressive strength of SFRC is reduced by 38 and 66 per cent, tensile strength is reduced by 25 and 59 per cent and ultimate bending force is reduced by 33 and 56 per cent in case of 400°C and 600°C, respectively, comparing with ambient temperature. Originality value: The developed testing procedure could be used for determination of material properties of SFRC under elevated temperatures.

The building industry offers a wide range of materials which can be used for the production of various structural elements. Fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) is a material which is more frequently utilized for concrete structures. The reason is its physical and mechanical properties which contribute to traditional concrete elements and structures various economical benefits such as structure subtlety, part or full elimination of conventional reinforcement, resistance to mechanical loading and surrounding environment. Therefore, it is necessary to search for appropriate structures where the benefits of FRC could be used. First of all it is necessary to seek for structures which owing to their geometry and intended use seem to be appropriate for FRC application. It can be either new structural elements or existing structural elements made of a different material. During a material optimization there are many parameters to take into account which include production costs, manufacturing technology, structural behaviour, ultimate bearing capacity and durability of proposed member. The efficiency of material optimization is determined by comparing these parameters. While it is relatively easy and cost efficient to determine and evaluate the production costs, structure durability and manufacturing technology, to describe the structural behaviour of innovative elements is a complex task. However there are many sophisticated software which are capable to accurately simulate the behaviour of structural elements by using modern computational methods. At the end of feasibility study, experimental testing is conducted on full-scale pilot elements with the aim to verify their real behaviour as well as to optimize the computational model. As a result, many innovative FRC based structural elements have been developed at Czech Technical University in Prague in cooperation with construction companies.