Mithila Achintha

Continuous edge supports, clamp fixings, friction joints, glass–bolted joints and adhesive connections are discussed in this chapter, including key mechanistic

Progress in the development of “Structural glass” Eurocode with details of the completed three main pre-Eurocode publications so far, JRC Scientific and Policy

Development of validated finite element (FE) models for the stress analysis for ULS and SLS design of glass members representative of applications in buildings

The chapter presents structural and material aspects of glass member design as per the forthcoming “Eurocode 10 – Design of glass structures”, considering the

The chapter shows that residual stresses of magnitudes less than 10 MPa are formed in annealed glass during the manufacturing process, whilst residual stresses

This chapter presents the use of glass as a material in buildings, including the details of manufacturing of flat glass sheets using the float process. Common

This introductory chapter demonstrates the existence of natural glasses and the historical development of manufactured glasses with a focus on manufactured flat

This paper details an experimental investigation into the behaviour of pultruded glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) hollow section panels subject to concentrated load, such panels are commonly used in highway bridge decks. In addition to plain GFRP panels, the influence of polymer concrete overlays acting compositely with the GFRP section is also explored. As comparatively thin-walled elements, GFRP components can be vulnerable to localised failures that may arise from concentrated loads. The strategic use of concrete toppings, acting compositely with the GFRP component, can enhance the section’s resistance to such local failures as well as enhancing the overall flexural capacity and stiffness. Currently, no punching shear data on closed form pultruded composite GFRP-concrete deck components are readily available in the existing literature. To address this, six pultruded GFRP deck components (338 mm x 600 mm x 80 mm) were investigated experimentally under concentrated, monotonic load, including two plain panels, two with a 15 mm polymer concrete topping and two with a 30 mm topping. In comparison to the plain GFRP panel, a 67% and 280% increase in ultimate load capacity was observed with addition of the 15 mm and 30 mm polymer concrete topping respectively. In parallel, corresponding increases in initial stiffness of 60% and 199% up to the peak load were observed, demonstrating a good degree of composite action. In the case of the panels with toppings, the onset of punching shear was delayed in comparison to plain panels. For all the cases examined with toppings, no significant de-bonding of the polymer concrete from the GFRP substrate was observed, indicating the suitability of directly bonded toppings in this scenario.

Seawater and sea sand as constituents in concrete are valuable alternatives to freshwater and river sand. Further, the use of seawater and sea sand in projects located in the proximity of a sea/ocean can reduce the overall project cost and lower the carbon footprint. Nevertheless, seawater contains high concentrations of chloride (Cl⁻), sulphate (SO₄²⁻) and magnesium (Mg²⁺), which can react with tricalcium aluminate (C₃A) in cement and the byproduct calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂), and form Friedel’s salt, delayed ettringite and brucite, respectively. These chemical compounds are aggressive and can degrade the strength and durability of the concrete. Differences in the physical properties of sea sand compared to river sand can also lead to weak and porous concrete. In reinforced concrete, steel bars are susceptible to corrosion due to the formation of corrosion products as a result of high concentrations of Cl⁻. Whilst mitigation strategies such as the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcements have been investigated in the literature, no validated method that enables the use of concrete with seawater and sea sand has been established. Based on research reported in the literature, the present study investigates the chemistry, strength and microstructure of concrete mixed with seawater and sea sand as a means of establishing their use in concrete without compromising the properties of the concrete. The study shows that the compressive strength of seawater–sea sand mixed concrete (SWSSC) is increased in the short term (up to 28 days) due to the formation of additional chemical compounds in the former. However, the long-term (i.e., beyond 28 days) compressive strength of concrete reduces by up to 20% after one year due to the weakening of the microstructure (more flaws/expansions), which further reduces the durability of the reinforced concrete. Although the long-term degradation of SWSSC has been noticed, the underlying causes are not fully understood. The present critical review study provides chemical and microstructural insight into the degradation of concrete with seawater and sea sand, and the current developing understanding is used to develop a mitigation strategy towards the use of seawater and sea sand in real-world concrete applications.