Several stress-strain models were used to predict the strengths of steel fiber reinforced concrete, which are distinctive of the material. However, insufficient research has been done on the influence of hybrid fiber combinations (comprising two or more distinct fibers) on the characteristics of concrete. For this reason, the researchers conducted an experimental program to determine the stress-strain relationship of 30 concrete samples reinforced with two distinct fibers (a hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol and steel fibers), with compressive strengths ranging from 40 to 120 MPa. A total of 80 % of the experimental results were used to develop a new empirical stress-strain model, which was accomplished through the application of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) tech-nique. It was discovered in this investigation that the new stress-strain model predictions are consistent with the remaining 20% of the experimental stress-strain curves obtained. Case studies of hybrid–fiber–reinforced concrete constructions were investigated in order to better understand the behavior of such elements. The data revealed that the proposed model has the highest absolute relative error (ARE) frequencies (ARE10 % and the lowest absolute relative error (ARE > 15 %) frequencies (ARE > 15 %).

For more than a decade, externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites successfully utilized in retrofitting reinforced concrete structural elements. The function of CFRP reinforcement in increasing the ductility of reinforced concrete (RC) beam is essential in such members. Flexural and shear behaviors, ductility, and confinement were the main studied properties that used the CFRP as a strengthening material. However, limited attention has been paid to investigate the energy absorption of torsion strengthening of concrete members, especially two-span concrete beams. Hence, the target of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of CFRP-strengthening technique with regard to energy absorption of two-span RC beams subjected to pure torsion. The experimental program comprises the investigation of two groups; the first group comprises eight un-strengthened beam specimens, while the second group consists of eight strengthened beam specimens tested under torsional forces. The energy absorption capacity measured from the area under the curve of torque-angle of twist for tested beams. Two parameters were studied, the influence of concrete compressive strength and the angle of a twist. Experimental results indicated that all beams wrapped with CFRP sheet display superior torsional energy absorption capacity compared to the control specimens. The energy absorption may consider as a safety index for the torsional capacity of two-span RC beams under service loadings. Therefore, it is possible to avoid structural as well as material damages by understanding the concept of energy absorption that is one of the important experimental findings presented in this study.

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The use of fiber-reinforced self-consolidating concrete (FR-SCC) in repairing damaged concrete beams has been evaluated. An experimental program was conducted to design and test key fresh and hardened properties of SCC and FR-SCC mixtures. The designed FR-SCC mixtures included two types of supplementary cementitious materials (silica fume (SF) and slag (SL)) and two types of fibers (steel fiber (STF) and polypropylene fiber (PPF)) were used. To ensure good workability to repair congested areas, the optimized volume fractions of the STF were 0.25% and 0.50% compared with 0.10%, 0.15%, and 0.20% for the PPF. In addition, the flexural behavior of 10 beam specimens was investigated. The main reinforcement for the control beams consisted of #5 reinforcing bars, while the main reinforcement for the repaired beams was either #4 or #3 reinforcing bars that were introduced to simulate 35% and 65% reduction of the bar areas, respectively, due to corrosion. The results demonstrate that the optimized FR-SCC mixtures are effective repair materials and can develop adequate bond strength to existing concrete. The flexural test results showed that the repair mixtures were able to increase the cracking load for the repaired beams compared with the control beams. Such an increase is expected to contribute to extending the life of the damaged member or structure at the service load level. This paper also presents a comparison of the predicted values for the first-crack load strength using the ACI 544 code equation with the experimental data. Results showed that the code equation provides safe prediction.