This article presents experimental research on the moisture diffusivity in wood within the range of hygroscopic moisture. This research was carried out on samples of three types of trees: Scots pine, small-leaved linden and pedunculate oak. It included measurements of kinetics of moisture adsorption within the range of air relative humidity from 25% to 85%. For each type of wood, the experiment was carried out with unidirectional flow of moisture, in each of the material principal orthotropic directions, by examining the diffusion coefficient along the fibres, in the tangential direction and in the radial direction. Values of moisture diffusion coefficients and mass surface emission coefficient were found with the use of method of minimizing the objective function, that is, by fitting the computational adsorption kinetics curves to the experimental ones. At the same time, three cases of variations of the moisture diffusion coefficient together with moisture content of the material have been analysed each time: in the form of a constant, linear function and a quadratic function, assuming a constant value of mass surface emission coefficient on the absorbing surface of samples. The performed calculations allowed determining whether the moisture diffusion coefficients have extreme values within the analysed range of moisture content and what is the impact of various diffusion mechanisms on the whole process of transferring moisture in the considered cases.
The accuracy of transmission ultrasonic tomography for the detection of brittle damage in concrete beams can be effectively supported by the graph theory and, in particular, by Dijkstra’s algorithm. It allows determining real paths of the fastest ultrasonic wave propagation in concrete containing localized elastically degraded zones at any stage of their evolution. This work confronts this type of approach with results that can be obtained from non-local isotropic damage mechanics. On this basis, the authors developed a method of reducing errors in tomographic reconstruction of longitudinal wave velocity maps which are caused by using the simplifying assumptions of straightness of the fastest wave propagation paths. The method is based on the appropriate elongation of measured propagation times of the wave transmitted between opposite sending-receiving transducers if the actual propagation paths deviate from straight lines. Thanks to this, the mathematical apparatus used typically in the tomography, in which the straightness of the fastest paths is assumed, can be still used. The work considers also the aspect of using fictitious wave sending-receiving points in ultrasonic tomography for which wave propagation times are calculated by interpolation of measured ones. The considerations are supported by experimental research conducted on laboratory reinforced concrete (RC) beams in the test of three-point bending and a prefabricated damaged RC beam.
The method of assessment of the “skin effect” for chloride ingress into concrete has been proposed, based on the inverse problem for the identification of at-surface variability of chloride diffusivity under fully saturated conditions. For this purpose, experimental results of 180-day diffusion tests of five types of concrete were used, which allowed the calculation of their chloride apparent diffusivity (taking into account the chloride binding by the cement matrix) and effective diffusivity (relating to the transport of free chloride ions in the pore liquid). The tested concrete samples with a water to cement ratio of 0.5 differed only in the type of cement (high early strength Portland, low-alkali normal early strength Portland, ash Portland, blast furnace, and pozzolanic). In order to effectively describe the chloride binding isotherm, a first-degree non-uniform spline function was used. Finally, the “skin effect” depth at the untreated outer surface of the concrete samples was estimated up to about 5 mm when analyzing space variability of apparent chloride diffusivity for four types of concrete with low-alkali normal early strength Portland, ash Portland, blast furnace, and pozzolanic cement. In this respect, the “skin effect” on the concrete with high early strength Portland cement was not detected.
The article describes four-point bending tests of three reinforced concrete beams with identical cross-sections, spans, and high-ductility steel reinforcement systems. Two beams were strengthened in the compressed section with a thin layer of reactive powder concrete (RPC) bonded with evenly spaced stirrups. Their remaining sections, and the third reference beam, were made of ordinary concrete. Measurements of their deflections, strains and axis curvature; ultrasonic tests; and a photogrammetric analysis of the beams are the main results of the study. For one of the beams with the RPC, the load was increased in one stage. For the two remaining beams, the load was applied in four stages, increasing the maximum load from stage to stage in order to allow the analysis of the damage evolution before reaching the bending resistance. The most important effect observed was the stable behaviour of the strengthened beams in the post-critical state, as opposed to the reference beam, which had about two to three times less energy-absorbing capacity in this range. Moreover, thanks to the use of the RPC layer, the process of concrete cover delamination in the compression zone was significantly reduced, the high ductility of the rebars was fully utilized during the formation of plastic hinges, and the bending capacity was increased by approximately 12%.
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