The review outlines modern trends in theoretical developments, novel designs and modern applications of sandwich structures. The most recent work published at the time of writing of this review is considered, older sources are listed only on as-needed basis. The review begins with the discussion on the analytical models and methods of analysis of sandwich structures as well as representative problems utilizing or comparing these models. Novel designs of sandwich structures is further elucidated concentrating on miscellaneous cores, introduction of nanotubes and smart materials in the elements of a sandwich structure as well as using functionally graded designs. Examples of problems experienced by developers and designers of sandwich structures, including typical damage, response under miscellaneous loads, environmental effects and fire are considered. Sample applications of sandwich structures included in the review concentrate on aerospace, civil and marine engineering, electronics and biomedical areas. Finally, the authors suggest a list of areas where they envision a pressing need in further research.

Review of current trends in research and applications of sandwich structures

Disposal of waste tire rubber has become a major environmental issue in all parts of the world. Every year millions of tires are discarded, thrown away or buried all over the world, representing a very serious threat to the ecology. It was estimated that almost 1000 million tires end their service life every year and out of that, more than 50% are discarded to landfills or garbage without any treatment. By the year 2030, there would be 5000 million tires to be discarded on a regular basis. Tire burning, which was the easiest and cheapest method of disposal, causes serious fire hazards. Temperature in that area rises and the poisonous smoke with uncontrolled emissions of potentially harmful compounds is very dangerous to humans, animals and plants. The residue powder left after burning pollutes the soil. One of the possible solutions for the use of waste tire rubber is to incorporate into cement concrete. This paper presents an overview of some of the research published regarding the fresh and hardened properties of rubberized concrete. Studies show that there is a promising future for the use of waste tire rubber as a partial substitute for aggregate in cement concrete. It was noticed from literatures that workable concrete mixtures can be made with scrap tire rubber and it is possible to make light weight rubber aggregate concrete for some special purposes. Rubberized concrete shows high resistance to freeze-thaw, acid attack and chloride ion penetration. Use of silica fume in rubberized concrete enables to achieve high strength and high resistance to sulfate, acid and chloride environments.

A comprehensive review on the applications of waste tire rubber in cement concrete

Seismic Design and Retrofit of Bridges

Workability and mechanical properties of alkali-activated fly ash-slag concrete cured at ambient temperature

Waste tyres and their accumulation is a global environmental concern; they are not biodegradable, and, globally, an estimated 1.5 billion are generated annually. Waste tyres in landfill and stockpiles are renowned for leaching toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment, acting as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and fuelling inextinguishable fires. The properties of waste tyre rubber and engineering applications have been previously reported in a range of publications with respect to the environmental, economic, and technical factors. This study compiles and reviews this research with a focus on geotechnical engineering applications, such as earthworks and infrastructure construction. The applications of waste rubber in construction materials includes cementitious concrete, asphalt concrete, and granular materials for earth structures. Crumb rubber, when used as a sand replacement in flowable concrete fill, improved ductility and strength-to-weight ratio. A 40 MPa concrete mix with 0.6% rubber crumb content exhibited optimal strength and air entrainment capabilities, displaying minimal damage after 56 freeze/thaw cycles. Rubber, as a partial replacement for aggregate in road base and sub-base layers, adversely affected the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of the graded aggregate base course. Rubber-soil mixtures as the interface of foundation and structure yielded a 60–70 % reduction in vertical and horizontal ground accelerations when subjected to earthquake simulation modelling. There is concern regarding the toxicity of waste rubber incorporated products due to leachates of heavy metals and other chemicals common in tyres. Further comprehensive studies in this area are needed. Leachate studies should be conducted under different pH and liquid to solid ratios.

Recycling waste rubber tyres in construction materials and associated environmental considerations: A review

This article presents dynamic tests of three damage-resistant segmental hollow-core bridge columns with posttensioned unbonded strands. One column was constructed without energy dissipaters...

Shaking Table Testing of Segmental Hollow-Core FRP-Concrete-Steel Bridge Columns

This manuscript discusses the design parameters that potentially affect the lateral seismic response of segmental precast post-tensioned bridge piers. The piers consist of precast circular cross section segments stacked one on top of the other with concentric tendons passing through ducts made in the segments during casting. The bottommost segments of the piers were encased in steel tubes to enhance ductility and minimize damage. An FE model was used to investigate different design parameters and how they influence the lateral force — displacement response of the piers. Design parameters investigated included the initial post-tensioning stress as a percentage of the tendon yield stress, the applied axial stresses on concrete due to post-tensioning, pier aspect ratios, construction details, steel tube thicknesses, and internal mild steel rebar added as energy dissipaters. Based on the data presented, an initial tendon stress in the range of 40%–60% of its yield stress and initial axial stress on concrete of approximately 20% of the concrete’s characteristic strength is appropriate for most typical designs. These design values will prevent tendon yielding until lateral drift angle reaches approximately 4.5%. Changing the steel tube thickness, height, or a combination of both proved to be an effective parameter that may be used to reach a target performance level at a specific seismic zone.

Factors affecting the seismic behavior of segmental precast bridge columns

Mechanical Characterization of Concrete Masonry Units Manufactured with Crumb Rubber Aggregate

The behavior of concrete-filled fiber tubes (CFFT) polymers under axial compressive loading was investigated. Unlike the traditional fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) such as carbon, glass, aramid, etc., the FRP tubes in this study were designed using large rupture strains FRP which are made of recycled materials such as plastic bottles; hence, large rupture strain (LRS) FRP composites are environmentally friendly and can be used in the context of green construction. This study performed finite element (FE) analysis using LS-DYNA software to conduct an extensive parametric study on CFFT. The effects of the FRP confinement ratio, the unconfined concrete compressive strength ( ), column size, and column aspect ratio on the behavior of the CFFT under axial compressive loading were investigated during this study. A comparison between the behavior of the CFFTs with LRS-FRP and those with traditional FRP (carbon and glass) with a high range of confinement ratios was conducted as well. A new hybrid FRP system combined with traditional and LRS-FRP is proposed. Generally, the CFFTs with LRS-FRP showed remarkable behavior under axial loading in strength and ultimate strain. Equations to estimate the concrete dilation parameter and dilation angle of the CFFTs with LRS-FRP tubes and hybrid FRP tubes are suggested.

/pdf/concrete-filled-large-deformable-frp-tubular-columns-under-4zovi3196u.pdf

Concrete-Filled-Large Deformable FRP Tubular Columns under Axial Compressive Loading

This paper presents the evaluation of an innovative low-cost small-scale prototype deck panel under monotonic and fatigue bending. This new system introduces a trapezoidal-shaped polyurethane foam core with a thermoset polyurethane resin that has a longer pot life to facilitate the infusion process. The proposed panel exhibited a higher structural performance in terms of flexural stiffness, strength, and shear stiffness. The panels consist of two glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) facings with webs of bidirectional E-glass–woven fabric that are separated by a trapezoidal-shaped low-density polyurethane foam. The GFRP panels were manufactured using a one-step vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process. The specimens studied were constructed in the Composite Manufacturing Laboratory in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Small-scale prototype deck panels were tested both statically and dynamically in four-point bending to inves...

/pdf/testing-and-evaluation-of-polyurethane-based-gfrp-sandwich-3yk0iz821t.pdf

Mohamed A. ElGawady

Papers

Shaking Table Testing of Segmental Hollow-Core FRP-Concrete-Steel Bridge Columns

Factors affecting the seismic behavior of segmental precast bridge columns

Mechanical Characterization of Concrete Masonry Units Manufactured with Crumb Rubber Aggregate

Concrete-Filled-Large Deformable FRP Tubular Columns under Axial Compressive Loading

Testing and Evaluation of Polyurethane-Based GFRP Sandwich Bridge Deck Panels with Polyurethane Foam Core