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This paper analyzes the autogenous self-healing capacity of early-age Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced concretes (UHPFRCs) by measuring the crack closure and the possible mechanical recovery on healed specimens. The main parameters considered in this research were the healing exposure conditions (humidity chamber, immersion in tap water, immersion in seawater and heat curing) and the precracking levels (microcracks and macrocracks). For the microcrack level, four-point bending tests were performed on prismatic specimens (100 × 100 × 500 mm3) obtaining a multiple cracking pattern characterized by crack widths ranged from 10 to 20 µm. Whereas for the macrocrack level (behavior after crack localization), splitting tests were carried out on notched cubic specimens (100 × 100 × 100 mm3) obtaining crack widths of up to 0.4 mm. For both precracking levels, specimens were precracked at two days and were cured for one month in the mentioned exposure conditions. Healing products were analyzed on the specimen surface and also inside the cracks; to this purpose, their microstructure was analyzed by means of SEM and EDS analyses. The results have shown that the highest crack closure values were obtained for the heat-cured specimens and for the specimens immersed in water (tap water and seawater) whereas the less efficient condition was the humidity chamber.
Estefania Cuenca; Pedro Serna. Autogenous Self-Healing Capacity of Early-Age Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3061 .
AMA StyleEstefania Cuenca, Pedro Serna. Autogenous Self-Healing Capacity of Early-Age Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3061.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefania Cuenca; Pedro Serna. 2021. "Autogenous Self-Healing Capacity of Early-Age Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3061.
The requirements on service life of reinforced concrete structures, as prescribed by design codes, may be difficult to be fulfilled in highly aggressive environments such as marine ones, in which premature degradation is most likely to occur. In the aforementioned situations, to avoid expensive repair activities, different protective systems, including, among the others, self-healing concrete, could be adopted. Researchers have found self-healing as a way to face degradation problems in chloride-rich environments. If a significant degree of crack sealing can be achieved, the physical properties of a cracked element can trend back to those of an identical uncracked element, which may also result in a slower penetration rate of aggressive substances. The main problem in exploiting this methodology is related to its reliability. In this context, an experimental program aimed at investigating the effectiveness of crystalline admixtures as healing stimulating agent in chloride-rich environments was carried out. The influence of the exposure conditions on the compressive strength development and on its recovery in predamaged specimens was first analyzed. Afterwards, crack sealing and chloride permeability of sealed cracks were evaluated for specimens continuously immersed or subjected to wet/dry cycles in a 16.5% NaCl aqueous solution. Both an enhanced recovery of compressive strength and an improved crack sealing ability were observed for samples containing the healing agent. A microstructure study of the healing products was conducted by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis as well.
Estefanía Cuenca; Stefano Rigamonti; Enricomaria Gastaldo Brac; Liberato Ferrara. Crystalline Admixture as Healing Promoter in Concrete Exposed to Chloride-Rich Environments: Experimental Study. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 2021, 33, 04020491 .
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca, Stefano Rigamonti, Enricomaria Gastaldo Brac, Liberato Ferrara. Crystalline Admixture as Healing Promoter in Concrete Exposed to Chloride-Rich Environments: Experimental Study. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 2021; 33 (3):04020491.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca; Stefano Rigamonti; Enricomaria Gastaldo Brac; Liberato Ferrara. 2021. "Crystalline Admixture as Healing Promoter in Concrete Exposed to Chloride-Rich Environments: Experimental Study." Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 33, no. 3: 04020491.
The effects of alumina nano-fibres are investigated in this paper on the mechanical performance of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Concrete and their efficacy in enhancing the durability of the cementitious composite when exposed to extremely aggressive conditions, with main reference to the stimulated autogenous crack sealing and self-healing capacity. A tailored characterization of the flexural and tensile behaviour of the composite has been first of all performed, also with the purpose of validating an experimental and analytical approach for the identification of the tensile stress vs. strain/crack opening constitutive relationship, which makes use of a purposely conceived indirect tensile test methodology, called Double Edge Wedge Splitting test. Secondly the crack sealing and self-healing capacity have been investigated, considering the recovery of both mechanical flexural performance and durability properties (water permeability) and cross analysing the results for a thorough validation. Microstructural investigations have complemented the aforementioned experimental programme to confirm the efficacy of alumina nano-fibres in enhancing the durability performance of the investigated composites. Superior performance of the mix with alumina nano-fibres with respect to parent companion ones has been highlighted and explained through both a nano-scale reinforcing effects which helps in controlling the cracking process since its very onset as well as through their hydrophilic nature which is likely to foster cement and binder hydration reactions, which can usefully stimulate crack sealing and performance healing recovery at both the macroscopic and mesoscopic fibre-matrix interface) level.
Estefania Cuenca; Leonardo D'Ambrosio; Dennis Lizunov; Aleksei Tretjakov; Olga Volobujeva; Liberato Ferrara. Mechanical properties and self-healing capacity of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete with alumina nano-fibres: Tailoring Ultra High Durability Concrete for aggressive exposure scenarios. Cement and Concrete Composites 2021, 118, 103956 .
AMA StyleEstefania Cuenca, Leonardo D'Ambrosio, Dennis Lizunov, Aleksei Tretjakov, Olga Volobujeva, Liberato Ferrara. Mechanical properties and self-healing capacity of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete with alumina nano-fibres: Tailoring Ultra High Durability Concrete for aggressive exposure scenarios. Cement and Concrete Composites. 2021; 118 ():103956.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefania Cuenca; Leonardo D'Ambrosio; Dennis Lizunov; Aleksei Tretjakov; Olga Volobujeva; Liberato Ferrara. 2021. "Mechanical properties and self-healing capacity of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete with alumina nano-fibres: Tailoring Ultra High Durability Concrete for aggressive exposure scenarios." Cement and Concrete Composites 118, no. : 103956.
After several decades of research studies, design rules for fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) are now available for several structural elements. Starting from standard tests, it is possible to determine design parameters and constitutive laws to perform simplified sectional verifications and/or numerical analyses. However, one of the main issues still open is represented by the fiber orientation in the real structure that could be different from the one present in standard tests. For this reason, building codes take into account orientation factors to modify the standard material properties. The present paper aims to shed some new lights on the effects of the orientation of steel and macro‐synthetic fibers on the local variability of FRC residual strength properties in slabs made with two concretes: Vibrated (slump of 80 ± 20 mm, V‐FRC) and self‐compacting concrete (slump flow diameter of 700 ± 50 mm, SC‐FRC). In V‐FRC slabs, the orientation of polymer fibers was more influenced by pouring and compaction process compared to steel ones. In SC‐FRC slabs, the flow and wall effects resulted more significant when long steel fibers were used. The post‐cracking performances locally determined in different points of slabs were compared against the ones obtained on standard beams as well. Finally, the global response of these slabs was numerically studied by considering two different support configurations: simply‐supported slabs and slabs on grade.
Antonio Conforti; Estefania Cuenca; Raúl Zerbino; Giovanni A. Plizzari. Influence of fiber orientation on the behavior of fiber reinforced concrete slabs. Structural Concrete 2021, 22, 1831 -1844.
AMA StyleAntonio Conforti, Estefania Cuenca, Raúl Zerbino, Giovanni A. Plizzari. Influence of fiber orientation on the behavior of fiber reinforced concrete slabs. Structural Concrete. 2021; 22 (3):1831-1844.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Conforti; Estefania Cuenca; Raúl Zerbino; Giovanni A. Plizzari. 2021. "Influence of fiber orientation on the behavior of fiber reinforced concrete slabs." Structural Concrete 22, no. 3: 1831-1844.
More than one century after its massive introduction in the building industry, concrete is still the most popular building material. Nevertheless, several critical infrastructures show severe signs of distress. This fact fostered, in recent years, the need of rethinking the design process of concrete structures, in view of reducing maintenance costs and extending their service life. This work has been performed in the framework of the H2020 project ReSHEALience (GA760824). The main idea behind the project is that the long-term behaviour of structures under extremely aggressive exposure conditions can highly benefit from the use of high performance materials, in the framework of durability-based design approaches. The project will tailor the composition of Ultra High Durability Concrete (UHDC), by upgrading the High-Performance Cementitious Composite/High-Performance Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Composite (HPCC/HPFRCC) concept through the incorporation of tailored nanoscale constituents focusing, among the others, on stimulating the autogenous self-healing capacity. This work shows the effectiveness of the aforementioned concept achieved through the incorporation in a reference HPFRCC of three types of nano-constituents: alumina nanofibers (0.25% by weight of cement), cellulose nanocrystals (0.15% by weight of cement) and cellulose nano-fibrils (0.15% by weight of cement). The influence of the nano-constituents has been analysed in terms of mechanical properties, such as flexural and compressive strength and on shrinkage and durability properties, analysed by means of sorptivity tests on un-cracked, cracked and self-healed specimens with reference to selected aggressive exposure scenarios representative of intended engineering applications of the investigated materials.
Estefania Cuenca; Alessandro Mezzena; Liberato Ferrara. Synergy between crystalline admixtures and nano-constituents in enhancing autogenous healing capacity of cementitious composites under cracking and healing cycles in aggressive waters. Construction and Building Materials 2020, 266, 121447 .
AMA StyleEstefania Cuenca, Alessandro Mezzena, Liberato Ferrara. Synergy between crystalline admixtures and nano-constituents in enhancing autogenous healing capacity of cementitious composites under cracking and healing cycles in aggressive waters. Construction and Building Materials. 2020; 266 ():121447.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefania Cuenca; Alessandro Mezzena; Liberato Ferrara. 2020. "Synergy between crystalline admixtures and nano-constituents in enhancing autogenous healing capacity of cementitious composites under cracking and healing cycles in aggressive waters." Construction and Building Materials 266, no. : 121447.
Design code prescritpions on the service life of ordinary reinforced concrete structures may be difficult to be fulfilled in highly aggressive environments, in which premature degradation of the structural performance is most likely to occur. In these situations, in order to avoid expensive repair activities, advanced systems such as self-healing concrete could be adopted. In the last decade, researchers started to look at this functionality as a way to solve degradation problems in chloride-laden environments.
Estefanía Cuenca; E. M. Gastaldo Brac; S. Rigamonti; V. Violante; L. Ferrara. Self-healing Stimulated by Crystalline Admixtures in Chloride Rich Environments: Is It Possible to Extend the Structure Service Life? High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites 6 2020, 141 -147.
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca, E. M. Gastaldo Brac, S. Rigamonti, V. Violante, L. Ferrara. Self-healing Stimulated by Crystalline Admixtures in Chloride Rich Environments: Is It Possible to Extend the Structure Service Life? High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites 6. 2020; ():141-147.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca; E. M. Gastaldo Brac; S. Rigamonti; V. Violante; L. Ferrara. 2020. "Self-healing Stimulated by Crystalline Admixtures in Chloride Rich Environments: Is It Possible to Extend the Structure Service Life?" High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites 6 , no. : 141-147.
Fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) increases shear capacity mainly by providing post-cracking residual strengths and by improving the aggregate interlock mechanism on the two crack faces. Hence, direct shear tests can be adopted to study the shear transfer mechanisms across a crack. Several researches studied the behaviour of steel fibre reinforced concrete by means of shear tests initially developed for plain concrete (PC). Due to an increased heterogeneity of material (caused by a random fibre distribution) and the need to carry out the test up to a higher crack width (Mode I) and slip (Mode II), tests on FRC are more difficult as compared to PC and the issue related to the rotation of the cracking plane is more likely to develop. In addition, other fibre types or materials different than ordinary concrete have not been studied in depth so far. In this context, the present study firstly evaluates the influence of rigid (steel) and non-rigid (polypropylene) fibres on the direct shear behaviour of ordinary concrete (considering a broad range of FRC toughness). To do this, the modified JSCE SF6 test was improved by avoiding friction and by providing a steel system to control rotations. Secondly, the direct shear behaviour of alkali activated concrete (AAC) reinforced by steel fibres was compared against ordinary FRC in order to underline possible differences. Experimental results showed that, under direct shear tests, the fibre influence on the shear stresses transferred across a crack is only related to FRC toughness and not to fibre type (rigid or non-rigid). AAC also showed to have a shear behaviour comparable to ordinary concrete.
Estefania Cuenca; Antonio Conforti; Linda Monfardini; Fausto Minelli. Shear transfer across a crack in ordinary and alkali activated concrete reinforced by different fibre types. Materials and Structures 2020, 53, 1 -15.
AMA StyleEstefania Cuenca, Antonio Conforti, Linda Monfardini, Fausto Minelli. Shear transfer across a crack in ordinary and alkali activated concrete reinforced by different fibre types. Materials and Structures. 2020; 53 (2):1-15.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefania Cuenca; Antonio Conforti; Linda Monfardini; Fausto Minelli. 2020. "Shear transfer across a crack in ordinary and alkali activated concrete reinforced by different fibre types." Materials and Structures 53, no. 2: 1-15.
This paper is the continuation of a research focused on the assessment of the crack-sealing capacity of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) with crystalline admixtures subjected to repeated cracking-healing cycles. In the first study, the work was focused on the quantitative evaluation of the crack-sealing performance by means of image analysis. To this purpose, crack sealing effectiveness was evaluated as a function of the presence of crystalline admixtures, maximum crack opening, duration of the healing period, exposure conditions (immersion in water, exposure to open-air exposure or wet/dry cycles), fiber orientation and number of cracking and healing cycles. The outcomes of the self-sealing phenomenon were analyzed defining a crack-sealing index calculated from images taken by means of a digital microscope both at the beginning and at the end of each healing exposure period. In this paper, it has been tried to move a step further, correlating the Sealing Index (crack closure in %) with parameters obtained from fracture toughness tests on specimens subjected to repeated cracking-healing cycles, with the aim of quantifying the retention and/or recovery of mechanical properties along the testing path. This is meant to simulate a real structural service scenario, in which a healed crack may reopen and be allowed enough time to re-heal, this repetition of events being likely to occur several times during the structure service life. To this purpose, equivalent tensile stresses (obtained from absorbed energy per unit fracture surface) were determined from nominal tensile stress vs. crack opening displacement curves obtained from a dedicated testing methodology, namely the Double Edge Wedge Splitting (DEWS) tests, and their evolution along the cracking and healing cycles was assessed. Results showed that, an increase of the Sealing Index, i.e. a more effective sealing of the cracks, also results into a slight increase of SFRC toughness performances as a consequence of both the through-crack matrix continuity reconstitution as well as of a likely improved bond between fibers and matrix. The method proposed in the paper can be further employed to build up a data-base in order to establish, through suitable meta-analysis procedure, sound correlation between parameters representative of crack self-sealing and material performance recovery (self-healing).
Estefanía Cuenca; Liberato Ferrara. Fracture toughness parameters to assess crack healing capacity of fiber reinforced concrete under repeated cracking-healing cycles. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 2019, 106, 102468 .
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca, Liberato Ferrara. Fracture toughness parameters to assess crack healing capacity of fiber reinforced concrete under repeated cracking-healing cycles. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics. 2019; 106 ():102468.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca; Liberato Ferrara. 2019. "Fracture toughness parameters to assess crack healing capacity of fiber reinforced concrete under repeated cracking-healing cycles." Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 106, no. : 102468.
The present paper analyses the repeatability of self-healing capacity in fibre reinforced concretes, both autogenous or enhanced by the addition of crystalline admixtures. The behaviour of the investigated concrete mixes was analysed by means of the “Double Edge Wedge Splitting (DEWS)” test, whose configuration and specimen geometry (150x15x50 mm) allow to predetermine the failure plane and the relative orientation of fibres. Initially, specimens were pre-cracked up to a crack width of 0.25 mm, then they were subjected for 1, 3 and 6 months to different exposure conditions, including water immersion, open air exposure and wet/dry cycles After that, specimens were subjected to repeated cracking and healing cycles, alternatively for 1 and 2 months, and up to an overall duration of one year. The crack closure index was evaluated using photogrammetric methods. The results highlighted the potentials of crystalline admixture in guaranteeing a better persistence of the healing performance in the long term and under repeated cracking and curing cycles.
Liberato Ferrara; Estefania Cuenca; Antonio Tejedor; Enricomaria Gastaldo Brac. Performance of concrete with and without crystalline admixtures under repeated cracking/healing cycles. MATEC Web of Conferences 2018, 199, 02016 .
AMA StyleLiberato Ferrara, Estefania Cuenca, Antonio Tejedor, Enricomaria Gastaldo Brac. Performance of concrete with and without crystalline admixtures under repeated cracking/healing cycles. MATEC Web of Conferences. 2018; 199 ():02016.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiberato Ferrara; Estefania Cuenca; Antonio Tejedor; Enricomaria Gastaldo Brac. 2018. "Performance of concrete with and without crystalline admixtures under repeated cracking/healing cycles." MATEC Web of Conferences 199, no. : 02016.
Estefanía Cuenca; Antonio Tejedor; Liberato Ferrara. A methodology to assess crack-sealing effectiveness of crystalline admixtures under repeated cracking-healing cycles. Construction and Building Materials 2018, 179, 619 -632.
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca, Antonio Tejedor, Liberato Ferrara. A methodology to assess crack-sealing effectiveness of crystalline admixtures under repeated cracking-healing cycles. Construction and Building Materials. 2018; 179 ():619-632.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca; Antonio Tejedor; Liberato Ferrara. 2018. "A methodology to assess crack-sealing effectiveness of crystalline admixtures under repeated cracking-healing cycles." Construction and Building Materials 179, no. : 619-632.
Heuristically known at least since the first half of XIX century, the self-healing capacity of cement-based materials has been receiving keen attention from the civil engineering community worldwide in the last decade. As a matter of fact, stimulating and/or engineering the aforementioned functionality via tailored addition and technologies, in order to make it more reliable in an engineering perspective, has been regarded as a viable pathway to enhance the durability of reinforced concrete structures and contribute to increase their service life. Research activities have provided enlightening contributions to understanding the mechanisms of crack self-sealing and healing and have led to the blooming of a number of self-healing stimulating and engineering technologies, whose effectiveness has been soundly proved in the laboratory and, in a few cases, also scaled up to field applications, with ongoing performance monitoring. Nonetheless, the large variety of methodologies employed to assess the effectiveness of the developed self-healing technologies makes it necessary to provide a unified, if not standardized, framework for the validation and comparative evaluation of the same self-healing technologies as above. This is also instrumental to pave the way towards a consistent incorporation of self-healing concepts into structural design and life cycles analysis codified approaches, which can only promote the diffusion of feasible and reliable self-healing technologies into the construction market. In this framework the Working Group 2 of the COST Action CA 15202 “Self-healing as preventive repair of concrete structures – SARCOS” has undertaken the ambitious task reported in this paper. As a matter of fact this state of the art provides a comprehensive and critical review of the experimental methods and techniques, which have been employed to characterize and quantify the self-sealing and/or self-healing capacity of cement-based materials, as well as the effectiveness of the different self-sealing and/or self-healing engineering techniques, together with the methods for the analysis of the chemical composition and intrinsic nature of the self-healing products. The review will also address the correlation, which can be established between crack closure and the recovery of physical/mechanical properties, as measured by means of the different reviewed tests.
Liberato Ferrara; Tim Van Mullem; Maria Cruz Alonso; Paola Antonaci; Ruben Paul Borg; Estefanía Cuenca; Anthony Jefferson; P.L. Ng; Alva Peled; Marta Roig-Flores; Mercedes Sánchez; Christof Schroefl; Pedro Serna; Didier Snoeck; Jean Marc Tulliani; Nele De Belie. Experimental characterization of the self-healing capacity of cement based materials and its effects on the material performance: A state of the art report by COST Action SARCOS WG2. Construction and Building Materials 2018, 167, 115 -142.
AMA StyleLiberato Ferrara, Tim Van Mullem, Maria Cruz Alonso, Paola Antonaci, Ruben Paul Borg, Estefanía Cuenca, Anthony Jefferson, P.L. Ng, Alva Peled, Marta Roig-Flores, Mercedes Sánchez, Christof Schroefl, Pedro Serna, Didier Snoeck, Jean Marc Tulliani, Nele De Belie. Experimental characterization of the self-healing capacity of cement based materials and its effects on the material performance: A state of the art report by COST Action SARCOS WG2. Construction and Building Materials. 2018; 167 ():115-142.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiberato Ferrara; Tim Van Mullem; Maria Cruz Alonso; Paola Antonaci; Ruben Paul Borg; Estefanía Cuenca; Anthony Jefferson; P.L. Ng; Alva Peled; Marta Roig-Flores; Mercedes Sánchez; Christof Schroefl; Pedro Serna; Didier Snoeck; Jean Marc Tulliani; Nele De Belie. 2018. "Experimental characterization of the self-healing capacity of cement based materials and its effects on the material performance: A state of the art report by COST Action SARCOS WG2." Construction and Building Materials 167, no. : 115-142.
F. Ortiz Navas; Juan Navarro-Gregori; G. Leiva Herdocia; P. Serna; Estefanía Cuenca. An experimental study on the shear behaviour of reinforced concrete beams with macro-synthetic fibres. Construction and Building Materials 2018, 169, 888 -899.
AMA StyleF. Ortiz Navas, Juan Navarro-Gregori, G. Leiva Herdocia, P. Serna, Estefanía Cuenca. An experimental study on the shear behaviour of reinforced concrete beams with macro-synthetic fibres. Construction and Building Materials. 2018; 169 ():888-899.
Chicago/Turabian StyleF. Ortiz Navas; Juan Navarro-Gregori; G. Leiva Herdocia; P. Serna; Estefanía Cuenca. 2018. "An experimental study on the shear behaviour of reinforced concrete beams with macro-synthetic fibres." Construction and Building Materials 169, no. : 888-899.
The shear strength of elements reinforced by fibres is predicted by Codes using formulations generally developed from a limited set of test results. In fact, only few of available test results are combined with a material mechanical characterization, allowing to evaluate and compare the different performances of Fibre Reinforced Concretes (FRC). To address this problem, a material-performance-based shear database for FRC elements and their related reference samples in Reinforced Concrete (RC, with and without web reinforcement) is presented herein, merging the experiences carried out in the last decade at the University of Brescia and at the Universitat Politècnica de València. The database is composed by 171 specimens: 93 in FRC and 78 in RC with or without web reinforcement. For FRC elements, the post-cracking resistance (fR,1 and fR,3) is also given according to EN 14651 standard. The evaluation of the shear database was also carried out, discussing the influence of the different factors affecting the shear strength both in FRC and RC samples. Finally, the two formulations suggested by Model Code 2010 for FRC elements are compared against the database results in order to shed new light on code requirements.
Estefanía Cuenca; Antonio Conforti; Fausto Minelli; Giovanni A. Plizzari; Juan Navarro Gregori; Pedro Serna. A material-performance-based database for FRC and RC elements under shear loading. Materials and Structures 2018, 51, 11 .
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca, Antonio Conforti, Fausto Minelli, Giovanni A. Plizzari, Juan Navarro Gregori, Pedro Serna. A material-performance-based database for FRC and RC elements under shear loading. Materials and Structures. 2018; 51 (1):11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca; Antonio Conforti; Fausto Minelli; Giovanni A. Plizzari; Juan Navarro Gregori; Pedro Serna. 2018. "A material-performance-based database for FRC and RC elements under shear loading." Materials and Structures 51, no. 1: 11.
This paper presents the results of a preliminary study aimed at assessing the crack sealing capacity in chloride environments of different concrete mixtures, incorporating supplementary cementitious materials as well as self-healing enhancing crystalline admixtures. For each addition, also including pulverized fuel ash and silica fume, different contents were taken into consideration. Cylinder specimens were pre-cracked in splitting up to three different crack-opening ranges, simulating different service conditions, and then exposed to different conditioning environments, also containing different concentrations of sodium chloride and including both permanent immersion and wet/dry cycles. Healing conditioning was performed up to three months and crack sealing was visually inspected and quantified via image analysis procedures, monthly. Optimum dosages of each cement substitute/addition were quantified, also considering, besides the healing capacity, also the fresh state performance and compressive strength development. The good performance of mixes with crystalline admixture even under open-air exposure, as well as of other investigated mixes with reference to crack openings and exposure conditions, paves the way to revise the significance of a serviceability design parameter such as the maximum allowable crack width as a function of the exposure with the concept of a sealable crack width.
Ruben P. Borg; Estefania Cuenca; Enrico Maria Gastaldo Brac; Liberato Ferrara. Crack sealing capacity in chloride-rich environments of mortars containing different cement substitutes and crystalline admixtures. Journal of Sustainable Cement-Based Materials 2017, 7, 141 -159.
AMA StyleRuben P. Borg, Estefania Cuenca, Enrico Maria Gastaldo Brac, Liberato Ferrara. Crack sealing capacity in chloride-rich environments of mortars containing different cement substitutes and crystalline admixtures. Journal of Sustainable Cement-Based Materials. 2017; 7 (3):141-159.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRuben P. Borg; Estefania Cuenca; Enrico Maria Gastaldo Brac; Liberato Ferrara. 2017. "Crack sealing capacity in chloride-rich environments of mortars containing different cement substitutes and crystalline admixtures." Journal of Sustainable Cement-Based Materials 7, no. 3: 141-159.
A detailed methodology to perform the so‐called push‐off test in precracked concrete specimens is presented. The test is performed with the specimen confined in 2 stages (precracking and push‐off) to control crack width. Confinement is provided by a steel restraint frame, which includes a ball bearing to avoid shearing forces from being transmitted outside the shear plane. The real kinematic behaviour of a single‐open crack can be assessed. This makes the experimental validation of crack dilatancy models possible. Therefore, the intention of this methodology is to take knowledge about direct shear behaviour on concrete cracks one step forward.
Javier Echegaray-Oviedo; Juan Navarro-Gregori; E. Cuenca; P. Serna. Modified push-off test for analysing the shear behaviour of concrete cracks. Strain 2017, 53, e12239 .
AMA StyleJavier Echegaray-Oviedo, Juan Navarro-Gregori, E. Cuenca, P. Serna. Modified push-off test for analysing the shear behaviour of concrete cracks. Strain. 2017; 53 (6):e12239.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJavier Echegaray-Oviedo; Juan Navarro-Gregori; E. Cuenca; P. Serna. 2017. "Modified push-off test for analysing the shear behaviour of concrete cracks." Strain 53, no. 6: e12239.
Design of building structures and infrastructures is mainly based on four concepts: safety, serviceability, durability and sustainability. The latter is becoming increasingly relevant in the field of civil engineering. Reinforced concrete structures are subjected to damages that produce cracks which, if not repaired, can lead to a rapid deterioration and would result into increasing maintenance costs to guarantee the anticipated level of performance. Therefore, self-healing concrete can be very useful in any type of structures, as it allows to control and repairing cracks as soon as they are likely to occur. The effectiveness of self-healing can be improved with the use of fibers due to their capacity to control crack width and enhance multiple crack formation. In that way, researchers should use advanced cement based materials (FRCC, HPFRCC, etc.) and techniques (autogenous and engineering healing) to satisfy all demands in which sustainability and durability are key factors. Compared to the large number of investigations on selfhealing of plain concrete, self-healing studies on Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (FRCC) are still limited. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to provide a deep literature review on this subject in order to clarify what is known (What now?) and finally to identify those gaps which still require further studies (What next?) such as: healing capacity under sustained stress, repeatability healing/cracking cycles as well as healing capacity for cracks and damages occurring at later concrete ages.
E. Cuenca; L. Ferrara. Self-healing capacity of fiber reinforced cementitious composites. State of the art and perspectives. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering 2017, 21, 2777 -2789.
AMA StyleE. Cuenca, L. Ferrara. Self-healing capacity of fiber reinforced cementitious composites. State of the art and perspectives. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering. 2017; 21 (7):2777-2789.
Chicago/Turabian StyleE. Cuenca; L. Ferrara. 2017. "Self-healing capacity of fiber reinforced cementitious composites. State of the art and perspectives." KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering 21, no. 7: 2777-2789.
E. Cuenca; J. Echegaray-Oviedo; Pedro Serna. Influence of concrete matrix and type of fiber on the shear behavior of self-compacting fiber reinforced concrete beams. Composites Part B: Engineering 2015, 75, 135 -147.
AMA StyleE. Cuenca, J. Echegaray-Oviedo, Pedro Serna. Influence of concrete matrix and type of fiber on the shear behavior of self-compacting fiber reinforced concrete beams. Composites Part B: Engineering. 2015; 75 ():135-147.
Chicago/Turabian StyleE. Cuenca; J. Echegaray-Oviedo; Pedro Serna. 2015. "Influence of concrete matrix and type of fiber on the shear behavior of self-compacting fiber reinforced concrete beams." Composites Part B: Engineering 75, no. : 135-147.
This thesis presents a comprehensive experimental program for analyzing the behavior of FRC beams with different dimensions, production processes and transverse reinforcement.
Estefanía Cuenca. Conclusions. Springer Theses 2014, 207 -208.
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca. Conclusions. Springer Theses. 2014; ():207-208.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca. 2014. "Conclusions." Springer Theses , no. : 207-208.
After thorough review of the literature on structural elements with shear failure, and after conducting several experimental programs whose values were compared later with the theoretical values obtained with the three selected Design Codes to calculate shear in elements reinforced with fibers, it was found that it would be useful and also necessary to build a large database of elements failing in shear in order to have a large number of cases that allow to better evaluate resisting phenomena and the validity of building Codes. For this reason, this chapter shows the analysis of that database.
Estefanía Cuenca. Shear Database and Study of the Parameters Influencing Shear Behavior. Springer Theses 2014, 149 -204.
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca. Shear Database and Study of the Parameters Influencing Shear Behavior. Springer Theses. 2014; ():149-204.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca. 2014. "Shear Database and Study of the Parameters Influencing Shear Behavior." Springer Theses , no. : 149-204.
Hollow Core Slabs (HCS) are usually precast by extrusion and it is not easy to place stirrups; thus, it is difficult to guarantee shear resistance in some cases.
Estefanía Cuenca. Experimental Tests on Hollow Core Slabs Made with FRC. Springer Theses 2014, 125 -146.
AMA StyleEstefanía Cuenca. Experimental Tests on Hollow Core Slabs Made with FRC. Springer Theses. 2014; ():125-146.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEstefanía Cuenca. 2014. "Experimental Tests on Hollow Core Slabs Made with FRC." Springer Theses , no. : 125-146.