Behavior of Beam-Column Joints Made of Sustainable

Concrete under Cyclic Loading1

Valeria Corinaldesi2 and Giacomo Moriconi3
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Abstract: This work is part of a wide study related to the structural behavior of concretes prepared by substituting natural aggregates
with recycled aggregates from building demolition. In this work, recycled aggregates coming from an industrial crushing plant in which
rubble are suitably treated were employed in substitution of ordinary aggregates. In order to evaluate the real-scale behavior of reinforced
recycled-aggregate concrete, several beam-column joints were manufactured, then cured in open air at a temperature of approximately
20° C in order to simulate the real conditions of the building site. Subsequently, they were submitted to low-cycle loading, characterized
by a load history containing few cycles but having a large range of bond reversal stresses in order to simulate real structures subjected to
earthquake or high winds. In this way, the ductility of joints, made of either ordinary or recycled-aggregate reinforced concrete, could be
investigated and compared. The results gave experimental evidence of the suitability of recycled-aggregate concrete for structural use,
although some measures in the structural design of the joint should be taken.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲0899-1561共2006兲18:5共650兲
CE Database subject headings: Concrete; Joints; Sustainable development; Cyclic loads.

Introduction mechanical performance and durability 共due to the pozzolanic

Concerning the concept of sustainable development, 21st century
technologies should take into account their social and environ-
mental costs 共Mehta 1999兲. Among other things, this implies land
protection by nonrenewable resources saving, waste reuse and
recycling optimization, and promotion of human health condi-
tions 共UN 1992兲.
Concrete technology, too, should direct its efforts toward
sustainable development and this work is directed to this purpose.
Therefore, some concretes were prepared and tested in which
natural aggregates, extracted from quarries, were completely
replaced with recycled aggregates coming from suitable treat-
ment of rubble from building demolition. This operation enables
the reduction of not only the consumption of nonrenewable re-
sources but also the disposal of wastes from demolition in land-
fills 共O’Brien 1998; Hendriks and Pietersen 1998; Desai 1998;
Uchikawa 2000兲. In addition, one concrete was also prepared by
adding fly ash to the mixture in order to improve the concrete
1
Presented at the 1st International Conference on Innovative Materials
and Technologies for Construction and Restoration 共IMTCR’04兲, June
7–9, 2004, Lecce, Italy.
2
Civil Engineer, Researcher, Dept. of Materials and Environment
Engineering and Physics, Technical Univ. of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
E-mail: v.corinaldesi@univpm.it
3
Chemical Engineer, Full Professor, Dept. of Materials Science and
Technology and Head, Dept. of Materials and Environment Engineering
and Physics, Technical Univ. of Marche, Ancona, Italy. E-mail:
g.moriconi@univpm.it
Note. Associate Editor: Laura De Lorenzis. Discussion open until
March 1, 2007. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual
papers. To extend the closing date by one month, a written request must
be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper
was submitted for review and possible publication on October 1, 2004;
approved on June 7, 2005. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials
in Civil Engineering, Vol. 18, No. 5, October 1, 2006. ©ASCE, ISSN
0899-1561/2006/5-650–658/$25.00.
activity of fly ash兲, thus avoiding fly ash disposal in landfills 共in
fact, being an industrial by-product from thermal power plants, its
disposal is compulsory兲.
In the South European countries, the disposal of rubble from
building demolition is increasingly concerning communities as
debris production is rising and their disposal in landfills is becom-
ing more and more difficult due to depletion of available areas.
Moreover, increasing environmental impact is originated by natu-
ral aggregate extraction from quarries, involving issues related to
nonrenewable resources depletion. Reusing rubble as recycled ag-
gregates to manufacture concrete could eliminate both problems,
besides evading environmental impacts coming from rubble dis-
posal and natural aggregate quarrying. Results developed by sev-
eral researchers 共Kasai 1988; Hansen 1992; Dhir et al. 1998;
Corinaldesi and Moriconi 2001; Corinaldesi et al. 2002a,b; Cori-
naldesi and Moriconi 2003, 2004; Moriconi 2005; Sani et al.
2005兲 showed that recycled-aggregate concrete can be adequate
for structural purposes in most concrete technology applications.
Actually, in the northern part of Europe, especially in The Neth-
erlands 共but also in Great Britain, Germany, and Denmark兲, this
technology is already widespread.
Moreover, the problem concerning the use of recycled aggre-
gates in southern European countries, such as Italy, is stressed by
the recurrence of earthquakes in those regions with an increased
rubble production. The recycled-aggregate concretes were charac-
terized from a mechanical point of view and one of the main
purposes of the work was to properly define an experimental pro-
cedure in order to test ductility and toughness of recycled-
aggregate concrete structures. This experimental procedure was
based on submitting some real-scale beam-column joints to cyclic
loading. These joints were made of reinforced either natural- or
recycled-aggregate concrete, in order to evaluate and compare
their behavior. Therefore, the experimental part, and in particular
the seismic loading simulation on beam-column joints, was aimed
at promoting the structure safety as well as taking into account

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 2006.18:650-658.

 Table 1. Chemical Composition of Cement and Fly Ash Table 3. Concrete Mixture Proportions
Oxide Mixture REF REC REC+ FA
共% by mass兲 Cement Fly ash
W/C 0.55 0.35 0.40
SiO2 29.67 59.94 W/CM 0.55 0.35 0.29
Al2O3 3.74 22.87
Fe2O3 1.80 4.67 Mixture proportions 共kg/ m3兲
TiO2 0.09 0.94 Water 220 175 200
CaO 59.25 3.08 Cement 400 500 500
MgO 1.15 1.55 Fly ash — — 190
Natural sand 320 — —
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SO3 3.25 0.35

K 2O 0.79 2.19 Crushed aggregate 1,360 — —
Na2O 0.26 0.62 Fine recycled fraction — 385 180
Loss on ignition 11.62 3.34 Coarse recycled fraction — 1,070 1,025
Superplasticizer — 5.3 8.3

environmental issues by employing rubble and industrial by-

products as secondary raw materials.
Concrete Mixture Proportions
The mixture proportions are reported in Table 3. Concrete speci-
Experimental mens were prepared by using two different kinds of aggregate,
either recycled or natural, of the same maximum diameter
Materials 共30 mm兲 and about the same sieve distribution, obtained by com-
bining fine and coarse fractions according to the Bolomey particle
A commercial Portland-limestone blended cement type CEM II/ size distribution curve 共Bolomey 1947兲, and by using the physical
A-L 42.5 R 共Colacem S.p.A., Gubbio, Italy兲 according to the properties typical of each kind of aggregate 共see Table 2兲. In
European Standards EN-197/1 共2004兲 was used. The Blaine fine- particular, the mixture workability in relation to higher or lower
ness of the cement was 0.415 m2 / g and its specific gravity was aggregate irregularity and the cement dosage was taken into
3,050 kg/ m3. account.
A low calcium fly ash 共ASTM 2003兲 produced by a thermal In every case, fresh concrete had a fluid consistency 共slump
power plant was also used. The Blaine fineness of the fly ash was between 150 and 180 mm兲. In the case of recycled aggregate, the
0.520 m2 / g and its specific gravity was 2,250 kg/ m3. The chemi- water/cement was lowered to 0.35 with respect to the reference
cal composition of cement and fly ash is reported in Table 1. A concrete, prepared with natural aggregates and a water/cement of
30% aqueous solution of an acrylic-based superplasticizer was 0.55. A third concrete was manufactured with recycled aggregates
added, when required, in order to guarantee a fluid consistency to and with a water/cement of 0.40 by adding fly ash to the concrete
the fresh concrete. Crushed limestone aggregate 共30 mm maxi- mixture at a dosage of 38% by weight of cement. When recycled
mum size兲 and natural sand 共8 mm maximum size兲 were used for aggregates were used, an acrylic based superplasticizer was also
preparing a reference concrete 共REF兲. The physical properties of added at a dosage of 1.0 and 1.2% according to the absence or the
both crushed aggregate and sand are shown in Table 2. presence of fly ash, respectively, in order to achieve the prefixed
Then, a coarse fraction 共30 mm maximum size兲 and a fine workability level. The different values of the water-to-cement
fraction 共8 mm maximum size兲 of recycled aggregate were used ratio were chosen for each concrete on the basis of previous ex-
for preparing two other concretes 共REC and REC+ FA兲. These perimental results showing that nearly the same compressive
fractions were directly supplied by an industrial crushing plant in strength can be achieved by this way 共Corinaldesi and Moriconi
Villa Musone, Italy, in which debris from building demolition 2001兲.
were suitably selected, ground, cleaned, and sieved.
The average weight composition of this recycled aggregate,
resulting from three years of monitoring, consisted of concrete Preparation and Curing of Specimens
共70%兲, masonry 共27%兲, bitumen 共2%兲, and miscellaneous 共1%兲. For each mixture and each curing time three cubic specimens,
The physical properties of both coarse and fine recycled aggregate 150 mm in size, were manufactured for compressive tests accord-
are also shown in Table 2. ing to Italian Standards UNI EN 12390-1 共2002b兲. On the other
hand, three cubic specimens, 100 mm in size, were prepared, for
each mixture and each curing time, for splitting tension tests.
For pull-out tests, three specimens were manufactured for
Table 2. Physical Properties of the Aggregate Fractions each concrete mixture by embedding ribbed steel bars in con-
Specific Water Passing crete cubes 共150 mm in size兲 with a constant embedment length
gravity absorption 75 ␮m 共5 times the bar diameter, which in this case was 16 mm兲. The
Aggregate fractions 共kg/ m3兲 共% by mass兲 共% by mass兲 cubic specimens were cast in polystyrene forms and wet cured at
Natural sand 2,550 4.2 0.90
20° C 关UNI EN 12390-2 共2002a兲兴.
For low-cycle loading, two beam-column joints were prepared
Crushed aggregate 2,620 1.6 0.00
for each concrete mixture, according to “Recommendations for
Fine recycled fraction 2,280 15.0 0.46
design of beam-column joints in monolithic-reinforced concrete
Coarse recycled fraction 2,310 9.0 0.00
structures,” reported by ACI-ASCE Committee 352 共ACI 1997兲.

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 2006.18:650-658.

 The specimens were cured in the open air at a temperature of
about 20° C in order to simulate the real conditions of the build-
ing site.
The main factors 共i.e., cover and bar spacing, bar size, anchor-
age length, rib geometry, casting position, and vibration兲 affecting
performance under cyclic loading, were kept constant for all the
manufactured beam-column joints. The reinforcement arrange-
ment was designed in order to concentrate damage in the beam
portion close to the joint by using ribbed bars made of FeB38k
steel according to Italian Ministerial Decree D.M. 9 共1996兲.
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Test Procedure Fig. 1. Static scheme of the joint during the test

Compression Test and Modulus of Elasticity

Compression tests according to Italian Standards UNI EN
concrete and the steel. The pull-out bond strengths for monotonic
12390-3 共2003兲 were carried out on cubic specimens, which were
loading of the three concretes were evaluated after 60 days of
tested at right angles to the position of casting. For a material with
curing on three specimens for each mixture.
a nonlinear stress-strain curve the modulus of elasticity can be
Pull-out tests were carried out according to CEB Recommen-
defined in different ways. In this work, the chord modulus of
dations RC 6 共RILEM/CEB/FIP 1983兲 on ribbed reinforcing bars
elasticity, Ec, was measured following the method outlined in
in order to evaluate the combined effects of chemical bond and
BS 1881: Part 5 共1970兲 where Ec is defined as the slope of the
mechanical interactions. The applied load and the bar slip were
stress-strain curve on loading between 1 MPa and approximately
recorded at intervals throughout the test. The bond strength was
one-third of the compressive strength of the concrete. The tangent
calculated as the maximum load divided by the nominal embed-
modulus of elasticity, Et, was also measured at the point of
ded surface area of the bar and converted linearly to the medium
interest, that is at the design stress equal to about half of the
value of the range of the concrete strength
compressive strength of the concrete. Then, the dynamic modulus
of elasticity, Ed, was determined by ultrasonic pulse velocity
measurements. This method is based on the fact that the velocity 1 L f cm
of an ultrasonic pulse in a material is related to its elastic ␶dm = 共3兲
modulus 5␲ ds2 f c

V=k 冑 Ed
␳
共1兲
where Ed⫽dynamic elastic modulus 共MPa兲; V⫽pulse velocity
共m/s兲; ␳⫽specific gravity 共kg/ m3兲 and k⫽constant depending on
Poisson’s ratio. The pulse velocity was obtained by dividing the
path length 共mm兲 by the elapsed time 共gauged in microseconds兲.
A coupling medium, such as grease, was used to ensure good
contact between transducers and specimen, as the pulse velocity
is affected by smoothness of the contact surfaces.
Splitting Tension Test
Splitting tension tests were carried out on cubic specimens tested
at right angles to the position of casting, in conformance with
Italian Standards UNI EN 12390-6 共2002c兲. The tests were per-
formed by loading the specimens through two spherical bars
placed along the axis of symmetry of opposite faces. The tensile
stress 共f ct, MPa兲 was calculated by
2P
f ct = 共2兲
␲l2
where P⫽maximum compressive load applied 共N兲 and l⫽side of
the cube 共mm兲.
Pull-Out Test
Concrete is commonly reinforced with steel, either in the form
of bars or prestressing cables. For reinforced concrete to be
effective, adequate bond strength must be ensured between the
where ␶dm⫽bond strength 共MPa兲; L⫽maximum load 共N兲;
ds⫽mean diameter of the ribbed bar 共mm兲; f cm⫽medium value
of the range of the concrete strength equal to 30 MPa; and
f c⫽average compressive strength of the tested specimens 共MPa兲.
Cyclic Loading of Beam-Column Joints
The bond behavior of these concretes was studied in order to
compare them by means of monotonic and low-cycle loading. In
particular, the latter refers to typical loading of real structures
subjected to earthquake or high winds and is characterized by a
load history containing few cycles 共generally less than 100兲 but
having a large range of bond reversal stresses 共ACI 1992兲, i.e., the
bars are subjected alternatively to tension and compression.
There are two options in seismic design: Either to make the
structure strong enough so it will respond elastically or to permit
the structure to deform inelastically while ensuring adequate duc-
tility and energy dissipation capacity 共ACI 1999兲. The second
option permits the structure to be designed for considerably lower
forces than those required for the first one and this could be the
case of the structures made of recycled-aggregate concrete.
Joints were built with 220⫻ 220 mm columns 共2,050 mm
high兲 reinforced by 4␾16, stirrups ␾6 every 50 mm, and
180⫻ 280 beams 共1,650 mm long兲 reinforced by 4⫹4␾12, stir-
rups ␾6 every 140 mm. The joint was designed according to the
strong column–weak beam concept. Two pins at the upper and
lower ends of the column 共see photographic detail in the inset in
Fig. 7兲 restrained the beam-column joint and the column was
vertically preloaded with 200 kN in order to simulate a static
scheme such as that reported in Fig. 1. In this way, the joint bore

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Fig. 2. Instrument supports on the joint

Fig. 3. Stress-strain curves of the concretes subjected to compression

roughly the same loads that it would have supported if included in test
a reinforced concrete framework.
In addition to the static loads, the presence of dynamic loads
such as earthquakes or high winds was simulated by applying a
displacement 共±␦兲 at the free end of the beam, by means of hy-
draulic actuator, statically operating. In this case, six cycles were
applied: Three cycles with an amplitude of ±75 mm and a further
three cycles with an amplitude of ±125 mm. A dynamometer was
applied at the upper end of the column in order to monitor the
axial load on the column itself, while eight hydraulic jacks were
placed under a basement carrying the beam-column joint in order
to jack it up.
The free end of the beam was alternatively displaced by means
of two hydraulic jacks connected in series, in order to impress a
maximum displacement up to 200 mm. One of these jacks was
equipped by an inductive half bridge in order to measure the
displacement and by a dynamometer in order to monitor the load
necessary to impress it. Eight inductive half bridges were placed
on the joint, four for each side 共see Fig. 2兲, in order to monitor the
joint rotations.

Results and Discussion

Compressive Strength and Modulus of Elasticity

The results obtained after 28 days of curing by compression
test and ultrasonic pulse velocity measurements are reported in
Table 4, while Fig. 3 shows an example of stress-strain curves
for each concrete tested after 28 days of curing. Concerning the
compressive strength, the gap between natural-aggregate and
recycled-aggregate concretes can be recovered by adding fly ash,
but the same seems not to be valid for elastic properties. In par-
ticular, a strong difference was detected in the case of the
dynamic modulus, which is clearly influenced by the kind of ag-
gregate. In fact, its evaluation method could detect the presence

Table 4. Compressive Strength and Modulus of Elasticity after 28 Days

of Curing
Mixture REF REC REC+ FA
Compressive strength, f c 共MPa兲 30.4 20.9 29.4
Chord modulus, Ec 共MPa兲 19,430 18,960 15,740 Fig. 4. SEM images at a magnification of 1,000 of interfaces
Tangent modulus, Et 共MPa兲 38,190 25,100 32,830 between cement paste and 共a兲 natural aggregate in REF concrete and
Dynamic modulus, Ed 共MPa兲 40,890 26,000 26,360 共b兲 recycled aggregate in REC+ FA

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 2006.18:650-658.

 Table 5. Tensile Strength and Bond Strength after 28 Days of Curing
Mixture REF REC REC+ FA
Tensile strength, Mean value 1.74 1.12 1.42
f ct 共MPa兲 Standard deviation 0.08 0.09 0.09
Bond strength, Mean value 1.51 1.60 1.79
␶cm 共MPa兲 Standard deviation 0.05 0.17 0.31

and the amount of voids in the material but not the quality of the
interfacial zone between paste and aggregate which, in turn,
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strongly influences the mechanical behavior of concretes. As the

interfacial zone quality is probably higher in the case of recycled-
aggregate concrete with fly ash, due to a better transition zone
共see Fig. 4兲, the dynamic modulus evaluation tends to underesti-
mate the elastic modulus of recycled-aggregate concrete with fly
ash.

Fig. 6. Damage of the joint made of 共a兲 REF, 共b兲 REC, and 共c兲
REC+ FA concrete after the test

Tensile Strength
The results obtained, and reported in Table 5, confirmed that for
equal compressive strength, the tensile strength of recycled-
aggregate concrete is approximately 10% weaker than natural ag-
gregate concrete, as already stated in the literature 共Hansen 1992;
Ikeda et al. 1988兲.

Bond Strength between Concrete and Ribbed Steel

Fig. 5. Cyclic diagrams of the applied load versus the vertical Reinforcement
displacement for the joint made of 共a兲 REF; 共b兲 REC; and 共c兲 REC The results obtained by using ribbed bars are reported in Table 5.
+ FA concrete The recycled-aggregate concrete showed higher bond strength

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Fig. 7. Beam-column joint made of recycled-aggregate concrete with

steel cross bracket, with a photographic detail of the typical pin
support in the inset

values for the same level of compressive strength, the increment

being 6 and 15% in the absence or the presence of fly ash, respec-
tively. The reason is the presence of fine recycled aggregate
and/or fly ash, due to their positive influence on concrete rheo-
logical properties 共Moriconi et al. 2003兲, that leads to less bleed-
ing and higher interfacial zone quality 共Fig. 4兲.

Low-Cycle Loading of the Beam-Column Joints

First, a beam-column joint made of natural-aggregate concrete
共REF兲 was tested. The cyclic diagrams of the applied load versus
the vertical displacement are reported in Fig. 5共a兲. The continuous
lines represent the diagrams relative to the first three cycles,
whereas the dotted lines represent the diagrams relative to the
second three cycles. In Fig. 6共a兲 a photograph of the joint after the
test is reported. It can be observed that the damage was concen-
trated in the beam portion close to the joint as predictable on the
basis of the joint designed according to the strong column–weak
beam concept.
Second, a beam-column joint made of REC and another made
of REC+ FA were tested. The cyclic diagrams of the applied load
versus the vertical displacement are reported in Figs. 5共b and c兲, Fig. 8. Cyclic diagrams of the applied load versus the vertical
respectively. In these cases, the crisis occurred just in the joint, as displacement for the stiffened joint made of 共a兲 REF, 共b兲 REC, and 共c兲
shown in Figs. 6共b and c兲. As a matter of fact, the recycled- REC+ FA concrete
aggregate concrete was so compliant 共very low elastic modulus
value, see Table 4兲, that an unexpected low stiffness characterized
the joints. Consequently, the concrete was spalled out of the out- reported in Figs. 8共a–c兲. Three cyclic diagrams related to the
side faces of the joint, since the excessive rotation induced by the stiffened beam-column joints and expressed in terms of the ap-
beam, able to bear high deformation without cracking because of plied moment versus the joint rotation are further on reported in
its low stiffness 共see Fig. 3兲, could not be borne by the column, Figs. 10共a–c兲.
subjected to higher constraint and preloaded, in the joint volume. A comparison between the beams of natural-aggregate joint
For this reason, the further three beam-column joints to be and recycled-aggregate joints after the test is shown in
tested 共the one made of natural-aggregate concrete and the others Figs. 9共a–c兲 and highlights a different degree of deterioration:
made of recycled-aggregate concrete with or without fly ash兲 in the case of the recycled-aggregate joint the beam is cracked
were previously reinforced by means of a steel cross bracket, but not so damaged as that of the natural-aggregate joint. In fact,
greatly overdesigned and applied externally, which allowed after the fourth cycle, the natural-aggregate joint started expelling
strengthening and stiffening the joint and, consequently, to in- concrete scraps and the measure was stopped 关see also Figs. 8共a兲
duce the damage in the beam also for the joints made of recycled- and 10共a兲兴. On the other hand, for both concretes prepared with
aggregate concrete 共see Fig. 7兲. The cyclic diagrams of the recycled aggregates, either with or without fly ash, the measures
applied load versus the vertical displacement obtained for the were carried out up to the end 关see Figs. 8共b兲, 8共c兲, 10共b, and c兲兴.
stiffened beam-column joints made of the three concretes are In Table 6 the values of the supplied and dissipated energies,

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Fig. 9. Beam of the stiffened beam-column joint made of 共a兲 REF;
共b兲 REC; and 共c兲 REC+ FA concrete after the test
calculated by the cyclic diagrams integration, are reported for the
joints without stiffening. A quite similar behavior was detected for
those joints prepared with equi-resistant concretes 共i.e., REF and
REC+ FA兲, at least for the first three cycles with a maximum
displacement of 75 mm.
In Table 7 the values of the supplied and dissipated energies
during the last three cycles 共corresponding to displacements of
±125 mm兲 are reported for the externally stiffened joints. As it
can be seen, about the same ratio between dissipated and supplied
energy can be achieved whichever the type of concrete. More-
656 / JOURNAL OF MATERIALS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006
J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 2006.18:650-658.
Fig. 10. Cyclic diagrams of the applied moment versus the joint
rotation for the stiffened joint made of 共a兲 REF; 共b兲 REC; and 共c兲
REC+ FA concrete
over, in the case of the beam-column joint made of REC+ FA
concrete, the levels of energy input and dissipation during the last
two cycles appear to be higher than those of the reference beam-
column joint.
Conclusions
If recycled-aggregate concrete is used instead of an ordinary con-
crete, due to its very low elastic modulus value, a different
mechanism of rupture characterizes the beam-column joint. Any-
way, in order to obtain all the same ductile failure some measures
in the structural design of the joint should be taken, that is the
column and the joint should be little more stiff than usual. By
these adjustments, also in the case of joints made of recycled-
aggregate concrete, satisfactory ductility as well as toughness
values can be obtained during low-cycle loading. In fact, this
 Table 6. Supplied and Dissipated Energies for the Unstiffened Joints results of an extensive experimental program, and further inves-
Supplied Dissipated Dissipated/ tigation will be carried out in order to achieve confirmation and
Type Cycle energy energy supplied higher reliability.
of joint identification 共J兲 共J兲 共%兲
REF 共␦ = ± 75 mm兲 I 3,830 2,830 74
II 3,390 2,360 70
III 2,930 1,860 63
Notation
共␦ = ± 125 mm兲 I 6,620 5,320 80
The following symbols are used in this paper:
II 5,660 4,910 87
ds ⫽ mean diameter of the steel bar;
III 4,760 4,150 87
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Ec ⫽ chord modulus of elasticity;

REC 共␦ = ± 75 mm兲 I 1,890 1,030 55
Ed ⫽ dynamic modulus of elasticity;
II 1,720 940 55
Et ⫽ tangent modulus of elasticity;
III 1,530 820 54 fc ⫽ average concrete compressive strength of the tested
共␦ = ± 125 mm兲 I 3,820 2,820 74 specimens;
II — — — f cm ⫽ medium value of the range of the concrete strength,
III — — — equal to 30 MPa;
REC+ FA 共␦ = ± 75 mm兲 I 3,300 2,400 73 f ct ⫽ concrete tensile stress;
II 2,740 1,790 65 k ⫽ constant depending on Poisson’s ratio;
III 1,850 1,380 76 L ⫽ maximum tensile load;
共␦ = ± 125 mm兲 I — — — l ⫽ cube side;
II — — — P ⫽ maximum compressive load;
III — — — V ⫽ pulse velocity;
␦ ⫽ displacement;
␳ ⫽ specific gravity; and
␶dm ⫽ bond strength between concrete and reinforcing steel
concrete, even if less resistant, is more deformable than ordinary bar.
concrete thus enabling one to achieve the same toughness. At this
purpose, it should be reminded that different approaches can be
adopted in seismic design: either to make the structure strong
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