Nanotechnology is a significant research discipline that revolutionized our understanding and capacity for controlling the natural world. This study investigated the efficiency of incorporating Nano-Titanium (NT) or glass powder (GP) into the concrete mixes as cement additions, focusing on the material and structural levels. The standard material tests demonstrated that the addition of 0.75% NT resulted in an improvement of 15% in splitting tensile strength. Furthermore, a 12% increase was recorded due to a 20% GP provision. Fifteen reinforced concrete beams were tested on a structural level to investigate the impact of adding NT by 0.75% and 1.5% and GP by 10% and 20% on the flexural response. The experimental variables also include the type of reinforcing, such as steel, ductile hybrid bars, and hybrid schemes that use both steel and GFRP bars. A novel ductile hybrid bar has been produced to tackle the problems of steel corrosion and FRP ductility. The experimental test results were analyzed regarding flexural capacity, cracking load, failure mode, and load-deflection curves. The results revealed that hybrid bars significantly enhanced the bending stiffness and ductility index comparable to steel-reinforced concrete beams. Furthermore, the flexural capacity at the post-peak level was enhanced due to NT fiber bridging capabilities. 3D nonlinear finite element analysis was implemented to confirm the test results, which proved relatively accurate in forecasting the beams' flexural behavior. Finally, the ACI 318-19 simplified formula for forecasting the nominal capacity of the beams was compared to the experimental results for design purposes.
|
