New paper out by Dr. Lingzhen Li
on partial activation for prestressed bonded strengthening using iron-based shape memory alloys (Fe-SMAs); a potent solution for structural rehabilitation
New paper out, led by Lingzhen Li (Empa and Chair of Structural Mechanics and Monitoring at ETH Zurich) in collaboration with Eleni Chatzi (ETH Zürich), Christoph Czaderski (Empa), and Elyas Ghafoori (Empa and University of Hanover)!
The work explores the concept of partial activation for prestressed bonded strengthening using iron-based shape memory alloys (Fe-SMAs); a potent solution for structural rehabilitation 🩹. Partial activation is succeeded by heating the activation zone to generate prestress, while the two bonded anchorage zones remain unheated and transfer the generated prestress to the parent structure.
🛠️ We experimentally investigate and analyse the bond behavior between Fe-SMA strips and steel substrates in the activation zone by testing six Fe-SMA-to-steel bonded joints, comprising different Fe-SMA strips (non-prestrained and prestrained) and activation strategies. The specimens were activated via electrical resistance heating, and tested under quasi-static loading.
✨ Major findings:
(i) the fracture energy of the adhesive bond changes with the activation temperature, while the change of bond capacity due to the activation is negligible;
(ii) the bond–slip behaviors of joints with and without activation are interchangeable.
This study serves as a basis for a more efficient design of prestressed bonded Fe-SMA strengthening. Read more in Volume 409 of external page Construction and Building Materials.
This work forms a part of the PhD thesis of Dr. Lingzhen Li: Bond behavior and debonding failure in Fe-SMA strengthened steel members - full text available in the ETH Research Collection.