Journal of South China University of Technology(Natural Science Edition) ›› 2025, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (4): 40-49.doi: 10.12141/j.issn.1000-565X.240332

• Architecture & Civil Engineering • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Cost-Performance Analysis of Thin-Layer UHPC Encased I-Beam Shear Resistance

FAN Xueming, ZHOU Xiaopeng, YE Xiaohang, ZHAO Kun   

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Transportation,South China University of Technology,Guangzhou 510640,Guangdong,China
  • Received:2024-06-27 Online:2025-04-25 Published:2024-09-27
  • About author:范学明(1979 —),男,博士,讲师,主要从事超高性能混凝土全产业链研究。E-mail: fanxm@scut.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52278501)

Abstract:

The steel structure has multiple advantages, including low carbon footprint, environmental friendliness, lightweight yet high strength, and excellent seismic performance. It has been widely used in high-rise buildings, large-span buildings and some civil buildings. However, its inherent problems such as buckling, corrosion and high cost hinder the further application of steel structures. The current anti-buckling and anti-corrosion measures for steel structures will greatly increase the cost of the structure and have a negative impact on the bearing capacity of the structure. Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a new type of fiber-reinforced cement-based composite material based on the maximum bulk density theory. It features high strength and excellent deformation capacity, along with outstanding durability properties, including superior resistance to water penetration, chloride ion infiltration, and freeze-thaw cycles. Nowadays, UHPC has been widely used in mechanical reinforcement and durability reinforcement of various structures. Recent research work shows that the combination of steel structure and UHPC can effectively realize the complementary advantages of the two. While giving full play to the excellent characteristics of light weight and high strength of steel structure, it greatly reduces the harm of fatigue, corrosion and instability to steel structure. This study focused on a newly developed thin-layer UHPC encased I-beam, which has been widely applied in practice. A sample database was established through finite element simulation analysis using Abaqus. At the same time, the comprehensive evaluation index of shear performance and shear cost performance of composite beams was proposed based on the radar chart method. The response surface-Monte Carlo method was employed to analyze the influence of four different response surfaces on the web size parameters of the composite beam. The analysis results show that there is a significant positive correlation between the shear performance of the composite beam and its cost performance. Moreover, as the thickness of the I-beam web increases, both shear performance and cost-effectiveness initially rise and then decline, reaching a peak at a specific thickness. This study provides valuable engineering insights for optimizing the design of I-beam encased UHPC composite beams.

Key words: steel-UHPC composite beam, cost-performance, finite element simulation analysis, radar chart method, response surface-Monte Carlo method

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