Investigating the Mechanical Properties and Fracture Behavior of Welded-Wire Reinforcement
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 4
Abstract
Welded-wire reinforcement (WWR) is widely used as the main reinforcement in bridge decks and vertical shear reinforcement in concrete bridge girders. Previous studies on concrete members reinforced with WWR have indicated that the reduced ductility of the cold-drawn wires leads to lower member ductility and rupture of shear reinforcing steel at failure. Additionally, the influence of the heat-affected zones created at the electric-resistance welds raises concerns regarding the mechanical behavior at the welded connections. To evaluate the fracture behavior of WWR meshes, an experimental program was developed involving tensile and Charpy V-notch (CVN) specimens sampled from straight bars and welded intersections. Due to size constraints, both full and subsized CVN specimens were tested, and a variety of size correction methods were trialed for degree of accuracy in comparing the two sizes of specimens tested. Tensile tests showed that the cross-welds decreased ultimate strain by an average of 10% without significantly altering yield stress, ultimate strength, or elongation at fracture. CVN tests indicated that the cross-weld tended to increase impact toughness by up to () as the longitudinal and transverse bars became closer in size. Experimental values are evaluated using statistical methods and compared to specification minimums in American and European standards.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The research team would like to thank Insteel Wire Products for providing materials for testing and Reliable Machine & Engineering for specimen machining. Special thanks to Nathaniel Colton who helped with tensile testing. Victor Torres and Brandon Cox helped immensely with specimen cutting and fabrication.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 4 • April 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 22, 2020
Accepted: Aug 12, 2020
Published online: Jan 22, 2021
Published in print: Apr 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jun 22, 2021
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