Coating Effects on Ductility of Welded Wire Reinforcement
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 12
Abstract
Welded wire reinforcement (WWR) offers improvements in constructability over conventional rebar but suffers from low ductility because of cold working. WWR is often epoxy coated or galvanized to improve its resistance to corrosion. The associated heating from the coating processes may improve ductility, adding additional value of coating to WWR and improving member performance. The authors hypothesize that epoxy-coated and hot-dip-galvanized WWR have higher strength, stiffness, and ductility than uncoated WWR. To test this hypothesis, experiments were performed to measure the yield strength, ultimate strength, modulus of elasticity, and elongation in uncoated, epoxy coated, and galvanized WWR in D11, D20, and D31 wires. The yield strength and ultimate strength of the WWR were not significantly affected by either coating process; however, the galvanizing process resulted in significant increase in uniform and total elongations. The authors present a case study to compare section ductility in reinforced concrete slabs with uncoated and galvanized WWR elongations at the minimum and maximum allowable reinforcement ratios. Depending on section length and reinforcement ratio, the increase in ductility of galvanized WWR translates to a 10%–50% increase in section ductility.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This publication was partially supported by a subcontract from Rutgers University, Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation, under DTFH61-08-C-00005 from the US Department of Transportation—Federal Highway Administration (USDOT-FHWA) and Insteel Industries Inc. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rutgers University or of the USDOT-FHWA. Thanks to Insteel Industries Inc. for providing the wire and coordinating galvanization and epoxy coating. Special thanks to Paul Aubee and Chris Reeve at Insteel.
References
ACI (American Concrete Institute). 2014. Building code requirements for structural concrete (ACI 318–14) and commentary. ACI 318R–14. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.
Amorn, W., J. Bowers, A. Girgis, and M. K. Tadros. 2007. “Fatigue of deformed welded-wire reinforcement.” PCI J. 52 (1): 106. https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij.01012007.106.120.
ASTM. 2016. Standard specification for sinc-coated (galvanized steel welded wire reinforcement, pland and deformed, for concrete. ASTM A1060. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2017. Standard test methods and definitions for mechanical testing of steel products. ASTM A370. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2019. Standard specification for epoxy-coated steel wire and welded wire reinforcement. ASTM A884. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Ayyub, B. M., N. Al-Mutairi, and P. Chang. 1994a. “Bond strength of welded wire fabric in concrete bridge decks.” J. Struct. Eng. 120 (8): 2520–2531. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1994)120:8(2520).
Ayyub, B. M., N. Al-Mutairi, and P. Chang. 1994b. “Splicing strength of welded steel mesh in concrete bridge decks.” J. Struct. Eng. 120 (8): 2532–2546. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1994)120:8(2532).
Ayyub, B. M., P. C. Chang, and N. A. Al-Mutairi. 1994c. “Welded wire fabric for bridges. I: Ultimate strength and ductility.” J. Struct. Eng. 120 (6): 1866–1881. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1994)120:6(1866).
Ayyub, B. M., P. C. Chang, and N. A. Al-Mutairi. 1994d. “Welded wire fabric for bridges. II: Fatigue strength.” J. Struct. Eng. 120 (6): 1882–1892. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1994)120:6(1882).
Bellhouse, E. M., and J. R. McDermid. 2010. “Effect of continuous galvanizing heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high Al-low Si transformation induced plasticity steels.” Metall. Mater. Trans. A 41 (6): 1460–1473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-010-0185-7.
Bentz, E. C. 2000. Sectional analysis of reinforced concrete members. Toronto, ON: Univ. of Toronto.
Bernold, L. E., and P. Chang. 1992. “Potential gains through welded-wire fabric reinforcement.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 118 (2): 244–257. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1992)118:2(244).
Foster, S., and A. Kilpatrick. 2008. “The use of low ductility welded wire mesh in the design of suspended reinforced concrete slabs.” Aust. J. Struct. Eng. 8 (3): 237–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13287982.2008.11465001.
Gilbert, R. I., and Z. I. Sakka. 2007. “Effect of reinforcement type on the ductility of suspended reinforced concrete slabs.” J. Struct. Eng. 133 (6): 834–843. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2007)133:6(834).
Gilbert, R. I., and S. T. Smith. 2006. “Strain localization and its impact on the ductility of reinforced concrete slabs containing welded wire reinforcement.” Adv. Struct. Eng. 9 (1): 117–127. https://doi.org/10.1260/136943306776232837.
Hochstein, A. 2019. “Successful detailing for hot-dip galvanizing.” Struct. Mag. 17 (11): 20–23.
Kikiuchi, M., and T. Izewa. 1982. “Effect of stress-concentration on liquid metal embrittlement cracking of steel by molten zinc.” J. Soc. Mater. Sci. 31 (342): 271–276. https://doi.org/10.2472/jsms.31.271.
Kinstler, T. J. 2005. Current knowledge of the cracking of steels during galvanizing—A synthesis of the available technical literature and collective experience for the american institute of steel construction. Springville, AL: GalvaScience LLC.
Langford, G., and M. Cohen. 1969. “Strain hardening of iron by severe plastic deformation.” ASM Trans. Q. 62 (3): 623–638.
Maddox, S. J. 1974. “Fatigue crack propagation data obtained from parent plate, weld metal and HAZ in structural steels.” Welding Res. Int. 4 (1): 32–42.
Maguire, M., G. Morcous, and M. K. Tadros. 2013. “Structural performance of precast/prestressed bridge double-tee girders made of high-strength concrete, welded wire reinforcement, and 18-mm-diameter strands.” J. Bridge Eng. 18 (10): 1053–1061. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0000458.
Manning, D. G. 1996. “Corrosion performance of epoxy-coated reinforcing steel: North American experience.” Constr. Build. Mater. 10 (5): 349–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/0950-0618(95)00028-3.
McRory, J. W., F. F. Pozo-Lara, Z. Benson, and M. Maguire. 2020. Structural fiber reinforcement to reduce deck reinforcement and improve long-term performance (MPC-20-413). Fargo, ND: Mountain Plains Consortium.
Morcous, G., M. Maguire, and M. K. Tadros. 2011. “Welded-wire reinforcement versus random steel fibers in precast, prestressed concrete bridge girders.” PCI J. 56 (2): 113–129. https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij.03012011.113.129.
Shamsai, M., E. Whitlatch, and H. Sezen. 2007. “Economic evaluation of reinforced concrete structures with columns reinforced with prefabricated cage system.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 133 (11): 864–870. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2007)133:11(864).
Shwani, M. 2017. “Enhancing ductility of one-way concrete slabs reinforced with welded wire reinforcement.” Accessed February 22, 2018. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6894.
Shwani, M., T. Sorensen, E. Pickett, P. Syndergaard, and M. Maguire. 2017. “Enhancing ductility of WWR slabs.” Accessed February 19, 2018. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cee_facpub/3569.
Shwani, M., R. Tawadrous, and M. Maguire. 2019. “Ductility of concrete members reinforced with welded wire reinforcement (WWR).” Eng. Struct. 191 (Jul): 711–723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.04.081.
Sun, M., and J. A. Packer. 2019. “Hot-dip galvanizing of cold-formed steel hollow sections: A state-of-the-art review.” Front. Struct. Civ. Eng. 13 (1): 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-017-0448-0.
Wei, S., and S. Lu. 2012. “Effects of multiple normalizing processes on the microstructure and mechanical properties of low carbon steel weld metal with and without Nb.” Mater. Des. 35 (Mar): 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2011.09.065.
Wire Reinforcement Institute. 2016. Manual of standard practice: Structural welded wire reinforcement. 9th ed. Hartford, CT: Wire Reinforcement Institute.
Yeomans, S. 2004. Galvanized steel reinforcement in concrete. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Yount, T., T. Sorensen, W. Collins, and M. Maguire. 2021. “Investigating the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of welded wire reinforcement.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 33 (4): 04021023. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003622.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 12 • December 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 8, 2020
Accepted: Apr 21, 2021
Published online: Sep 30, 2021
Published in print: Dec 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.