ROBOTIC MAGNETIC ORIENTATION OF STEEL FIBERS AS A STRATEGY FOR REINFORCING CONCRETE ELEMENTS: DEVELOPMENT, PHYSICAL-MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND IMAGE ANALYSES

• Grant number: 23/09896-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Construction Industry
• Principal Investigator: Dimas Alan Strauss Rambo
• Grantee: Dimas Alan Strauss Rambo
• Host Institution: Unidade Mooca. Universidade São Judas Tadeu (USJT). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ramoel Serafini ; Ricardo Pieralisi
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/15028-0 - Development and physical-mechanical characterization of concretes reinforced with magnetically oriented steel fibers, BP.TT

Abstract

The development of new technologies for production processes seeking to consider environmental concerns has progressed with the growth of industrial activity. Simultaneously, technologically improved materials emerge, with superior efficiency and whose production demands less consumption of raw materials. The use of robot-assisted magnetic orientation of steel fibers as reinforcement strategy for the production of concrete elements meets these two trends. It is known that the mechanical performance of a fiber-reinforced composite largely depends on the spatial arrangement of the reinforcement. When aligned in the loading direction, the fibers transfer the stresses, delaying the propagation of cracks. In this context, the main objective of this project is to develop a process of robot-assisted magnetic orientation of steel fibers to be applied in concrete elements. A set of neodymium magnets coupled to a robotic arm will be used to guide the metallic fibrous reinforcement within the cementitious matrix. Ideal parameters to promote the magnetic orientation of steel fibers in concrete matrices will be established. In the sequence, an investigation on the effect of magnetic orientation of steel fibers on the physical-mechanical properties of the produced composites will be carried out. Physical properties will be characterized by means of ultrasound propagation velocity, electrical resistivity and inductive tests. For the mechanical characterization are proposed 3-point bending and square panel tests. Radiography and image analysis will be employed to evaluate the degree of fiber orientation and fiber positioning along the specimens. Finally, the economic and environmental impacts resulting from the process of magnetic reinforcement orientation in concrete elements will be evaluated. (AU)