Specimens were tested using an unconstrained force control system that permitted the application of a desired load in a specific axis of motion without any constraints on the segment's motion behavior, regardless of the specimen condition (e.g., intact, injured) [ 23].
None of the loaded specimens conditioned at 20 °C were creep-ruptured during conditioning.
After 1.5 months of exposure, the specimens conditioned at 50 °C and 60 °C, respectively, had bond-strength increases of 25%and26%6%, while the specimens conditioned at 40 °C exhibited no noticeable changes (a minor decrease of 4.3%).
Specimens conditioned under stress, in water at 65 °C for 1000 h exhibited higher loss in modulus.
The highest bond-strength reductions occurred in the conditioned specimens after 6 months of exposure at 40 °C (a 16% loss), followed by specimens conditioned at 50 °C (7% loss) and 60 °C (5% loss) compared to their counterparts at 1.5 months.
Effects of clay brick aggregate on engineering properties (i.e., compressive strength, flexural strength, and static elastic modulus) of concrete were also investigated using cylindrical and prismatic specimens conditioned as the other specimens for ASR testing.
The test results revealed that stressed specimens conditioned in a wet environment experienced a reduction in tension stiffening response as a result of bond degradation and a reduced stress transfer from the bar to the surrounding concrete.
Experiments are conducted on specimens conditioned in hot water and findings are compared against results obtained with dry specimens that underwent the same thermal cycles, but without being in contact with water.
The results showed that all factors significantly affect the occurrence of mortar creep in porous asphalt prepared in the laboratory, especially for the specimens conditioned at the highest temperature.
Damage mechanisms of injection molded polyamide-66/short glass fiber 30 wt% composite (PA66/GF30) were analyzed using in situ SEM mechanical tests on specimens conditioned under three relative humidity contents (RH = 0%, 50 % and 100).
