Browsing by Subject "concrete"

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A Time-Variant Probabilistic Model for Predicting the Longer-Term Performance of GFRP Reinforcing Bars Embedded in Concrete
(2011-08-08) Kim, Jeongjoo
Although Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) has many potential advantages as reinforcement in concrete structures, the loss in tensile strength of the GFRP reinforcing bar can be significant when exposed to the high alkali environments. Much effort was made to estimate the durability performance of GFRP in concrete; however, it is widely believed the data from accelerated aging tests is not appropriate to predict the longer-term performance of GFRP reinforcing bars. The lack of validated long-term data is the major obstacle for broad application of GFRP reinforcement in civil engineering practices. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the longer-term deterioration rate of GFRP bars embedded in concrete, and to develop an accurate model that can provide better information to predict the longer-term performance of GFRP bars. In previous studies performed by Trejo, three GFRP bar types (V1, V2, and P type) with two different diameters (16 and 19 mm [0.625, and 0.7 in. referred as #5 and #6, respectively]) provided by different manufacturers were embedded in concrete beams. After pre-cracking by bending tests, specimens were stored outdoors at the Riverside Campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. After 7 years of outdoor exposure, the GFRP bars were extracted from the concrete beams and tension tests were performed to estimate the residual tensile strength. Several physical tests were also performed to assess the potential changes in the material. It was found that the tensile capacity of the GFRP bars embedded in concrete decreased; however, no significant changes in modulus of elasticity (MOE) were observed. Using this data and limited data from the literature, a probabilistic capacity model was developed using Bayesian updating. The developed probabilistic capacity model appropriately accounts for statistical uncertainties, considering the influence of the missing variables and remaining error due to the inexact model form. In this study, the reduction in tensile strength of GFRP reinforcement embedded in concrete is a function of the diffusion rate of the resin matrix, bar diameter, and time. The probabilistic model predicts that smaller GFRP bars exhibit faster degradation in the tensile capacity than the larger GFRP bars. For the GFRP bars, the model indicates that the probability that the environmental reduction factor required by The American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for the design of concrete structures containing GFRP reinforcement is below the required value is 0.4, 0.25, and 0.2 after 100 years for #3, #5, and #6, respectively. The ACI 440 and AASHTO design strength for smaller bars is likely not safe.
Bursting and spalling in pretensioned U-beams
(2009-12) Dunkman, David Andrew; Bayrak, Oguzhan, 1969-; Jirsa, James O.
An experimental program was conducted at the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory of The University of Texas at Austin, under the auspices of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Research Project 5831, to investigate the tensile stresses that develop in the end regions of pretensioned concrete U-beams at transfer of prestress. Understanding the effect of these “bursting” and “spalling” stresses is essential in order to design standard details that might lead to reliably-serviceable end regions. Two full-scale beam specimens, designed to be worst-case scenarios for bursting and spalling, were fabricated. Each beam had one square and one highly skewed end. Extensive instrumentation, including strain gages on transverse and lateral reinforcing bars, was employed in the end regions of these U-beams. Experimentally determined bursting and spalling stresses in these bars were compared to results of past projects (from the literature) investigating I-beams and inverted T-beams. Preliminary recommendations are made for changes in the standard reinforcing details for U-beam end regions. Such recommended details will be tested in the upcoming phase of Research Project 5831.
Characterization of design parameters for fiber reinforced polymer composite reinforced concrete systems
(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Aguiniga Gaona, Francisco
Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures results in significant repair and rehabilitation costs. In the past several years, new fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcing bars have been introduced as an alternative to steel reinforcing bars. Several national and international organizations have recently developed standards based on preliminary test results. However, limited validation testing has been performed on the recommendations of these standards. High variability of the tensile properties, degradation of tensile strength, direct shear capacity, predicted deflections due to creep, cracking behavior of FRP-reinforced concrete flexural members, bond behavior and development length, and effects of thermal expansion on cracking of FRP reinforced concrete have all been reported, but are areas that need further investigation and validation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the characteristics of glass FRP reinforcing bars and provide recommendations on the design and construction of concrete structures containing these bar types with regard to the areas described. The recently developed ACI 440 design guidelines were analyzed and modifications proposed.
Contact Mechanics Based Mechanical Characterization of Portland Cement Paste
(2012-02-14) Jones, Christopher
Current research interest in multi-scale modeling of cement paste requires accurate characterization of the time-dependent mechanical properties of the material, particularly the C-S-H phase. Nanoindentation is evaluated as a tool for measuring both the instantaneous and the short-term viscoelastic properties of cement paste. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) based indentation is compared to conventional nanoindentaion in measuring mechanical properties of cement pastes. Time-dependent solutions are derived to characterize creep indentation tests performed on hardened cement paste and to extract the time-dependent properties. The effect of approximating C-S-H viscoelastic properties with a time-independent Poisson's ratio is discussed, and arguments for utilizing a time-independent Poisson's ratio for short-term response are presented. In evaluating AFM as a mechanical characterization tool, various analytical and numerical modeling approaches are compared. The disparities between the numerical self-consistent approach and analytical solutions are determined and reported. The measured elastic Young's modulus values acquired by AFM indentation tests are compared to Young's modulus values from nanoindentation measurements from cement paste. These results show that the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) phase of hydrated portland cement has different properties on the nanometric scale than on the micron scale. Packing density of C-S-H particles is proposed as an explanation for the disparity in the measured results. The AFM measured uniaxial viscoelastic compliance values are compared to similar values obtained with traditional nanoindentation for the same material. The comparison of these results shows that the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) phase of portland cement has similar but distinct properties on the sub micron scale than on the micron scale. Additionally, the effect of moisture is evaluated by controlling the relative humidity (RH) of the testing environment between 40% and 100% plus, or wet. The viscoelastic compliance appears to be highest at 40% RH and the material appears to be less compliant at higher relative humidity levels. Possible mechanisms controlling the viscoelastic deformation are presented and evaluated in conjunction with the moisture related poromechanical effect.
Design and Development of a Continuous Precast Prestressed Concrete Bridge System for the Multimodal Freight Shuttle Project
(2011-04-27) Parkar, Anagha 1984-
The growth of freight transportation within the United States and across borders is tremendous, and it is expected to double over the next decade. The congestion due to increasing pressure of the freight, mainly transported by truck, is affecting the safety and serviceability of the existing transportation system. The proposed Multimodal Freight Shuttle (MFS) system offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to transport containerized, intercity or port-to-terminal freight, and it alleviates the problem of severe deterioration of the outgrown capacity of existing highways. The Multimodal Freight Shuttle (MFS) system requires a continuous elevated guideway to be constructed for the freight shuttle. This research investigates the viability of a continuous precast bridge system for the freight shuttle. A number of design alternatives for the various bridge components are provided, and the merits of the different types are assessed from design, construction, in-service performance and life-cycle cost points-of-view. Based on the comparative designs, it was found that a bridge system built of fully precast components is the most promising. This included a combination of precast prestressed concrete trough-girders, with a modular precast concrete sub-structure. Due to the significant length of the proposed structural system, the construction sequence is important so that the progress can be made to enable the work force to advance by one span per day. Thus, the steps for construction of the bridge have been schematically presented and sequentially explained.
Determining the Impact of Concrete Roadways on Gamma Ray Background Readings for Radiation Portal Monitoring Systems
(2012-07-16) Ryan, Christopher Michael
The dissolution of the Soviet Union coupled with the growing sophistication of international terror organizations has brought about a desire to ensure that a sound infrastructure exists to interdict smuggled nuclear material prior to leaving its country of origin. To combat the threat of nuclear trafficking, radiation portal monitors (RPMs) are deployed around the world to intercept illicit material while in transit by passively detecting gamma and neutron radiation. Portal monitors in some locations have reported abnormally high gamma background count rates. The higher background data has been attributed, in part, to the concrete surrounding the portal monitors. Higher background can ultimately lead to more material passing through the RPMs undetected. This work is focused on understanding the influence of the concrete surrounding the monitors on the total gamma ray background for the system. This research employed a combination of destructive and nondestructive analytical techniques with computer simulations to form a model that may be adapted to any RPM configuration. Six samples were taken from three different composition concrete slabs. The natural radiologcal background of these samples was determined using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector in conjunction with the Canberra In-Situ Object Counting System (ISOCS?) and Genie? 2000 software packages. The composition of each sample was determined using thermal and fast neutron activation analysis (NAA) techniques. The results from these experiments were incorporated into a Monte Carlo N-Particle (MNCP) photon transport simulation to determine the expected gamma ray count rate in the RPM due to the concrete. The results indicate that a quantitative estimate may be possible if the experimental conditions are optimized to eliminate sources of uncertainty. Comparisons of actual and simulated count rate data for 137Cs check sources showed that the model was accurate to within 15%. A comparison of estimated and simulated count rates in one concrete slab showed that the model was accurate to within 4%. Subsequent sensitivity analysis showed that if the elemental concentrations are well known, the carbon and hydrogen content could be easily estimated. Another sensitivity analysis revealed that the small fluctuations in density have a minimal impact on the gamma count rate. The research described by this thesis provides a method by which RPM end users may quantitatively estimate the expected gamma background from concrete foundations beneath the systems. This allows customers to adjust alarm thresholds to compensate for the elevated background due to the concrete, thereby increasing the probability of intercepting illicit radiological and nuclear material.
Role of relative humidity in concrete expansion due to alkali-silica reaction and delayed ettringite formation: relative humidity thresholds, measurement methods, and coatings to mitigate expansion
(2009-05) Rust, Charles Karissa; Folliard, Kevin J.; Juenger, Maria C. G.
Premature concrete deterioration due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and delayed ettringite formation (DEF) is a significant problem all over the world. In cases where these mechanisms were not initially prevented, mitigation is critical to halt expansion and cracking. The main objectives of the research presented herein were to study the effect of ambient relative humidity (RH) on rates of concrete expansion, to determine RH thresholds below which expansion due to ASR and/or DEF may be suppressed, and to evaluate coatings intended to lower the internal RH of concrete and thus minimize future potential for damage. Results from testing showed that the RH threshold for ASR was below 82%, the RH threshold for DEF was below 92%, and the RH threshold for combined ASR and DEF could be about 83% for the materials tested. Furthermore, it was shown that some coatings are effective in reducing ASR- and DEF-related expansion by lowering the internal RH of concrete.