Analysis of inner structure changes of concretes exposed to high temperatures using micro X-ray computed tomography

OpenAIRE

Sitek, L. (Libor); Bodnárová, L.; Souček, K. (Kamil); Staš, L. (Lubomír); Gurková, L. (Lucie)

2015-01-01

The X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) repr esents a progressive non-destructive metho d of analysing the inner structure of materials. The method was used for monitoring changes in inner structure of concrete samples of different composition before and after their exposure to various thermal loads. Eight types of concrete samples were prepared which differed by cement and aggregate types. We intentionally used such composition of concrete mixtures which increased their resist...

The spalling mechanism of fire exposed concrete

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lottman, B.B.G.

2017-01-01

--- ENGLISH VERSION --- The spalling damage observed to concrete structures after severe fire exposure has been the topic of scientific research for the past decades. This phenomenon is commonly characterised by the sudden and in some cases violent breaking off of concrete pieces from the

Recovery and residual stress of SMA wires and applications for concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Eunsoo; Cho, Sung-Chul; Park, Taehyo; Hu, Jong Wan; Chung, Young-Soo

2010-01-01

In general, NiTi shape memory alloys are used for applications in civil structures. NiTi SMAs show good superelasticity and shape memory effect properties. However, for application of the shape memory effect, it is desirable for SMAs to show a wide temperature hysteresis, especially for civil structures which are exposed to severe environmental conditions. NiTiNb SMAs, in general, show a wider temperature hysteresis than NiTi SMAs and are more applicable for civil structures. This study examines the temperature hysteresis of NiTiNb and NiTi SMAs, and their recovery and residual stress are investigated. In addition, the tensile behaviors of SMA wires under residual stress are evaluated. This study explains the possible applications for concrete structures with the shape memory effect and illustrates two experimental results of concrete cylinders and reinforced concrete columns. For both tests, SMA wires of NiTiNb and NiTi are used to confine concrete using residual stress. The SMA wire jackets on the concrete cylinders increase the peak strength and the ductility compared to the plain concrete cylinders. In addition, the SMA wire jackets on reinforced concrete columns increase the ductility greatly without flexural strength degradation

Probabilistic design of fibre concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pukl, R.; Novák, D.; Sajdlová, T.; Lehký, D.; Červenka, J.; Červenka, V.

2017-09-01

Advanced computer simulation is recently well-established methodology for evaluation of resistance of concrete engineering structures. The nonlinear finite element analysis enables to realistically predict structural damage, peak load, failure, post-peak response, development of cracks in concrete, yielding of reinforcement, concrete crushing or shear failure. The nonlinear material models can cover various types of concrete and reinforced concrete: ordinary concrete, plain or reinforced, without or with prestressing, fibre concrete, (ultra) high performance concrete, lightweight concrete, etc. Advanced material models taking into account fibre concrete properties such as shape of tensile softening branch, high toughness and ductility are described in the paper. Since the variability of the fibre concrete material properties is rather high, the probabilistic analysis seems to be the most appropriate format for structural design and evaluation of structural performance, reliability and safety. The presented combination of the nonlinear analysis with advanced probabilistic methods allows evaluation of structural safety characterized by failure probability or by reliability index respectively. Authors offer a methodology and computer tools for realistic safety assessment of concrete structures; the utilized approach is based on randomization of the nonlinear finite element analysis of the structural model. Uncertainty of the material properties or their randomness obtained from material tests are accounted in the random distribution. Furthermore, degradation of the reinforced concrete materials such as carbonation of concrete, corrosion of reinforcement, etc. can be accounted in order to analyze life-cycle structural performance and to enable prediction of the structural reliability and safety in time development. The results can serve as a rational basis for design of fibre concrete engineering structures based on advanced nonlinear computer analysis. The presented

Nuclear Power Plant Concrete Structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basu, Prabir [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Labbe, Pierre [Electricity of France (EDF); Naus, Dan [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

2013-01-01

A nuclear power plant (NPP) involves complex engineering structures that are significant items of the structures, systems and components (SSC) important to the safe and reliable operation of the NPP. Concrete is the commonly used civil engineering construction material in the nuclear industry because of a number of advantageous properties. The NPP concrete structures underwent a great degree of evolution, since the commissioning of first NPP in early 1960. The increasing concern with time related to safety of the public and environment, and degradation of concrete structures due to ageing related phenomena are the driving forces for such evolution. The concrete technology underwent rapid development with the advent of chemical admixtures of plasticizer/super plasticizer category as well as viscosity modifiers and mineral admixtures like fly ash and silica fume. Application of high performance concrete (HPC) developed with chemical and mineral admixtures has been witnessed in the construction of NPP structures. Along with the beneficial effect, the use of admixtures in concrete has posed a number of challenges as well in design and construction. This along with the prospect of continuing operation beyond design life, especially after 60 years, the impact of extreme natural events ( as in the case of Fukushima NPP accident) and human induced events (e.g. commercial aircraft crash like the event of September 11th 2001) has led to further development in the area of NPP concrete structures. The present paper aims at providing an account of evolution of NPP concrete structures in last two decades by summarizing the development in the areas of concrete technology, design methodology and construction techniques, maintenance and ageing management of concrete structures.

Study of behavior of concrete and cement based composite materials exposed to high temperatures

OpenAIRE

Bodnárová, L.; Horák, D.; Válek, J.; Hela, R.; Sitek, L. (Libor)

2013-01-01

The paper describes possibilities of observation of behaviour of concrete and cement based composite material exposed to high temperatures. Nowadays, for large-scale tests of behaviour of concrete exposed to high temperatures, testing devices of certified fire testing stations in the Czech Republic and surrounding states are used. These tests are quite expensive. For experimental verification of smaller test specimens, a testing device was built at the Technical University in Brno, wher...

Concrete with onyx waste aggregate as aesthetically valued structural concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Setyowati E., W.; Soehardjono, A.; Wisnumurti

2017-09-01

The utillization of Tulungagung onyx stone waste as an aggregate of concrete mixture will improve the economic value of the concrete due to the brighter color and high aesthetic level of the products. We conducted the research of 75 samples as a test objects to measure the compression stress, splits tensile stress, flexural tensile stress, elasticity modulus, porosity modulus and also studied 15 test objects to identify the concrete micro structures using XRD test, EDAX test and SEM test. The test objects were made from mix designed concrete, having ratio cement : fine aggregate : coarse aggregate ratio = 1 : 1.5 : 2.1, and W/C ratio = 0.4. The 28 days examination results showed that the micro structure of Tulungagung onyx waste concrete is similar with normal concrete. Moreover, the mechanical test results proved that Tulungagung onyx waste concretes also have a qualified level of strength to be used as a structural concrete with higher aesthetic level.

Digital laminography assessment of the damage in concrete exposed to freezing temperatures

KAUST Repository

Wakimoto, Kentaro

2008-10-01

The research explores the possibility of using digital laminography as a non-destructive inspection X-ray method to image the damage existing in concrete exposed to low temperatures. Freezing-thawing and scaling tests were performed and digital laminography was used to determine the degree of damage existing inside the concrete samples. First, digital laminography was performed on the concrete sample and then a visual inspection was done by slicing the sample after it was vacuum-impregnated with epoxy in order to compare the differences in crack width. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Digital laminography assessment of the damage in concrete exposed to freezing temperatures

KAUST Repository

Wakimoto, Kentaro; Blunt, Joshua; Carlos, Cruz; Monteiro, Paulo J.M.; Ostertag, Claudia P.; Albert, Richard

2008-01-01

The research explores the possibility of using digital laminography as a non-destructive inspection X-ray method to image the damage existing in concrete exposed to low temperatures. Freezing-thawing and scaling tests were performed and digital laminography was used to determine the degree of damage existing inside the concrete samples. First, digital laminography was performed on the concrete sample and then a visual inspection was done by slicing the sample after it was vacuum-impregnated with epoxy in order to compare the differences in crack width. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

POROUS STRUCTURE OF ROAD CONCRETE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. K. Pshembaev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Having a great number of concrete structure classifications it is recommended to specify the following three principal types: microstructure – cement stone structure; mesostructure – structure of cement-sand mortar in concrete; macrostucture – two-component system that consists of mortar and coarse aggregate. Every mentioned-above structure has its own specific features which are related to the conditions of their formation. Thus, microstructure of cement stone can be characterized by such structural components as crystal intergrowth, tobermorite gel, incompletely hydrated cement grains and porous space. The most important technological factors that influence on formation of cement stone microstructure are chemical and mineralogical cement composition, its grinding fineness, water-cement ratio and curing condition. Specific cement stone microstructure is formed due to interrelation of these factors. Cement stone is a capillary-porous body that consists of various solid phases represented predominantly by sub-microcrystals of colloidal dispersion. The sub-microcrystals are able adsorptively, osmotically and structurally to withhold (to bind some amount of moisture. Protection of road concrete as a capillary-porous body is considered as one of the topical issues. The problem is solved with the help of primary and secondary protection methods. Methods of primary protection are used at the stage of designing, preparation and placing of concrete. Methods of secondary protection are applied at the operational stage of road concrete pavement. The paper considers structures of concrete solid phase and characteristics of its porous space. Causes of pore initiation, their shapes, dimensions and arrangement in the concrete are presented in the paper. The highest hazard for road concrete lies in penetration of aggressive liquid in it and moisture transfer in the cured concrete. Water permeability of concrete characterizes its filtration factor which

Stochastic modeling of reinforced concrete structures exposed to chloride attack

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Frier, Christian

2004-01-01

For many reinforced concrete structures corrosion of reinforcement is an important problem since it can result in expensive maintenance and repair actions. Further, a significant reduction of the load-bearing capacity can occur. One mode of corrosion initiation is that the chloride content around...... concentration and reinforcement cover depth are modeled by stochastic fields. The paper contains a description of the parameters to be included in a stochastic model and a proposal for the information needed to obtain values for the parameters in order to be able to perform reliability investigations....... The distribution of the time to initiation of corrosion is estimated by simulation. As an example a bridge pier in a marine environment is considered....

Stochastic Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Structures Exposed to Chloride Attack

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Frier, Christian

2003-01-01

For many reinforced concrete structures corrosion of reinforcement is an important problem since it can result in expensive maintenance and repair actions. Further, a significant reduction of the load-bearing capacity can occur. One mode of corrosion initiation is that the chloride content around...... concentration and reinforcement cover depth are modeled by stochastic fields. The paper contains a description of the parameters to be included in a stochastic model and a proposal for the information needed to obtain values for the parameters in order to be ab le to perform reliability investigations....... The distribution of the time to initiation of corrosion is estimated by simulation. As an example a bridge pier in a marine environment is considered....

Sodium concrete reaction - Structural considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferskakis, G.N.

1984-01-01

An overview of the sodium concrete reaction phenomenon, with emphasis on structural considerations, is presented. Available test results for limestone, basalt, and magnetite concrete with various test article configurations are reviewed. Generally, tests indicate reaction is self limiting before all sodium is used. Uncertainties, however, concerning the mechanism for penetration of sodium into concrete have resulted in different theories about a reaction model. Structural behavior may be significant in the progression of the reaction due to thermal-structuralchemical interactions involving tensile cracking, compressive crushing, or general deterioration of concrete and the exposure of fresh concrete surfaces to react with sodium. Structural behavior of test articles and potential factors that could enhance the progression of the reaction are discussed

Correlation between hydrogen release and degradation of limestone concrete exposed to hot liquid sodium in inert atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parida, F.C.; Das, S.K.; Sharma, A.K.; Ramesh, S.S.; Somayajulu, P.A.; Kannan, S.E.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Concrete is used as a structural material in a Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) plant for the construction of its foundation, containment, radiation shield and equipment support structures. An accidental leakage of hot sodium on these civil structures can bring about thermo-chemical reactions, with concrete producing hydrogen gas and causing structural degradation. The concrete damage and hydrogen generation take place concurrently due to conduction of heat from sodium into the concrete and migration of steam / moisture in counter current direction towards sodium. In a series of experiments conducted with limestone concrete for two different types of design corresponding to composition and geometry, were exposed to liquid sodium (∼2 kg) at initial temperatures varying from 180 deg. C to 500 deg. C in an inerted test vessel (Capacity = 203 L). Immersion heater was employed to heat the sodium pool on the concrete cavity during the test period in some test runs. On-line continuous measurement of pressure, temperature, hydrogen gas and oxygen gas was carried out. Pre- and post- test nondestructive testing such as colour photography, spatial profiling of ultrasonic pulse velocity and measurement of dimensions were also conducted. Solid samples were collected from sodium debris by manual core drilling machine and from concrete block by hand held electric drilling machine. These samples were subjected to chemical analysis for the determination of free and bound water along with unburnt and burnt sodium. The hydrogen generation parameters such as average and peak release rate as well as release efficiency are derived from measured test variables. These test variables include temperature, pressure and hydrogen concentration in the argon atmosphere contained in the test vessel. The concrete degradation parameters encompass percentage reduction in ultrasonic pulse velocity, depth of physical and chemical dehydration and sodium penetration. These

Effect Of Age And Concrete Cover Thickness On Steel Reinforcement Corrosion At Splash Zone In Reinforced Concrete Hydraulic Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nada M. Al- Galawi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Corrosion of reinforcing steel bars in reinforced concrete is considered as one of the biggest problems that face countries overlooking to the Arabian Gulf including Iraq. The research aims to study the effect of the corrosion of steel bars in concrete structures that are exposed to wetting and drying via waves. Reinforced concrete samples were exposed to marine simulated environment for 90 days using prepared system for this purpose. At the end of exposure period polarization test was implemented to measure the actual corrosion rate in each sample. After that the corrosion process was accelerated using impressed current technique by applying a constant electric current DC to the reinforcing bars. Depending on the corrosion current in natural conditions which was measured in polarization test periods of exposing samples to accelerated corrosion current so as to maintain virtual exposure ages of 5 and 25 years of exposure to natural corrosion were calculated. The results showed a remarkable increase in the corrosion current of steel bars in samples that had lower concrete cover thickness. The increase in the cover thickness from 20mm to 40 and 65 mm had a significant effect on reducing the corrosion current at the age of 90 days to about 70 of its original value in both cases. At the virtual exposure age of 5 years the reduction percentage in the corrosion current resulted from increasing cover thickness from 20mm to 40 and 65 mm were 43 and 79 respectively.

Properties of concrete containing different type of waste materials as aggregate replacement exposed to elevated temperature – A review

Science.gov (United States)

Ghadzali, N. S.; Ibrahim, M. H. W.; Sani, M. S. H. Mohd; Jamaludin, N.; Desa, M. S. M.; Misri, Z.

2018-04-01

Concrete is the chief material of construction and it is non-combustible in nature. However, the exposure to the high temperature such as fire can lead to change in the concrete properties. Due to the higher temperature, several changes in terms of mechanical properties were observed in concrete such as compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and durability of concrete will decrease significantly at high temperature. The exceptional fire-proof achievement of concrete is might be due to the constituent materials of concrete such as its aggregates. The extensive use of aggregate in concrete will leads to depletion of natural resources. Hence, the use of waste and other recycled and by-product material as aggregates replacements becomes a leading research. This review has been made on the utilization of waste materials in concrete and critically evaluates its effects on the concrete performances during the fire exposure. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the previous search work regarding the concrete containing waste material as aggregates replacement when exposed to elevated temperature and come up with different design recommendations to improve the fire resistance of structures.

A Review of the Effects of Elevated Temperature on Concrete Materials and Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Graves, H.L. III

2006-01-01

Concrete's properties are more complex than those of most materials because not only is concrete a composite material whose constituents have different properties, but its properties depend upon moisture and porosity. Exposure of concrete to elevated temperature affects its mechanical and physical properties. Elements could distort and displace, and, under certain conditions, the concrete surfaces could spall due to the buildup of steam pressure. Because thermally-induced dimensional changes, loss of structural integrity, and release of moisture and gases resulting from the migration of free water could adversely affect plant operations and safety, a complete understanding of the behavior of concrete under long-term elevated-temperature exposure as well as both during and after a thermal excursion resulting from a postulated design-basis accident condition is essential for reliable design evaluations and assessments of nuclear power plant structures. As the properties of concrete change with respect to time and the environment to which it is exposed, an assessment of the effects of concrete aging is also important in performing safety evaluations. The effects of elevated temperature on Portland cement concretes and constituent materials are summarized, design codes and standards identified, and considerations for elevated temperature service noted. (authors)

Reliability algorithms applied to reinforced concrete structures durability assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. G. Nogueira

Full Text Available This paper addresses the analysis of probabilistic corrosion time initiation in reinforced concrete structures exposed to ions chloride penetration. Structural durability is an important criterion which must be evaluated in every type of structure, especially when these structures are constructed in aggressive atmospheres. Considering reinforced concrete members, chloride diffusion process is widely used to evaluate the durability. Therefore, at modelling this phenomenon, corrosion of reinforcements can be better estimated and prevented. These processes begin when a threshold level of chlorides concentration is reached at the steel bars of reinforcements. Despite the robustness of several models proposed in the literature, deterministic approaches fail to predict accurately the corrosion time initiation due to the inherently randomness observed in this process. In this regard, the durability can be more realistically represented using probabilistic approaches. A probabilistic analysis of ions chloride penetration is presented in this paper. The ions chloride penetration is simulated using the Fick's second law of diffusion. This law represents the chloride diffusion process, considering time dependent effects. The probability of failure is calculated using Monte Carlo simulation and the First Order Reliability Method (FORM with a direct coupling approach. Some examples are considered in order to study these phenomena and a simplified method is proposed to determine optimal values for concrete cover.

Seismic fragility of a reinforced concrete structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurmann, Davide [Axpo Power AG, Baden (Switzerland); Proske, Dirk [Axpo Power AG, Doettingen (Switzerland); Cervenka, Jan [Cervenka Consulting, Prague (Czech Republic)

2013-05-15

Structures can be exposed to seismic loading. For structures of major importance, extreme seismic loadings have to be considered. The proof of safety for such loadings requires sophisticated analysis. This paper introduces an analysis method which of course still includes simplifications, but yields to a far more realistic estimation of the seismic load bearing capacity of reinforced concrete structures compared to common methods. It is based on the development of pushover curves and the application of time-histories for the dynamic model to a representative harmonic oscillator. Dynamic parameters of the oscillator, such as modal mass and damping are computed using a soil-structure-interaction analysis. Based on the pushover-curve nonlinear force-deformation-capacities are applied to the oscillator including hysteresis behaviour characteristics. The oscillator is then exposed to time-histories of several earthquakes. Based on this computation the ductility is computed. The ductility can be scaled based upon the scaling of the time-histories. Since both, the uncertainty of the earthquake by using different timehistories and the uncertainty of the structure by using characteristic and mean material values, are considered, the uncertainty of the structure under seismic loading can be explicitly represented by a fragility. (orig.)

Durability of fibre reinforced concrete structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan De Place; Hansen, Kurt Kielsgaard

1996-01-01

The planned research will indicate, whether fibre reinforced concrete has better or worse durability than normal concrete. Durability specimens will be measured on cracked as well as uncracked specimens. Also the pore structure in the concrete will be characterized.Keywords: Fibre reinforced...... concrete, durability, pore structure, mechanical load...

Concrete structures protection, repair and rehabilitation

CERN Document Server

Woodson, R Dodge

2009-01-01

The success of a repair or rehabilitation project depends on the specific plans designed for it. Concrete Structures: Protection, Repair and Rehabilitation provides guidance on evaluating the condition of the concrete in a structure, relating the condition of the concrete to the underlying cause or causes of that condition, selecting an appropriate repair material and method for any deficiency found, and using the selected materials and methods to repair or rehabilitate the structure. Guidance is also provided for engineers focused on maintaining concrete and preparing concrete investigation r

Basic principles of concrete structures

CERN Document Server

Gu, Xianglin; Zhou, Yong

2016-01-01

Based on the latest version of designing codes both for buildings and bridges (GB50010-2010 and JTG D62-2004), this book starts from steel and concrete materials, whose properties are very important to the mechanical behavior of concrete structural members. Step by step, analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete members under basic loading types (tension, compression, flexure, shearing and torsion) and environmental actions are introduced. The characteristic of the book that distinguishes it from other textbooks on concrete structures is that more emphasis has been laid on the basic theories of reinforced concrete and the application of the basic theories in design of new structures and analysis of existing structures. Examples and problems in each chapter are carefully designed to cover every important knowledge point. As a basic course for undergraduates majoring in civil engineering, this course is different from either the previously learnt mechanics courses or the design courses to be learnt. Compa...

Analysis of crack propagation in concrete structures with structural information entropy

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2010-01-01

The propagation of cracks in concrete structures causes energy dissipation and release, and also causes energy redistribution in the structures. Entropy can characterize the energy redistribution. To investigate the relation between the propagation of cracks and the entropy in concrete structures, cracked concrete structures are treated as dissipative structures. Structural information entropy is defined for concrete structures. A compact tension test is conducted. Meanwhile, numerical simulations are also carried out. Both the test and numerical simulation results show that the structural information entropy in the structures can characterize the propagation of cracks in concrete structures.

Critical Study of Corrosion Damaged Concrete Structures

OpenAIRE

Sallehuddin Shah Ayop; John Cairns

2013-01-01

Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete is one of the major problems with respect to the durability of reinforced concrete structures. The degradation of the structure strength due to reinforcement corrosion decreases its design life. This paper presents the literature study on the influence of the corrosion on concrete structure starting from the mechanism of the corrosion until the deterioration stage and the structural effects of corrosion on concrete structures.

Prediction of concrete strength in massive structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, T.; Makino, H.; Nakane, S.; Kawaguchi, T.; Ohike, T.

1989-01-01

Reinforced concrete structures of a nuclear power plant are mostly of mass concrete with cross-sectional dimensions larger than 1.0 m. The temperature of concrete inside after placement rises due to heat of hydration of cement. It is well known that concrete strengths of mass concrete structure subjected to such temperature hysteresis are generally not equal to strengths of cylinders subjected to standard curing. In order to construct a mass concrete structure of high reliability in which the specified concrete strength is satisfied by the specified age, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the strength gain property of concrete in the structure and its relationships with the water-cement ratio of the mix, strength of standard-cured cylinders and the internal temperature hysteresis. This report describes the result of studies on methods of controlling concrete strength in actual construction projects

Frost damage of concrete subject to confinement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasholt, Marianne Tange

2016-01-01

When internal frost damage is observed in real concrete structures, the usual pattern is cracks with a preferred orientation parallel to the exposed surface. When exposing concrete with poor frost resistance to a standardised freeze/thaw test in the laboratory, the orientations of the resulting...

Experimental investigations of sandwich panels using high performance concrete thin plates exposed to fire

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hulin, Thomas; Hodicky, Kamil; Schmidt, Jacob Wittrup

2015-01-01

Structural sandwich panels using thin high performance concrete (HPC) plates offer a possibility to address the modern environmental challenges faced by the construction industry. Fire resistance is a major necessity in structures using HPC. This paper presents experimental studies at elevated...... temperatures for panels with 30 mm thick plates stiffened by structural ribs, thick insulation layers, and steel shear connecting systems. Parametric variation assessing the role of each component of the sandwich structure was performed on unloaded specimens of reduced size. Full size walls were tested...... with load. Tests were performed in standard furnaces, following the conditions of REI certification tests. Unloaded specimens successfully passed tests. Loaded specimens met the R and I requirements, failing E due to sustained flaming of the insulation. They exhibited multiple cracking of their exposed...

Structural Materials: 95. Concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, Dan J.

2012-01-01

Nuclear power plant concrete structures and their materials of construction are described, and their operating experience noted. Aging and environmental factors that can affect the durability of the concrete structures are identified. Basic components of a program to manage aging of these structures are identified and described. Application of structural reliability theory to devise uniform risk-based criteria by which existing facilities can be evaluated to achieve a desired performance level when subjected to uncertain demands and to quantify the effects of degradation is outlined. Finally, several areas are identified where additional research is desired.

Design of ultra-lightweight concrete: towards monolithic concrete structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Qing Liang

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This study addresses the development of ultra-lightweight concrete. A moderate strength and an excellent thermal conductivity of the lightweight concrete are set as the design targets. The designed lightweight aggregates concrete is targeted to be used in monolithic concrete façade structure, performing as both load bearing element and thermal insulator. The developed lightweight concrete shows excellent thermal properties, with a low thermal conductivity of about 0.12 W/(m·K; and moderate mechanical properties, with 28-day compressive strengths of about 10-12 N/mm . This combination of values exceeds, to the researchers’ knowledge, the performance of all other lightweight building materials. Furthermore, the developed lightweight concrete possesses excellent durability properties.

Sustainability and durability analysis of reinforced concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Horáková, A.; Broukalová, I.; Kohoutková, A.; Vašková, J.

2017-09-01

The article describes an assessment of reinforced concrete structures in terms of durability and sustainable development. There is a short summary of findings from the literature on evaluation methods for environmental impacts and also about corrosive influences acting on the reinforced concrete structure, about factors influencing the durability of these structures and mathematical models describing the corrosion impacts. Variant design of reinforced concrete structure and assessment of these variants in terms of durability and sustainability was performed. The analysed structure was a concrete ceiling structure of a parking house for cars. The variants differ in strength class of concrete and thickness of concrete slab. It was found that in terms of durability and sustainable development it is significantly preferable to use higher class of concrete. There are significant differences in results of concrete structures durability for different mathematical models of corrosive influences.

Bacteria-based self-healing concrete for application in the marine environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Palin, D.; Wiktor, V.; Jonkers, H.M.

2013-01-01

Marine concrete structures are exposed to one of the most hostile of natural environments. Many physical and chemical phenomena are usually interdependent and mutually reinforcing in the deterioration of marine exposed concrete: expansion and microcracking due to physical effects increases concrete

Structural Concrete, Science into Practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bruggeling, A.S.G.

1987-01-01

There is a need for a more rational and unified approach to all types of concrete structure, reinforced of prestressed. The first chapter explains in a historical review why the approach of reinforced concrete and that of prestressed concrete have hitherto been very different. In outlining the

Mechanical and Durability Properties of Fly Ash Based Concrete Exposed to Marine Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Kagadgar, Sarfaraz Ahmed; Saha, Suman; Rajasekaran, C.

2017-06-01

Efforts over the past few years for improving the performance of concrete suggest that cement replacement with mineral admixtures can enhance the strength and durability of concrete. Feasibility of producing good quality concrete by using alccofine and fly ash replacements is investigated and also the potential benefits from their incorporation were looked into. In this study, an attempt has been made to assess the performance of concrete in severe marine conditions exposed upto a period of 150 days. This work investigates the influence of alccofine and fly ash as partial replacement of cement in various percentages (Alccofine - 5% replacement to cement content) and (fly ash - 0%, 15%, 30%, 50% & 60% to total cementitious content) on mechanical and durability properties (Permit ion permeability test and corrosion current density) of concrete. Usage of alccofine and high quantity of fly ash as additional cementitious materials in concrete has resulted in higher workability of concrete. Inclusion of alccofine shows an early strength gaining property whereas fly ash results in gaining strength at later stage. Concrete mixes containing 5% alccofine with 15% fly ash replacement reported greater compressive strength than the other concrete mixes cured in both curing conditions. Durability test conducted at 56 and 150 days indicated that concrete containing higher percentages of fly ash resulted in lower permeability as well lesser corrosion density.

Recycled construction and demolition concrete waste as aggregate for structural concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashraf M. Wagih

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In major Egyptian cities there is a surge in construction and demolition waste (CDW quantities causing an adverse effect on the environment. The use of such waste as recycled aggregate in concrete can be useful for both environmental and economical aspects in the construction industry. This study discusses the possibility to replace natural coarse aggregate (NA with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA in structural concrete. An investigation into the properties of RCA is made using crushing and grading of concrete rubble collected from different demolition sites and landfill locations around Cairo. Aggregates used in the study were: natural sand, dolomite and crushed concretes obtained from different sources. A total of 50 concrete mixes forming eight groups were cast. Groups were designed to study the effect of recycled coarse aggregates quality/content, cement dosage, use of superplasticizer and silica fume. Tests were carried out for: compressive strength, splitting strength and elastic modulus. The results showed that the concrete rubble could be transformed into useful recycled aggregate and used in concrete production with properties suitable for most structural concrete applications in Egypt. A significant reduction in the properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC made of 100% RCA was seen when compared to natural aggregate concrete (NAC, while the properties of RAC made of a blend of 75% NA and 25% RCA showed no significant change in concrete properties.

Exploring the relationship between structurally defined geometrical parameters of reinforced concrete beams and the thermal comfort on indoor environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Daniel Sang-Hoon; Naboni, Emanuele

2017-01-01

mass effect (and the implication on thermal comfort) and the given geometrical parameters of exposed soffit reinforced concrete beams are explored. The geometrical parameters of the beams are initially defined in means of structural optimisation. The beams consist of flange and web in likeness of T...... the resultant heat exchange behaviour, and the implication on thermal comfort indoor environment. However, the current paper presents the thermal mass characteristics of one geometrical type. The study is based on results derived from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, where Rhino 3D is used......The paper presents a research exploring the thermal mass effect of reinforced concrete beams with structurally optimised geometrical forms. Fully exposed concrete soffits in architectural contexts create more than just visual impacts on the indoor climate through their possible interferences...

Some Properties of Polymer Modified Self-Compacting Concrete Exposed to Kerosene and Gas Oil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nada Mahdi Fawzi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This thesis aims to study the effect of addition polymer materials on mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete, and also to assess the influence of petroleum products (kerosene and gas oil on mechanical properties of polymer modified self-compacting concrete (PMSCC after different exposure periods of (30 ,60 ,90 ,and 180 days. Two type of curing are used; 28 days in water for SCC and 2 days in water followed 26 days in air for PMSCC. The test results show that the PMSCC (15% P/C ratio which is exposed to oil products recorded a lower deterioration in compressive strength's values than reference concrete. The percentages of reduction in compressive strength values of PMSCC (15% P/C ratio was (6.03% and (9.61% up to 180 days of exposure to kerosene and gas oil respectively, relative to the same mix immersed in water, while the percentages of reduction in compressive strength values of SCC (reference concrete was (21.18% and (25.19% up to 180 days of exposure to kerosene and gas oil respectively, relative to the same mix immersed in water. Flexural strength results present improvement for all ages and for all concrete mixes with all percentages of polymer content The total water absorption values of PMSCC (15% P/C ratio showed a better performance than reference concrete mix when exposed to oil products. It was (1.34, 2.21, 2.17 % up to 180 days with samples immersed in water, kerosene, and gas oil respectively, with percentages of reduction of (23.86%, (33.83%, and (31.33% relative to the SCC (reference concrete.

Offshore concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamas Pardo, M.; Carral Couce, L. M.

2011-01-01

In the offshore industry there are two possible materials for the construction of the hull of a structure; the steel and concrete, with the first one widely used until now, as in the rest of the shiphuidling industry of merchant ships, warships, etc. Materials such as aluminum, GRP or timber areused in small units with lengths lower than 100 m, and in less adverse conditions than in the offshore industry. Nevertheless, some ships/barges have been built of concrete in the past, but have been rather isolated cases which have not changed the practice in the industry. In the First and Second World War were built by the scarcity of materials, while the series of barges by Alfred A. Yee was a rare exception. Other units were also made in concrete, but almost anecdotal. Still, the behaviour of these concrete structures, especially in terms of maintenance, has been excellent. Therefore, the fact that the concrete has not had an adequate reception so far in shipbuilding, does not mean that in will not be the material best suited for the offshore industry in the future. The extra displacement and associated fuel costs in concrete ships have been found prohibitive in the past. But the loss of mobility of a concrete hull in relation to a steel hull can be perfectly offset by the advantages offered by the concrete, as the shipping and offshore industry have very different priorities. One of the main differences in these priorities is in terms of maintenance and resistance to fatigue, precisely where the concrete performs better. ships can easily be dry docked for maintenance and repair, while in the offshore platforms these works have to be done in situ so maintenance and fatigue are crucial to them. Besides these, the concrete has other advantages according to findings of several studies. And although they are interested in the conclusions that the makes as they came from people in the concrete industry, the fact that in recent years concrete offshore unit shave been built

Structure formation control of foam concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Steshenko, Aleksei; Kudyakov, Aleksander; Konusheva, Viktoriya; Syrkin, Oleg

2017-01-01

The process of predetermined foam concrete structure formation is considered to be a crucial issue from the point of process control and it is currently understudied thus defining the need for additional research. One of the effective ways of structure formation control in naturally hardening foam concrete is reinforcement with dispersed fibers or introduction of plasticizers. The paper aims at studying the patterns of influence of microreinforcing and plasticizing additives on the structure and performance properties of foam concrete. Preparation of foam concrete mix has been conducted using one-step technology. The structure of modified foam concrete has been studied by means of electron microscopy. The cellular structure of foam concrete samples with the additives is homogeneous; the pores are uniformly distributed over the total volume. It has been revealed that introduction of the Neolas 5.2 plasticizer and microreinforcing fibers in the foam concrete mixture in the amount of 0.4 - 0.1 % by weight of cement leads to reduction of the average pore diameter in the range of 45.3 to 30.2 microns and the standard deviation of the pore average diameter from 23.6 to 9.2 in comparison with the sample without additive. Introduction of modifying additives has stimulated formation of a large number of closed pores. Thus porosity of conditionally closed pores has increased from 16.06 % to 34.48 %, which has lead to increase of frost resistance brand of foam concrete from F15 to F50 and to reduction of its water absorption by weight by 20 %.

Porous Structure of Road Concrete

OpenAIRE

Пшембаев, М. К.; Гиринский, В. В.; Ковалев, Я. Н.; Яглов, В. Н.; Будниченко, С. С.

2016-01-01

Having a great number of concrete structure classifications it is recommended to specify the following three principal types: microstructure – cement stone structure; mesostructure – structure of cement-sand mortar in concrete; macrostucture – two-component system that consists of mortar and coarse aggregate. Every mentioned-above structure has its own specific features which are related to the conditions of their formation. Thus, microstructure of cement stone can be characterized by such st...

Characterization of Laboratory Prepared Concrete Pastes Exposed to High Alkaline and High Sodium Salt Solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Langton, C. A. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-06-30

The objective of this study was to identify potential chemical degradation mechanisms for the Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) concretes, which over the performance life of the structures may be exposed to highly alkaline sodium salt solutions containing sulfate, hydroxide, and other potentially corrosive chemicals in salt solution and saltstone flush water, drain water, leachate and / or pore solution. The samples analyzed in this study were cement pastes prepared in the SIMCO Technologies, Inc. concrete laboratory. They were based on the paste fractions of the concretes used to construct the Saltstone Disposal Units (SDUs). SDU 1 and 4 concrete pastes were represented by the PV1 test specimens. The paste in the SDU 2, 3, 5, and 6 concrete was represented by the PV2 test specimens. SIMCO Technologies, Inc. selected the chemicals and proportions in the aggressive solutions to approximate proportions in the saltstone pore solution [2, 3, 5, and 6]. These test specimens were cured for 56 days in curing chamber before being immersed in aggressive solutions. After exposure, the samples were frozen to prevent additional chemical transport and reaction. Selected archived (retrieved from the freezer) samples were sent to the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) for additional characterization using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Characterization results are summarized in this report. In addition, a correlation between the oxide composition of the pastes and their chemical durability in the alkaline salt solutions is provided.

Area Factor Determinations for an Industrial Worker Exposed to a Concrete Slab End-State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jannik, G. Timothy; Lee, Patricia L.; Farfan, Eduardo B.; Roach, Jesse L.

2008-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) is decommissioning many of its excess facilities through removal of the facility structures leaving only the concrete-slab foundations in place. Site-specific, risk-based derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs) for radionuclides have been determined for a future industrial worker potentially exposed to residual contamination on these concrete slabs as described in Jannik. These risk-based DCGLs were estimated for an exposure area of 100 m 2 . During deactivation and decommissioning (D and D) operations at SRS, the need for area factors for larger and smaller contaminated areas arose. This paper compares the area factors determined for an industrial worker exposed to a concrete slab end-state for several radionuclides of concern at SRS with 1) the illustrative area factors provided in MARSSIM, 2) the area correction factors provided in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Soil Screening Guidance, and 3) the hot spot criterion for field application provided in the RESRAD User's Manual. The purpose of this site-specific assessment is to determine if any of the recommended area factors provided in the guidance documents could be utilized at SRS for field applications of the industrial worker DCGLs. Results show the area factors that were determined for an SRS industrial worker exposed to concrete slab end-states for the common radionuclides provided in the referenced guidance documents. In addition to the SRS site-specific area factors, the following area factors are provided for comparison: - Illustrative examples of outdoor area dose factors (MARSSIM); - Area correction factors as a function of source area (Soil Screening Guidance). Note: the area correction factors were inverted to correspond to a DCGL area factor. - Recommended area correction factors as a function of source area (Soil Screening Guidance); - Ranges for hot spot multiplication factors (RESRAD). As it can be seen

Application of concrete filled steel bearing wall to inner concrete structure fro PWR nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekimoto, Hisashi; Tanaka, Mamoru; Inoue, Kunio; Fukihara, Masaaki; Akiyama, Hiroshi.

1992-01-01

'Concrete filled steel bearing wall', applied to the inner concrete structure for PWR nuclear power plant, was developed for rationalization of construction procedure at site. It was concluded through preliminary studies that this new type of wall, where concrete is placed between steel plates, is best suited for the strength members of the above structure, due to the high strength and ductility of surface steel plates and the confinement effect of filled concrete. To verify the behavior from the elastic range to the inelastic range, the ultimate strength and the failure mechanism, and to clarify experimentally the structural integrity of the inner concrete structure, which was composed of a concrete filled steel bearing wall, against seismic lateral loads, horizontal loading tests using a 1/10th scale model of the inner concrete structure for PWR nuclear power plant were conducted. As a result of the tests, the inner concrete structure composed of a concrete filled steel bearing wall appeared to have a larger load carrying capacity and a higher ductility as compared with that composed of a reinforced concrete wall. (author)

Nondestructive testing of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rufino, Randy R.; Relunia, Estrella

1999-01-01

Nondestructive testing of concrete is highly inhomogeneous which makes it cumbersome to setup experimental procedures and analyze experimental data. However, recent research and development activities have discovered the different methods of NDT, like the electromagnetic method, ultrasonic pulse velocity test, pulse echo/impact echo test, infrared thermography, radar or short pulse radar techniques, neutron and gamma radiometry, radiography, carbonation test and half-cell potential method available for NDT of concrete structures. NDT of concrete is emerging as a useful tool for quality control and assurance. This papers also describes the more common NDT methods discussed during the two-week course on 'Nondestructive Testing of Concrete Structures', held at the Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT) in Malaysia, which was jointly organized by MINT and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Research on working property and early age mechanical property of self-compacting concrete used in steel-concrete structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Yongguang

2013-01-01

Background: Self-compacting concrete that has good working property is the prerequisite of steel-concrete structure. The early age mechanical property of self-compacting concrete is the important parameter when design steel-concrete structure. Purpose: This paper attempts to research the working property and early age mechanical property of self-compacting concrete. Methods: Test is used to research the working property and early age mechanical property of self-compacting concrete. Results: Self-compacting concrete that could meet the requirement of steel-concrete structure has been mixed and parameters of early age mechanical property of self-compacting concrete which is necessary for design of steel-concrete structure have been presented. Conclusions: Base on the results, this paper can guide the construction of self-compacting concrete in steel-concrete structure and the design and construction of steel-concrete structure. (author)

Model techniques for testing heated concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stefanou, G.D.

1983-01-01

Experimental techniques are described which may be used in the laboratory to measure strains of model concrete structures representing to scale actual structures of any shape or geometry, operating at elevated temperatures, for which time-dependent creep and shrinkage strains are dominant. These strains could be used to assess the distribution of stress in the scaled structure and hence to predict the actual behaviour of concrete structures used in nuclear power stations. Similar techniques have been employed in an investigation to measure elastic, thermal, creep and shrinkage strains in heated concrete models representing to scale parts of prestressed concrete pressure vessels for nuclear reactors. (author)

Corrosion of Carbon Steel and Corrosion-Resistant Rebars in Concrete Structures Under Chloride Ion Attack

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Nedal; Boulfiza, Mohamed; Evitts, Richard

2013-03-01

Corrosion of reinforced concrete is the most challenging durability problem that threatens reinforced concrete structures, especially structures that are subject to severe environmental conditions (i.e., highway bridges, marine structures, etc.). Corrosion of reinforcing steel leads to cracking and spalling of the concrete cover and billions of dollars are spent every year on repairing such damaged structures. New types of reinforcements have been developed to avoid these high-cost repairs. Thus, it is important to study the corrosion behavior of these new types of reinforcements and compare them to the traditional carbon steel reinforcements. This study aimed at characterizing the corrosion behavior of three competing reinforcing steels; conventional carbon steel, micro-composite steel (MMFX-2) and 316LN stainless steel, through experiments in carbonated and non-carbonated concrete exposed to chloride-laden environments. Synthetic pore water solutions have been used to simulate both cases of sound and carbonated concrete under chloride ions attack. A three-electrode corrosion cell is used for determining the corrosion characteristics and rates. Multiple electrochemical techniques were applied using a Gamry PC4™ potentiostat manufactured by Gamry Instruments (Warminster, PA). DC corrosion measurements were applied on samples subjected to fixed chloride concentration in the solution.

Ultrasonic measurements of undamaged concrete layer thickness in a deteriorated concrete structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demcenko, A.; Visser, Roy; Akkerman, Remko

2016-01-01

Ultrasonic wave propagation in deteriorated concrete structures was studied numerically and experimentally. Ultrasonic single-side access immersion pulse-echo and diffuse field measurements were performed in deteriorated concrete structures at 0.5 MHz center frequency. Numerically and experimentally

Steel-concrete bond model for the simulation of reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mang, Chetra

2015-01-01

Reinforced concrete structure behavior can be extremely complex in the case of exceeding the cracking threshold. The composite characteristics of reinforced concrete structure should be finely presented especially in the distribution stress zone between steel-concrete at their interface. In order to compute the industrial structures, a perfect relation hypothesis between steel and concrete is supposed in which the complex phenomenon of the two-material relation is not taken into account. On the other hand, this perfect relation is unable to predict the significant disorders, the repartition, and the distribution of the cracks, which is directly linked to the steel. In literature, several numerical methods are proposed in order to finely study the concrete-steel bond behavior, but these methods give many difficulties in computing complex structures in 3D. With the results obtained in the thesis framework of Torre-Casanova (2012), the new concrete-steel bond model has been developed to improve performances (iteration numbers and computational time) and the representation (cyclic behavior) of the initial one. The new model has been verified with analytical solution of steel-concrete tie and validated with the experimental results. The new model is equally tested with the structural scale to compute the shear wall behavior in the French national project (CEOS.fr) under monotonic load. Because of the numerical difficulty in post-processing the crack opening in the complex crack formation, a new crack opening method is also developed. This method consists of using the discontinuity of relative displacement to detect the crack position or using the slip sign change between concrete-steel. The simulation-experiment comparison gives validation of not only the new concrete-steel bond model but also the new crack post-processing method. Finally, the cyclic behavior of the bond law with the non-reduced envelope is adopted and integrated in the new bond model in order to take

STRUCTURAL AND THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HARDENING CONCRETE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Krasulina

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Structural and thermophysical properties of thermally treated concrete have been studied in the paper. The paper demonstrates regularities of changes in structural and thermophysical properties of concrete during heat treatment process. It is established that stabilization of coefficient values for heat- and temperature conductivity of concrete corresponds to completion of the process pertaining to intensive formation of the material pore structure and indicates the possibility of transition from the stage of isothermal extraction to the stage of temperature decrease. The obtained results are confirmed by studies of strength growth kinetics of concrete samples.

Non-Destructive Testing for Concrete Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tengku Sarah Tengku Amran; Noor Azreen Masenwat; Mohamad Pauzi Ismail

2015-01-01

Nondestructive testing (NDT) is a technique to determine the integrity of a material, component or structure. It is essential in the inspection of alteration, repair and new construction in the building industry. There are a number of non-destructive testing techniques that can be applied to determine the integrity of concrete in a completed structure. Each has its own advantages and limitations. For concrete, these problems relate to strength, cracking, dimensions, delamination, and inhomogeneities. NDT is reasonably good and reliable tool to measure the property of concrete which also gives the fair indication of the compressive strength development. This paper discussed the concrete inspection using combined methods of NDT. (author)

Pore structure modification of cement concretes by impregnation with sulfur-containing compounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YANAKHMETOV Marat Rafisovich

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The authors study how the impregnation with sulfur-containing compounds changes the concrete pore structure and how it influences on the water absorption and watertightness. The results of this research indicate that impregnation of cement concrete with water-based solution of polysulphide modifies pore structure of cement concrete in such a way that it decreases total and effective porosity, reduces water absorption and increases watertightness. The proposed impregnation based on mineral helps to protect for a long time the most vulnerable parts of buildings – basements, foundations, as well as places on the facades of buildings exposed to rain, snow and groundwater. Application of the new product in the construction industry can increase the durability of materials, preventing the destruction processes caused by weathering, remove excess moisture in damp basements. The surfaces treated by protective compounds acquire antisoiling properties for a long time, and due to reduced thermal conductivity the cost of heating buildings is decreased. The effectiveness of the actions and the relatively low cost of proposed hydrophobizator makes it possible to spread widely the proposed protection method for building structures.

Sustainable monitoring of concrete structures : strength and durability performance of polymer-modified self-sensing concrete

OpenAIRE

Torgal, Fernando Pacheco; Gonzalez, J.; Jalali, Said

2012-01-01

Concrete structures all over the world are reaching the end of their service life sooner than expected. This is due to the fact that ordinary Portland cement-based concrete deteriorates under environmental actions and also that structural inspections and conservation actions are expensive. Besides, as they consume energy and non-renewable resources, they have negative environmental impacts. Self-sensing concrete provides an alternative way of monitoring concrete-reinforced structures...

Nuclear radiation and the properties of concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, M.F.

1983-08-01

Concrete is used for structures in which the concrete is exposed to nuclear radiation. Exposure to nuclear radiation may affect the properties of concrete. The report mentions the types of nuclear radiation while radiation damage in concrete is discussed. Attention is also given to the effects of neutron and gamma radiation on compressive and tensile strength of concrete. Finally radiation shielding, the attenuation of nuclear radiation and the value of concrete as a shielding material is discussed

Maintenance and Repair of Concrete Structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bijen, J.M.J.M.

1989-01-01

In 1987 and 1988 a series of articles was published in the Dutchjournal "Cement" about maintenance and repair of concrete structures. The series was written to promote the transfer of know-how concerning maintenance and repair of concrete structures. Use has been made of know-how developed in the

Maintenance and preservation of concrete structures. Report 3: Abrasion-erosion resistance of concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, T. C.

1980-07-01

This report describes a laboratory test program on abrasion-erosion resistance of concrete, including the development of a new underwater abrasion-erosion test method. This program was designed to evaluate the relative abrasion-erosion resistance of various materials considered for use in the repair of erosion-damaged concrete structures. The test program encompassed three concrete types (conventional concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, and polymer concrete); seven aggregate types (limestone, chert, trap rock, quartzite, granite, siliceous gravel, and slag); three principal water-cement rations (0.72, 0.54, and 0.40); and six types of surface treatment (vacuum, polyurethane coating, acrylic mortar coating, epoxy mortar coating, furan resin mortar coating, and iron aggregate topping). A total of 114 specimens made from 41 batches of concrete was tested. Based on the test data obtained, a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of various parameters on the abrasion-erosion resistance of concrete was presented. Materials suitable for use in the repair of erosion-damaged concrete structures were recommended. Additional work to correlate the reported findings with field performance was formulated.

Damping characteristics of reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hisano, M.; Nagashima, I.; Kawamura, S.

1987-01-01

Reinforced concrete structures in a nuclear power plant are not permitted to go far into the inelasticity generally, even when subjected to strong ground motion. Therefore it is important to evaluate the damping appropriately in linear and after cracking stage before yielding in the dynamic response analysis. Next three dampings are considered of reinforced concrete structures. 1) Internal damping in linear range material damping of concrete without cracks;2) Hysteretic damping in inelastic range material hysteretic damping of concrete due to cracking and yielding;3) Damping due to the energy dissipation into the ground. Among these damping material damping affects dynamic response of a nuclear power plant on hard rock site where damping due to energy dissipation into the ground is scarcely expected. However material damping in linear and slightly nonlinear range have only been assumed without enough experimental data. In this paper such damping is investigated experimentally by the shaking table tests of reinforced concrete box-walls which modeled roughly the outer wall structure of a P.W.R. type nuclear power plant

VISCOELASTIC STRUCTURAL MODEL OF ASPHALT CONCRETE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Bogomolov

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The viscoelastic rheological model of asphalt concrete based on the generalized Kelvin model is offered. The mathematical model of asphalt concrete viscoelastic behavior that can be used for calculation of asphalt concrete upper layers of non-rigid pavements for strength and rutting has been developed. It has been proved that the structural model of Burgers does not fully meet all the requirements of the asphalt-concrete.

Reusing recycled aggregates in structural concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Kou, Shicong

The utilization of recycled aggregates in concrete can minimize environmental impact and reduce the consumption of natural resources in concrete applications. The aim of this thesis is to provide a scientific basis for the possible use of recycled aggregates in structure concrete by conducting a comprehensive programme of laboratory study to gain a better understanding of the mechanical, microstructure and durability properties of concrete produced with recycled aggregates. The study also explored possible techniques to of improve the properties of recycled aggregate concrete that is produced with high percentages (≧ 50%) of recycled aggregates. These techniques included: (a) using lower water-to-cement ratios in the concrete mix design; (b) using fly ash as a cement replacement or as an additional mineral admixture in the concrete mixes, and (c) precasting recycled aggregate concrete with steam curing regimes. The characteristics of the recycled aggregates produced both from laboratory and a commercially operated pilot construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling plant were first studied. A mix proportioning procedure was then established to produce six series of concrete mixtures using different percentages of recycled coarse aggregates with and without the use of fly ash. The water-to-cement (binder) ratios of 0.55, 0.50, 0.45 and 0.40 were used. The fresh properties (including slump and bleeding) of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) were then quantified. The effects of fly ash on the fresh and hardened properties of RAC were then studied and compared with those RAC prepared with no fly ash addition. Furthermore, the effects of steam curing on the hardened properties of RAC were investigated. For micro-structural properties, the interfacial transition zones of the aggregates and the mortar/cement paste were analyzed by SEM and EDX-mapping. Moreover, a detailed set of results on the fracture properties for RAC were obtained. Based on the experimental

Performance of geopolymer concrete in fire

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Ren

2017-01-01

Portland cement concrete is a world-wide used construction material. However, when Portland cement concrete is exposed to fire, its mechanical properties are deteriorated. The deterioration of concrete is generally caused by the decomposition of the Portland cement hydrate or the thermal incompatibility between cement paste and aggregate. Spalling, which is a violent or non-violent breaking off of layers or pieces of concrete from the surface of a structural element, may also occur when the c...

Quality Control of Concrete Structure For APR1400 Construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Inseop; Song, Changhak; Kim, Duill

2012-01-01

Nuclear structure shall be constructed to protect internal facilities in the normal operation against external accidents such as the radiation shielding, earthquakes and to be leak-proof of radioactive substances to the external environment in case of loss of coolants. containment and auxiliary building of nuclear power plants are built in reinforced concrete structures to maintain these protection functions. Nuclear structures shall be designed to ensure soundness in operation since they are located on the waterfront where is easy do drain the cooling water and so deterioration and damage of concrete structures caused by seawater can occur. Durability is ensured for concrete structures of APR1400, a Korea standard NPP, in compliance with all safety requirements. In particular, owners perform quality control directly on the production and pouring of cast in place concrete for the concrete structure construction to make sure concrete structures established with quality homogeneity and durability. This report is to look into the quality control standard and management status of cast in place concrete for APR1400 construction

CONCRETE MIX DESIGN FOR STRUCTURES SUBJECTED TO EXPOSURE CLASS XC1 DEPENDING ON CONCRETE COVER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Yu. Cherniakevich

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The reinforced steel corrosion which is the most important problem of reinforced concrete structures durability is generally stipulated for carbonization of concrete surrounding it. Concrete cover calculation at the design stage is predicated one because of the differences in manufacturing conditions and use of constructions. The applying of the probabilistic approaches to the carbonation process modeling allows to get predicated grade of the depth of carbonization of concrete and, thus, to settle minimum concrete cover thickness for a given projected service life of a construction. The procedures for concrete mix design for different strength classes of concrete are described in the article. Current recommendations on assignment of concrete strength class as well as concrete cover are presented. The European Standard EN 206:2013 defines the content requirements for the concrete structures operated in the exposure class XC1, including the minimum values of water-cement ratio, minimum cement content, and minimum strength class of concrete. Since the standard does not include any basis or explanations of the requirements, we made an effort to develop a scientific justification for the mentioned requirements. We developed the probabilistic models for the process of carbonation of concrete based on the concrete mix which was designed using the software VTK-Korroziya. The reinforced concrete structures with concrete cover 20–35 mm operated in the most unfavorable conditions within the exposure class XC1 were analyzed. The corresponding probabilistic calculations of the depth of carbonated concrete are described in the article. 

Aging Evaluation of Nuclear Power Plant Concrete Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitsutaka, Y.; Takesue, N.; Tsukagoshi, M.

2012-01-01

In this paper, method on the aging evaluation in nuclear power plant concrete structures was investigated. Problems on the durability evaluation of reinforced concrete structures were pointed out and an evaluation framework was considered. In view of the importance of evaluating the degree of deterioration of reinforced concrete structures, relationships should be formulated among the number of years elapsed, t, the amount of action of a deteriorative factor, F, the degree of material deterioration, D, and the performance of the structure, P. Evaluation by PDFt diagrams combining these relationships may be effective. A detailed procedure of durability evaluation for a reinforced concrete structure using PDFt concept is presented for the deterioration factors of thermal effect, irradiation, neutralization and penetration of salinity by referring to the recent papers. And the evaluation framework of the deteriorated material constitutive model which can be used for the numerical analysis of the integrity evaluation for the concrete structure was proposed. (author)

Concrete structures under projectile impact

CERN Document Server

Fang, Qin

2017-01-01

In this book, the authors present their theoretical, experimental and numerical investigations into concrete structures subjected to projectile and aircraft impacts in recent years. Innovative approaches to analyze the rigid, mass abrasive and eroding projectile penetration and perforation are proposed. Damage and failure analyses of nuclear power plant containments impacted by large commercial aircrafts are numerically and experimentally analyzed. Ultra-high performance concrete materials and structures against the projectile impact are developed and their capacities of resisting projectile impact are evaluated. This book is written for the researchers, engineers and graduate students in the fields of protective structures and terminal ballistics.

Characterization of basin concrete in support of structural integrity demonstration for extended storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duncan, A.

2014-01-01

Concrete core samples from C basin were characterized through material testing and analysis to verify the design inputs for structural analysis of the L Basin and to evaluate the type and extent of changes in the material condition of the concrete under extended service for fuel storage. To avoid the impact on operations, core samples were not collected from L area, but rather, several concrete core samples were taken from the C Basin prior to its closure. C basin was selected due to its similar environmental exposure and service history compared to L Basin. The microstructure and chemical composition of the concrete exposed to the water was profiled from the water surface into the wall to evaluate the impact and extent of exposure. No significant leaching of concrete components was observed. Ingress of carbonation or deleterious species was determined to be insignificant. No evidence of alkali-silica reactions (ASR) was observed. Ettringite was observed to form throughout the structure (in air voids or pores); however, the sulfur content was measured to be consistent with the initial concrete that was used to construct the facility. Similar ettringite trends were observed in the interior segments of the core samples. The compressive strength of the concrete at the mid-wall of the basin was measured, and similar microstructural analysis was conducted on these materials post compression testing. The microstructure was determined to be similar to near-surface segments of the core samples. The average strength was 4148 psi, which is well-above the design strength of 2500 psi. The analyses showed that phase alterations and minor cracking in a microstructure did not affect the design specification for the concrete

Finite element analysis of degraded concrete structures - Workshop proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-09-01

This workshop is related to the finite element analysis of degraded concrete structures. It is composed of three sessions. The first session (which title is: the use of finite element analysis in safety assessments) comprises six papers which titles are: Historical Development of Concrete Finite Element Modeling for Safety Evaluation of Accident-Challenged and Aging Concrete Structures; Experience with Finite Element Methods for Safety Assessments in Switzerland; Stress State Analysis of the Ignalina NPP Confinement System; Prestressed Containment: Behaviour when Concrete Cracking is Modelled; Application of FEA for Design and Support of NPP Containment in Russia; Verification Problems of Nuclear Installations Safety Software of Strength Analysis (NISS SA). The second session (title: concrete containment structures under accident loads) comprises seven papers which titles are: Two Application Examples of Concrete Containment Structures under Accident Load Conditions Using Finite Element Analysis; What Kind of Prediction for Leak rates for Nuclear Power Plant Containments in Accidental Conditions; Influence of Different Hypotheses Used in Numerical Models for Concrete At Elevated Temperatures on the Predicted Behaviour of NPP Core Catchers Under Severe Accident Conditions; Observations on the Constitutive Modeling of Concrete Under Multi-Axial States at Elevated Temperatures; Analyses of a Reinforced Concrete Containment with Liner Corrosion Damage; Program of Containment Concrete Control During Operation for the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant; Static Limit Load of a Deteriorated Hyperbolic Cooling Tower. The third session (concrete structures under extreme environmental load) comprised five papers which titles are: Shear Transfer Mechanism of RC Plates After Cracking; Seismic Back Calculation of an Auxiliary Building of the Nuclear Power Plant Muehleberg, Switzerland; Seismic Behaviour of Slightly Reinforced Shear Wall Structures; FE Analysis of Degraded Concrete

The Service Life Evaluation for Concrete Structure of NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Choon Min; Kim, Seong Soo; Bae, Sung Hwan; Sik, Yoon Eui

2014-01-01

Prolonged exposure to the marine environment degrades the durability of concrete and shortens the service life of concrete due to degradation factors such as chloride, carbonation, freezing and thawing, sulfate. Therefore, many country's organizations like the Korea Concrete Institute (KCI), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the International Federation for Structural Concrete (FIB), the American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) which recognized the seriousness of this deterioration proposed equation models to evaluate the service life for the concrete structures. As a result, this paper is to especially consider the service life evaluation using these equation models for concrete structure of NPP in Korea compared with 60 years as a design service life. The concrete durability evaluation for Shin-Hanul NPP units 1 and 2 is carried out by using typically proposed assessment models in domestic and foreign standard. It is confirmed that the service life of concrete durability for each of deterioration factors is significantly higher than 60 years as a design service life. As a result, the study of combined deterioration for the concrete structures of NPP in future is positively necessary and maintenance control through regular monitoring should be conducted to secure safety margin basis

Radiographic testing in concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, D. de

1987-01-01

The radiographic testing done in concrete structures is used to analyse the homogeneity, position and corrosion of armatures and to detect discontinuity in the concrete such as: gaps, cracks and segregations. This work develops a Image quality Indicator (IQI) with an adequated sensibility to detect discontinuites based on BS4408 norm. (E.G.) [pt

Durability of thin-walled concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salomon, M.; Gallias, J.L.

1991-01-01

The aim of the present document is to draw up a survey of knowledge of the problems of ageing of reinforced concrete shell structure atmospheric coolers. The exposure conditions are particularly favourable to the induction and development of degradation which, because of the thinness of the reinforced concrete can compromise the stability and the durability of coolers. The study will be axed on the link between the specific characteristics of coolers from the point of view of operation, design and environment, also the durability of reinforced concrete. The set of factors exerting their influence on the reinforced concrete of the shell structure (condensates, rain water, temperature and humidity gradients, dynamic loads, weathering, etc.) is particularly complex. The principal degradation reactions involved are classified according to the chemical and physical action on concrete and on the reinforcement. Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of degradation processes and the influence of the characteristics of the materials and of the medium. The aim is to determine the mechanisms which present the greatest risk for coolers. The interaction between the degradation to concrete and the change in mechanical characteristics is also studied [fr

High-strength concrete and the design of power plant structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puttonen, J.

1991-01-01

Based on the literature, the design of high-strength concrete structures and the suitability of high-strength concrete for the power plant structures have been studied. Concerning the behavior of structures, a basic difference between the high-strength concrete and the traditional one is that the ductility of the high-strength concrete is smaller. In the design, the non-linear stress-strain relationship of the high-strength concrete has to be taken into account. The use of the high-strength concrete is economical if the strength of the material can be utilized. In the long term, the good durability and wear resistance of the high-strength concrete increases the economy of the material. Because of the low permeability of the high-strength concrete, it is a potential material in the safety-related structures of nuclear power plants. The study discovered no particular power plant structure which would always be economical to design of high-strength concrete. However, the high-strength concrete was found to be a competitive material in general

Injection technologies for the repair of damaged concrete structures

CERN Document Server

Panasyuk, V V; Sylovanyuk, V P

2014-01-01

This book analyzes the most important achievements in science and engineering practice concerning operational factors that cause damage to concrete and reinforced concrete structures. It includes methods for assessing their strength and service life, especially those that are based on modern concepts of the fracture mechanics of materials. It also includes basic approaches to the prediction of the remaining service life for long-term operational structures. Much attention is paid to injection technologies for restoring the serviceability of damaged concrete and reinforced concrete structures. In particular, technologies for remedying holes, cracks, corrosion damages etc. The books contains sample cases in which the above technologies have been used to restore structural integrity and extend the reliable service life of concrete and reinforced concrete constructions, especially NPPs, underground railways, bridges, seaports and historical relics.

Lateral rigidity of cracked concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castellani, A.; Chesi, C.

1979-01-01

Numerical results are discussed on the lateral rigidity of reinforced concrete structures with a given crack distribution. They have been favourably checked with experimental results for cylindrical shells under the effect of a thermal gradient producing vertical cracking or vertical plus horizontal cracking. The main effects characterizing the concrete behaviour are: (1) The shear transfer across a crack; (2) The shear transfer degradation after cyclic loading; (3) The tension stiffening provided by the concrete between crack and crack, in the normal stress transfer; (4) The temperature effect on the elastic moduli of concrete, when cracks are of thermal origin. Only the 1st effect is discussed on an experimental basis. Two broad cathegories of reinforced concrete structures have been investigated in this respect: shear walls of buildings and cylindrical containment structures. The main conclusions so far reached are: (1) Vertical cracks are unlikely to decrease the lateral rigidity to less than 80% of the original one, and to less than 90% when they do not involve the entire thickness of the wall; (2) The appearence of horizontal cracks can reduce the lateral rigidity by some 30% or more; (3) A noticeable but not yet evaluated influence is shown by cyclic loading. (orig.)

Durability of cracked fibre reinforced concrete structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan De Place

1998-01-01

structure are made on specimens drilled or sawed from beams after unloading (mechanical load). The pore structure of the concretes will be studied by microscopy, sorption and suction curves. The test programme involves three different concrete qualities (water-cement ratios). Both steel fibres (ZP...

Reinforced concrete structures loaded by snow avalanches : numerical and experimental approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Ousset, I.; Bertrand, D.; Brun, M.; Limam, A.; Naaim, M.

2012-04-01

Today, due to the extension of occupied areas in mountainous regions, new strategies for risk mitigation have to be developed. In the framework of risk analysis, these latter have to take into account not only the natural hazard description but also the physical vulnerability of the exposed structures. From a civil engineering point of view, the dynamic behavior of column or portico was widely investigated especially in the case of reinforced concrete and steel. However, it is not the case of reinforced concrete walls for which only the in-plan dynamic behavior (shear behavior) has been studied in detail in the field of earthquake engineering. Therefore, the aim of this project is to study the behavior of reinforced concrete civil engineering structures submitted to out-of-plan dynamic loadings coming from snow avalanche interaction. Numerical simulations in 2D or 3D by the finite element method (FEM) are presented. The approach allows solving mechanical problems in dynamic condition involving none linearities (especially none linear materials). Thus, the structure mechanical response can be explored in controlled conditions. First, a reinforced concrete wall with a L-like shape is considered. The structure is supposed to represent a French defense structure dedicated to protect people against snow avalanches. Experimental pushover tests have been performed on a physical model. The experimental tests consisted to apply a uniform distribution of pressure until the total collapse of the wall. A 2D numerical model has been developed to simulate the mechanical response of the structure under quasi-static loading. Numerical simulations have been compared to experimental datas and results gave a better understanding of the failure mode of the wall. Moreover, the influence of several parameters (geometry and the mechanical properties) is also presented. Secondly, punching shear experimental tests have also been carried out. Reinforced concrete slabs simply supported have

Short-Term Behavior of Slag Concretes Exposed to a Real In Situ Mediterranean Climate Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega, José Marcos; Sánchez, Isidro; Cabeza, Marta; Climent, Miguel Ángel

2017-08-08

At present, one of the most suitable ways to get a more sustainable cement industry is to reduce the CO₂ emissions generated during cement production. In order to reach that goal, the use of ground granulated blast-furnace slag as clinker replacement is becoming increasingly popular. Although the effects of this addition in the properties of cementitious materials are influenced by their hardening conditions, there are not too many experimental studies in which slag concretes have been exposed to real in situ environments. Then, the main objective of this research is to study the short-term effects of exposure to real Mediterranean climate environment of an urban site, where the action of airborne chlorides from sea water and the presence of CO₂ are combined, in the microstructure and service properties of a commercial slag cement concrete, compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The microstructure was studied with mercury intrusion porosimetry. The effective porosity, capillary suction coefficient, chloride migration coefficient, carbonation front depth, and compressive strength were also analyzed. Considering the results obtained, slag concretes exposed to a real in situ Mediterranean climate environment show good service properties in the short-term (180 days), in comparison with OPC.

Aircraft impact on nuclear power plants concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coombs, R.F.; Barbosa, L.C.B.; Santos, S.H.C.

1980-01-01

A summary about the procedures for the analysis of aircraft on concrete structures, aiming to emphasize the aspects related to the nuclear power plants safety, is presented. The impact force is determined by the Riera model. The effect of this impact force on the concrete structures is presented, showing the advantages to use nonlinear behaviour in the concrete submitted to short loads. The simplifications used are shown through a verification example of the nuclear reactor concrete shielding. (E.G.) [pt

On the Degradation of Concrete in Marine Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burcharth, Hans F.; Hofman Frisch, P.; Freisleben, P.

1985-01-01

Concrete is a cheap and extremely handy material and as such used extensively also in marine structures. Everybody dealing with this material knows examples of concrete apparently of almost infinite durability but also examples where serious degradation started shortly after completion of the str......Concrete is a cheap and extremely handy material and as such used extensively also in marine structures. Everybody dealing with this material knows examples of concrete apparently of almost infinite durability but also examples where serious degradation started shortly after completion...

Comparison on Heat of Hydration between Current Concrete for NPP and High Fluidity Concrete including Pozzolan Powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noh, Jea Myoung; Cho, Myung Sug

2010-01-01

Nuclear power plant (NPP) concrete structures are exposed to many construction factors that lower the quality of concrete due to densely packed reinforcements and heat of hydration since they are mostly constructed with mass concrete. The concrete currently being used in Korean NPPs is mixed with Type I cement and fly ash. However, there is a demand to improve the performance of concrete with reduced heat of hydration and superior constructability. Many advantages such as improving workability and durability of concrete and decreasing heat of hydration are introduced by replacing cement with pozzolan binders. Therefore, the manufacturing possibility of high fluidity concrete should be investigated through applying multi-component powders blended with pozzolan binders to the concrete structure of NPPs, while the researches on properties, characteristic of hydration, durability and long-term behavior of high fluidity concrete using multi-component cement should be carried out. High fluidity concrete which is made using portland cement and pozzlonan powders such as fly ash and blast furnace slag has better properties on heat of hydration than the concrete currently in use for NPPs

Nonlinear finite element analysis of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottosen, N.S.

1980-05-01

This report deals with nonlinear finite element analysis of concrete structures loaded in the short-term up until failure. A profound discussion of constitutive modelling on concrete is performed; a model, applicable for general stress states, is described and its predictions are compared with experimental data. This model is implemented in the AXIPLANE-program applicable for axisymmetrick and plane structures. The theoretical basis for this program is given. Using the AXIPLANE-program various concrete structures are analysed up until failure and compared with experimental evidence. These analyses include panels pressure vessel, beams failing in shear and finally a specific pull-out test, the Lok-Test, is considered. In these analyses, the influence of different failure criteria, aggregate interlock, dowel action, secondary cracking, magnitude of compressive strenght, magnitude of tensile strenght and of different post-failure behaviours of the concrete are evaluated. Moreover, it is shown that a suitable analysis of the theoretical data results in a clear insight into the physical behaviour of the considered structures. Finally, it is demonstrated that the AXISPLANE-program for widely different structures exhibiting very delicate structural aspects gives predictions that are in close agreement with experimental evidence. (author)

Teaching concrete structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goltermann, Per

2014-01-01

The teaching of concrete structures has been revised and a number of new approaches have been developed, implemented and evaluated. Inductive teaching, E-learning and “patches” have been found to be improvements and may be an inspiration and help for others development of the teaching and learning...

Utilization of recycled concrete aggregates in structural concrete by applying a fraction partitioning model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wouw, van de P.M.F.; Doudart de la Grée, G.C.H.; Florea, M.V.A.; Brouwers, H.J.H.; Bilek, V.; Kersner, Z.

2014-01-01

The recycling of concrete waste into new structural concrete reduces the utilization of raw materials, decreases transport and production energy cost, and saves the use of limited landfill space. Currently, recycling involves the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) as road base material or in

Automated crack detection in conductive smart-concrete structures using a resistor mesh model

Science.gov (United States)

Downey, Austin; D'Alessandro, Antonella; Ubertini, Filippo; Laflamme, Simon

2018-03-01

Various nondestructive evaluation techniques are currently used to automatically detect and monitor cracks in concrete infrastructure. However, these methods often lack the scalability and cost-effectiveness over large geometries. A solution is the use of self-sensing carbon-doped cementitious materials. These self-sensing materials are capable of providing a measurable change in electrical output that can be related to their damage state. Previous work by the authors showed that a resistor mesh model could be used to track damage in structural components fabricated from electrically conductive concrete, where damage was located through the identification of high resistance value resistors in a resistor mesh model. In this work, an automated damage detection strategy that works through placing high value resistors into the previously developed resistor mesh model using a sequential Monte Carlo method is introduced. Here, high value resistors are used to mimic the internal condition of damaged cementitious specimens. The proposed automated damage detection method is experimentally validated using a 500 × 500 × 50 mm3 reinforced cement paste plate doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes exposed to 100 identical impact tests. Results demonstrate that the proposed Monte Carlo method is capable of detecting and localizing the most prominent damage in a structure, demonstrating that automated damage detection in smart-concrete structures is a promising strategy for real-time structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure.

Capability of GGBS concrete exposed to sea water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salihuddin Radin Sumadi; Rosli Hamir; Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah

1999-01-01

This paper reported studies the penetration of chloride into ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) concrete with exposure on marine environment. Test were conducted on ordinary portland cement (OPC) concrete and 60% (by weight) of OPC replaced GGBS (S-60). The specimens immersed in sea water were tested for chloride penetration. The results show that higher replacement level of GGBS in concrete significantly reduce the chloride content in concrete. The results also show that chloride concentration decreases with increasing depth into concrete. (author)

Monitoring of Concrete Structures Using Ofdr Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Henault, J. M.; Salin, J.; Moreau, G.; Delepine-Lesoille, S.; Bertand, J.; Taillade, F.; Quiertant, M.; Benzarti, K.

2011-06-01

Structural health monitoring is a key factor in life cycle management of infrastructures. Truly distributed fiber optic sensors are able to provide relevant information on large structures, such as bridges, dikes, nuclear power plants or nuclear waste disposal facilities. The sensing chain includes an optoelectronic unit and a sensing cable made of one or more optical fibers. A new instrument based on Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR), enables to perform temperature and strain measurements with a centimeter scale spatial resolution over hundred of meters and with a level of precision equal to 1 μstrain and 0.1 °C. Several sensing cables are designed with different materials targeting to last for decades in a concrete aggressive environment and to ensure an optimal transfer of temperature and strain from the concrete matrix to the optical fiber. Tests were carried out by embedding various sensing cables into plain concrete specimens and representative-scale reinforced concrete structural elements. Measurements were performed with an OFDR instrument; meanwhile, mechanical solicitations were imposed to the concrete element. Preliminary experiments are very promising since measurements performed with distributed sensing system are comparable to values obtained with conventional sensors used in civil engineering and with the Strength of Materials Modelling. Moreover, the distributed sensing system makes it possible to detect and localize cracks appearing in concrete during the mechanical loading.

STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE OF DEGRADED REINFORCED CONCRETE MEMBERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braverman, J.I.; Miller, C.A.; Ellingwood, B.R.; Naus, D.J.; Hofmayer, C.H.; Bezler, P.; Chang, T.Y.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the results of a study to evaluate, in probabilistic terms, the effects of age-related degradation on the structural performance of reinforced concrete members at nuclear power plants. The paper focuses on degradation of reinforced concrete flexural members and shear walls due to the loss of steel reinforcing area and loss of concrete area (cracking/spalling). Loss of steel area is typically caused by corrosion while cracking and spalling can be caused by corrosion of reinforcing steel, freeze-thaw, or aggressive chemical attack. Structural performance in the presence of uncertainties is depicted by a fragility (or conditional probability of failure). The effects of degradation on the fragility of reinforced concrete members are calculated to assess the potential significance of various levels of degradation. The fragility modeling procedures applied to degraded concrete members can be used to assess the effects of degradation on plant risk and can lead to the development of probability-based degradation acceptance limits

Mechanical and Microstructural Evaluations of Lightweight Aggregate Geopolymer Concrete before and after Exposed to Elevated Temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdulkareem, Omar A; Abdullah, Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri; Hussin, Kamarudin; Ismail, Khairul Nizar; Binhussain, Mohammed

2013-10-09

This paper presents the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of a lightweight aggregate geopolymer concrete (LWAGC) synthesized by the alkali-activation of a fly ash source (FA) before and after being exposed to elevated temperatures, ranging from 100 to 800 °C. The results show that the LWAGC unexposed to the elevated temperatures possesses a good strength-to-weight ratio compared with other LWAGCs available in the published literature. The unexposed LWAGC also shows an excellent strength development versus aging times, up to 365 days. For the exposed LWAGC to the elevated temperatures of 100 to 800 °C, the results illustrate that the concretes gain compressive strength after being exposed to elevated temperatures of 100, 200 and 300 °C. Afterward, the strength of the LWAGC started to deteriorate and decrease after being exposed to elevated temperatures of 400 °C, and up to 800 °C. Based on the mechanical strength results of the exposed LWAGCs to elevated temperatures of 100 °C to 800 °C, the relationship between the exposure temperature and the obtained residual compressive strength is statistically analyzed and achieved. In addition, the microstructure investigation of the unexposed LWAGC shows a good bonding between aggregate and mortar at the interface transition zone (ITZ). However, this bonding is subjected to deterioration as the LWAGC is exposed to elevated temperatures of 400, 600 and 800 °C by increasing the microcrack content and swelling of the unreacted silicates.

PARAMETERS AFFECTING THE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A TUNNEL STRUCTURE EXPOSED TO FIRE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omid Pouran

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Behaviour of cut-and-cover tunnels exposed to fire should be analysed by using a realistic structural model that takes account of mechanical and thermal effects on the structure. This has been performed with the aid of Finite Element (FE software package called SOFiSTiK in parallel, for two types of elements as a scope of research project financed by the German Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen BAST. Since the stiffness of the structure at elevated temperatures is highly affected, a realistic model of structural behaviour of the tunnel could be only achieved by considering the nonlinear analysis of the structure. This has been performed for a 2–cell cut and cover tunnel by taking account of simultaneous reduction of stiffness and strength and the time-dependent increasing indirect effects due to axial constraints and temperature gradients induced by elevated temperatures. The thermal analyses have been performed and the effects were implemented into the structural model by the multi-layered strain model. The stress–strain model proposed by EN 1992-1-2 is implemented for the elevated temperature. Since there was sufficient amount of Polypropylene fibres in the concrete mixtures, modelling of spalling was excluded from the analysis. The critical corresponding stresses and material behaviour are compared and interpreted at different time stages. The main parameters affecting the accuracy and convergence of the results of structural analysis for the used model are identified: defining a realistic fire action, using concrete material model fulfilling the requirements of fire situation in tunnels, defining appropriate time intervals for load implementations. These parameters along with other parameters, which influence the results to a lesser degree, are identified and investigated in this paper.

Reinforced concrete containment structures in high seismic zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, T.S.

1977-01-01

A new structural concept for reinforced concrete containment structures at sites where earthquake ground motions in terms of the Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) exceeds 0.3 g is presented. The structural concept is based on: (1) an inner steel-lined concrete shell which houses the reactor and provides shielding and containment in the event of loss of coolant accident; (2) an outer annular concrete shell structure which houses auxiliary reactor equipment and safeguards systems. These shell structures are supported on a common foundation mat which is embedded in the subgrade. Under stipulated earthquake conditions the two shell structures interact to resist lateral inertia forces. Thus the annular structure which is not a pressure boundary acts as a lateral support for the inner containment shell. The concept is practical, economically feasible and new to practice. (Auth.)

Contribution to the study of corrosion in cementitious media for the phenomenological modelling of the long-term behaviour of reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

L'hostis, V.

2010-12-01

Many of the facilities and structures involved in the nuclear industry call for reinforced concrete (RC) in their construction. The corrosion of rebars is the main ageing pathology that those RC structures will meet during their service life (leading to concrete cracking and structural bearing capacity decrease). Concrete carbonation and chloride ingress in concrete are both at the origin of the active corrosion state. Passive corrosion has also to be considered in a context of very long lifetime (waste management). It is of primary importance to dispose of accurate and validated tools in order to predict where and how damages will appear. In 2002, the Commissariat a l Energie atomique decided to develop an intensive research programme dedicated to predicting the long-term behaviour of RC structures affected by steel corrosion (CIMETAL Project). This document aims at synthesize the main outputs coming from the project and exposes the scientific strategy was drawn and applied in order to predict the long-term behaviour of RCs that were mainly exposed to carbonation conditions. That strategy includes experiments for the characterisation of 'short-term' and 'long-term' corrosion layouts and processes, as well as modelling stages, with a view not only to predicting the behaviour of RC, but also to pointing out phenomena that are further verified experimentally. (author)

Temperature Measurement and Damage Detection in Concrete Beams Exposed to Fire Using PPP-BOTDA Based Fiber Optic Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Yi; Hoehler, Matthew S; Smith, Christopher M; Bundy, Matthew; Chen, Genda

2017-10-01

In this study, distributed fiber optic sensors based on pulse pre-pump Brillouin optical time domain analysis (PPP-BODTA) are characterized and deployed to measure spatially-distributed temperatures in reinforced concrete specimens exposed to fire. Four beams were tested to failure in a natural gas fueled compartment fire, each instrumented with one fused silica, single-mode optical fiber as a distributed sensor and four thermocouples. Prior to concrete cracking, the distributed temperature was validated at locations of the thermocouples by a relative difference of less than 9 %. The cracks in concrete can be identified as sharp peaks in the temperature distribution since the cracks are locally filled with hot air. Concrete cracking did not affect the sensitivity of the distributed sensor but concrete spalling broke the optical fiber loop required for PPP-BOTDA measurements.

Aging of concrete containment structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Mori, Yasuhiro; Arndt, E.G.

1992-01-01

Concrete structures play a vital role in the safe operation of all light-water reactor plants in the US Pertinent concrete structures are described in terms of their importance design, considerations, and materials of construction. Degradation factors which can potentially impact the ability of these structures to meet their functional and performance requirements are identified. Current inservice inspection requirements for concrete containments are summarized. A review of the performance history of the concrete components in nuclear power plants is provided. A summary is presented. A summary is presented of the Structural Aging (SAG) Program being conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The SAG Program is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants for the purpose of providing improved bases for their continued service. The program consists of a management task and three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technologies, and quantitiative methodology for continued service conditions. Objectives and a summary of accomplishments under each of these tasks are presented

Evaluation and rehabilitation of corrosion damaged reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, I.S.

1999-01-01

For the last two decades, rehabilitation of corrosion damaged concrete structures has been one of the most important challenges faced by the construction industry throughout the world. The extent of the damage is significant in cold climates and also in hot and humid climates. In both cases, the corrosion is invariably initiated by ingress of salts into the concrete either from de-icing salts used on roads, or from salt-laden air, soils or ground water. However, there is a contrast in sites of distress in the two climatic regions mentioned above. In cold climates, where de-icing salts are used, the damage is generally to superstructures and is therefore visible, but in hot, humid coastal regions damage is primarily in the substructures and may not be so clearly apparent. This paper presents the corrosion mechanism in concrete deterioration, the methods of evaluation of the damaged structures, and rehabilitation strategies. A case history of a concrete rehabilitation project is included together with some lessons learned in rehabilitation of corrosion damaged structures. Recommendations are made for maintenance of concrete structures and a warning is issued that salt run-off from roads in cold climates may cause distress in below ground concrete structures, similar to structures in hot and humid climates with saline groundwater and soils. (author)

Mimicking Bone Healing Process to Self Repair Concrete Structure Novel Approach Using Porous Network Concrete

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sangadji, S.; Schlangen, H.E.J.G.

2013-01-01

To repair concrete cracks in difficult or dangerous conditions such as underground structures or hazardous liquid containers, self healing mechanism is a promising alternative method. This research aims to imitate the bone self healing process by putting porous concrete internally in the concrete

Effect of temperature on structural quality of the cement paste and high-strength concrete with silica fume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janotka, Ivan; Nuernbergerova, Terezia

2005-01-01

Experimental investigation conducted to study the thermo-mechanical properties of concrete at Temelin (Czech Republic), Mochovce (Slovakia), and Penly (France) nuclear power plants reveals structural integrity degradation between 100 and 200 deg C due to both a loss of water bound in hydrated cement minerals and subsequently air void formation. Test results indicate changes in strength, average pore radius and calculated permeability coefficients for Mochovce specimens exposed to temperatures up to 400 deg C. It demonstrates that the permeability coefficient measured on the basis of pore sizes using mercury intrusion porosimetry is suitable technique for the evaluation of concrete quality. It confirms that strength and permeability coefficient are equivalent structural quality variables of concrete. At 400 deg C gel-like hydration products are decomposed, at 600 deg C Ca(OH) 2 is dehydroxylated, and CaCO 3 dissociation to CaO and CO 2 accompanied with the re-crystallisation of non-binding phases from hydrated cement under re-combustion are dominant processes between 600 and 800 deg C. This stage of concrete is characterised by the collapse of its structural integrity, revealing residual compressive strength. This paper reports high-strength concrete behaviour subjected to temperatures up to 200 deg C. In accordance with previous results, research studies of structure-property relation show the changes in strength, dynamic modulus of elasticity, strain-stress behaviour, and shrinkage-induced deformations influenced by a hydrate phase decomposition. Volume reduction of the hydrate phase due to the loss of bound water mass is the cause of air void formation, and pore structure coarsening. The main attention is herein devoted to the evaluation of utility property decrease of high-strength concrete and microstructure degradation of the cement paste with the same composition than that in concrete when attacked by elevated temperatures

New rheological model for concrete structural analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chern, J.C.

1984-01-01

Long time deformation is of interest in estimating stresses of the prestressed concrete reactor vessel, in predicting cracking due to shrinkage or thermal dilatation, and in the design of leak-tight structures. Many interacting influences exist among creep, shrinkage and cracking for concrete. An interaction which researchers have long observed, is that at simultaneous drying and loading, the deformation of a concrete structure under the combined effect is larger than the sum of the shrinkage deformation of the structure at no load and the deformation of the sealed structure. The excess deformation due to the difference between observed test data and conventional analysis is regarded as the Pickett Effect. A constitutive relation explaining the Pickett Effect and other similar superposition problems, which includes creep, shrinkage (or thermal dilation), cracking, aging was developed with an efficient time-step numerical algorithm. The total deformation in the analysis is the sum of strain due to elastic deformation and creep, cracking and shrinkage with thermal dilatation. Instead of a sudden stress reduction to zero after the attainment of the strength limit, the gradual strain-softening of concrete (a gradual decline of stress at increasing strain) is considered

Transport and Corrosion Behavior of Cracked Reinforced Concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pease, Bradley Justin

Reinforced concrete, due to its inherent versatility and durability as a building material, has been implemented for use in a multitude of structural applications which are exposed to widely varying environmental conditions. Often times these structures are designed for lengthy service lives....... The exposure conditions may vary from industrial products, chemicals, and gases, to annual variations in temperature, to chloride-rich environments such as marine structures and structures exposed to deicing salts. These chloride-rich environments are of central concern in Denmark and throughout the world....... In addition, cracks develop in concrete through various physical and chemical processes, which occur at varying periods of the lifetime of a structure, resulting in varying crack parameters (i.e. width, depth, and tortuosity). These cracks provide easy access of aggressive substances from the environment...

Required performance to the concrete structure of the accelerator facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irie, Masaaki; Yoshioka, Masakazu; Miyahara, Masanobu

2006-01-01

As for the accelerator facility, there is many a thing which is constructed as underground concrete structure from viewpoint such as cover of radiation and stability of the structure. Required performance to the concrete structure of the accelerator facility is the same as the general social infrastructure, but it has been possessed the feature where target performance differs largely. As for the body sentence, expressing the difference of the performance which is required from the concrete structure of the social infrastructure and the accelerator facility, construction management of the concrete structure which it plans from order of the accelerator engineering works facility, reaches to the design, supervision and operation it is something which expresses the method of thinking. In addition, in the future of material structural analysis of the concrete which uses the neutron accelerator concerning view it showed. (author)

Surface Chloride Levels in Colorado Structural Concrete

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

This project focused on the chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcing steel in structural concrete. The primary goal of this project is to analyze the surface chloride concentration level of the concrete bridge decks throughout Colorado. The study in...

Factors and mechanisms affecting corrosion of steel in concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dehqanian, Ch.

1986-01-01

Atomic power plants possess reinforced concrete structures which are exposed to sea water or sea atmosphere. Sea water or its surrounding environment contain very corrosive species which cause corrosion of metal in concrete. It should be mentioned that corrosion of steel in concrete is a complex problem that is not completely understood. Some of the factors which influence the corrosion mechanism and can be related to the pore solution composition is discussed. Chloride ion caused problems are the main source of the corrosion damage seen on the reinforced concrete structures. Corrosion rate in concrete varies and depends on the way chloride ion diffuses into concrete. In addition, the associated cations can influence diffusion of chloride into concrete. The type of portland cement and also the concrete mix design all affect the corrosion behaviour of steel in concrete

Advanced concrete structures for thermal power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zerna, W.

1982-01-01

The author begins with an overview on the various types of power plants depending on the fuel used in them and then in particular deals with the reinforced concrete structures. Especially for reactor buildings and prestressed concrete pressure vessels concrete is the appropriate material. The methods of construction are described as a function of load and operation. Safety requirements brought new load types for such structures as e.g. airplane crash, internal pressure caused by pipe rupture. Dimensioning is done by means of nonlinear dynamical methods of calculation accounting for plasticizing. These methods are explained. Further the constructional principles of high natural-draft cooling towers are mentioned. (orig.) [de

Superelastic SMA–FRP composite reinforcement for concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wierschem, Nicholas; Andrawes, Bassem

2010-01-01

For many years there has been interest in using fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) as reinforcement in concrete structures. Unfortunately, due to their linear elastic behavior, FRP reinforcing bars are never considered for structural damping or dynamic applications. With the aim of improving the ductility and damping capability of concrete structures reinforced with FRP reinforcement, this paper studies the application of SMA–FRP, a relatively novel type of composite reinforced with superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. The cyclic tensile behavior of SMA–FRP composites are studied experimentally and analytically. Tests of SMA–FRP composite coupons are conducted to determine their constitutive behavior. The experimental results are used to develop and calibrate a uniaxial SMA–FRP analytical model. Parametric and case studies are performed to determine the efficacy of the SMA–FRP reinforcement in concrete structures and the key factors governing its behavior. The results show significant potential for SMA–FRP reinforcement to improve the ductility and damping of concrete structures while still maintaining its elastic characteristic, typical of FRP reinforcement

Radiation shielding structure for concrete structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oya, Hiroshi

1998-01-01

Crack inducing members for inducing cracks in a predetermined manner are buried in a concrete structure. Namely, a crack-inducing member comprises integrally a shielding plate and extended plates situated at the center of a wall and inducing plates vertically disposed to the boundary portion between them with the inducing plates being disposed each in a direction perforating the wall. There are disposed integrally a pair of the inducing plate spaced at a predetermined horizontal distance on both sides of the shielding plate so as to form a substantially crank-shaped cross section and extended plates formed in the extending direction of the shielding plate, and the inducing plates are disposed each in a direction perforating the wall. Then, cracks generated when stresses are exerted can be controlled, and generation of cracks passing through the concrete structure can be prevented reliably. The reliability of a radiation shielding effect can be enhanced remarkably. (N.H.)

Peculiarities of Thermal Treatment of Monolithic Reinforced Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kuchin, V. N.; Shilonosova, N. V.

2017-11-01

A mathematical program has been developed that allows one to determine the parameters of heat treatment of monolithic structures. One of the quality indicators of monolithic reinforced concrete structures is the level of temperature stresses arising in the process of heat treatment and further operation of structures. In winter at heat treatment the distribution of temperatures along the cross-section of the structure is uneven. A favorable thermo-stressed state in a concrete massif occurs when using the preheating method, providing the concrete temperature in the center of the structure is greater than at the periphery. In this case, after the strength is set and the temperature is later equalized along the cross-section, the central part of the structure tends to decrease its dimensions more but the extreme zones prevent it. Therefore, the center is in a state of tension, and the extreme zones on the periphery are compressed. In compressed concrete there is a lesser chance of cracks or defects. The temperature gradient over the section of the structure, the stress in the concrete and its strength are determined. When calculating the temperature and strength fields, the stress level was determined - a value equal to the ratio of the tensile stresses in the section under consideration to the tensile strength of the concrete in this section at the same time. The nature of the change in stress level is determined by the massive structure and power of the formwork heaters. It is shown that under unfavorable conditions the stress level is close to the critical value. The greatest temperature gradient occurs in the outer layers adjacent to the heating formwork. A technology for concrete conditioning is proposed which makes it possible to reduce the temperature stresses along the cross-section of the structure. The time for concrete conditioning in the formwork is reduced. In its turn, it further reduces labor costs and the cost of concrete work along with the cost of

Recycled Concrete as Aggregate for Structural Concrete Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirjana Malešev

2010-04-01

Full Text Available A comparative analysis of the experimental results of the properties of fresh and hardened concrete with different replacement ratios of natural with recycled coarse aggregate is presented in the paper. Recycled aggregate was made by crushing the waste concrete of laboratory test cubes and precast concrete columns. Three types of concrete mixtures were tested: concrete made entirely with natural aggregate (NAC as a control concrete and two types of concrete made with natural fine and recycled coarse aggregate (50% and 100% replacement of coarse recycled aggregate. Ninety-nine specimens were made for the testing of the basic properties of hardened concrete. Load testing of reinforced concrete beams made of the investigated concrete types is also presented in the paper. Regardless of the replacement ratio, recycled aggregate concrete (RAC had a satisfactory performance, which did not differ significantly from the performance of control concrete in this experimental research. However, for this to be fulfilled, it is necessary to use quality recycled concrete coarse aggregate and to follow the specific rules for design and production of this new concrete type.

Analysis of time-dependent reliability of degenerated reinforced concrete structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Hongping

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Durability deterioration of structure is a highly random process. The maintenance of degenerated structure involves the calculation of the reliability of time-dependent structure. This study introduced reinforced concrete structure resistance decrease model and related statistical parameters of uncertainty, analyzed resistance decrease rules of corroded bending element of reinforced concrete structure, and finally calculated timedependent reliability of the corroded bending element of reinforced concrete structure, aiming to provide a specific theoretical basis for the application of time-dependent reliability theory.

Evaluation of microbially-influenced degradation of massive concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, M.A.; Rogers, R.D.; Zolynski, M.; Veeh, R.

1996-01-01

Many low level waste disposal vaults, both above and below ground, are constructed of concrete. One potential contributing agent to the destruction of concrete structures is microbially-influenced degradation (MID). Three groups of bacteria are known to create conditions that are conducive to destroying concrete integrity. They are sulfur oxidizing bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, and heterotrophic bacteria. Research is being conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory to assess the extent of naturally occurring microbially influenced degradation (MID) and its contribution to the deterioration of massive concrete structures. The preliminary steps to understanding the extent of MID, require assessing the microbial communities present on degrading concrete surfaces. Ultimately such information can be used to develop guidelines for preventive or corrective treatments for MID and aid in formulation of new materials to resist corrosion. An environmental study was conducted to determine the presence and activity of potential MID bacteria on degrading concrete surfaces of massive concrete structures. Scanning electron microscopy detected bacteria on the surfaces of concrete structures such as bridges and dams, where corrosion was evident. Enumeration of sulfur oxidizing thiobacilli and nitrogen oxidizing Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrobacter sp. from surface samples was conducted. Bacterial community composition varied between sampling locations, and generally the presence of either sulfur oxidizers or nitrifiers dominated, although instances of both types of bacteria occurring together were encountered. No clear correlation between bacterial numbers and degree of degradation was exhibited

Numerical analysis of pipe impact on reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prinja, N.K.

1990-01-01

This paper presents the methodology and the results of numerical analyses carried out by using the computer code DYNA3D to analyse pipe impacts on a reinforced concrete slab, a floor beam and a column. Modelling techniques employed to represent various features of typical reinforced concrete (RC) structures and the details of a soil and crushable foam type of material model used to represent concrete material behaviour are described. The results show that a reasonable prediction of global behaviour of reinforced concrete structures under impact loading can be obtained by this numerical method. (author)

Report on aging of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.

1996-03-01

The Structural Aging Program provides the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service assessments of nuclear power plant safety-related concrete structures. The program was organized under four task areas: Program Management, Materials Property Data Base, Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technology, and Quantitative Methodology for Continued Service Determinations. Under these tasks, over 90 papers and reports were prepared addressing pertinent aspects associated with aging management of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures. Contained in this report is a summary of program results in the form of information related to longevity of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, a Structural Materials Information Center presenting data and information on the time variation of concrete materials under the influence of environmental stressors and aging factors, in-service inspection and condition assessments techniques, repair materials and methods, evaluation of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, and a reliability-based methodology for current and future condition assessments. Recommendations for future activities are also provided. 308 refs., 61 figs., 50 tabs

Report on aging of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Ellingwood, B.R. [Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1996-03-01

The Structural Aging Program provides the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service assessments of nuclear power plant safety-related concrete structures. The program was organized under four task areas: Program Management, Materials Property Data Base, Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technology, and Quantitative Methodology for Continued Service Determinations. Under these tasks, over 90 papers and reports were prepared addressing pertinent aspects associated with aging management of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures. Contained in this report is a summary of program results in the form of information related to longevity of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, a Structural Materials Information Center presenting data and information on the time variation of concrete materials under the influence of environmental stressors and aging factors, in-service inspection and condition assessments techniques, repair materials and methods, evaluation of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, and a reliability-based methodology for current and future condition assessments. Recommendations for future activities are also provided. 308 refs., 61 figs., 50 tabs.

Sensor Systems for Corrosion Monitoring in Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.Kumar

2006-05-01

Full Text Available It is a need of permanently embedded corrosion monitoring devices to monitor the progress of corrosion problems on a new or existing reinforced concrete structures before embarking on repair or rehabilitation of the structures. Numerous devices are available for investigating corrosion problems, because no single technique exists which tells an engineer what he needs to know, namely how much damage there is on a structure now and how rapidly the damage will grow with time. In this investigation the studies on the sensors systems based on the measurements of half cell potential of rebars inside the concrete, resistivity of concrete, corrosion rate of rebars by eddy current measurements and sensing of chloride ions are reported. An integrated system consists of above sensors are fabricated and embedded into concrete. The response from each sensor was acquired and analyzed by NI hardware through LabVIEW software.

Method of evaluating the surface color of concrete; Concrete hyomenshoku hyoka shuho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kondo, Y; Kotani, K; Imadate, F; Ito, N; Watanabe, K [Kajima Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1995-12-20

As a part of the evaluation of landscape of civil engineering structures, a method was studied for quantitative evaluation of surface color and color hue of the exposed concrete. The surface colors of concrete structures constructed at more than one sites were measured using a colorimeter and were statistically processed. The colorimeter can measure colors by irradiating the standard light onto the surface of the object and dividing the reflection light into ingredients, lightness L and color phase a and b in the CIELAB equal color space. The L/a/b measuring data were plotted which were obtained from 2010 measuring surfaces of 49 structures at 7 construction sites. As for the surface color of concrete, it was found that ingredient L measured by the colorimeter reacts on variations of color very sensitively and agrees well with the trend of evaluation by eyes. Namely, human being senses the difference of concrete color mainly from the difference in lightness and senses the difference as the color hue. Further, using the neural network, an evaluation method was established which was the same as the human sense. 1 ref., 8 figs., 3 tabs.

Reliability analysis of prestressed concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, J.; Zhao, Y.; Sun, J.

1993-01-01

The reliability analysis of prestressed concrete containment structures subjected to combinations of static and dynamic loads with consideration of uncertainties of structural and load parameters is presented. Limit state probabilities for given parameters are calculated using the procedure developed at BNL, while that with consideration of parameter uncertainties are calculated by a fast integration for time variant structural reliability. The limit state surface of the prestressed concrete containment is constructed directly incorporating the prestress. The sensitivities of the Choleskey decomposition matrix and the natural vibration character are calculated by simplified procedures. (author)

Concrete structures for nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The detailed requirements for the design and fabrication of the concrete structures for nuclear facilities and for the documents to be submitted to the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) are given in the guide. It also sets the requirements for the inspection of concrete structures during the construction and operation of facilities. The requirements of the guide primarily apply to new construction. As regards the repair and modification of nuclear facilities built before its publication, the guide is followed to the extent appropriate. The regulatory activities of the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety during a nuclear facility's licence application review and during the construction and operation of the facility are summarised in the guide YVL 1.1

Recycled Concrete as Aggregate for Structural Concrete Production

OpenAIRE

Mirjana Malešev; Vlastimir Radonjanin; Snežana Marinković

2010-01-01

A comparative analysis of the experimental results of the properties of fresh and hardened concrete with different replacement ratios of natural with recycled coarse aggregate is presented in the paper. Recycled aggregate was made by crushing the waste concrete of laboratory test cubes and precast concrete columns. Three types of concrete mixtures were tested: concrete made entirely with natural aggregate (NAC) as a control concrete and two types of concrete made with natural fine and recycle...

Study on Detailing Design of Precast Concrete Frame Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Lida, Tian; Liming, Li; Kang, Liu; Jiao, Geng; Ming, Li

2018-03-01

Taking a certain precast concrete frame structure as an example, this paper introduces the general procedures and key points in detailing design of emulative cast-in-place prefabricated structure from the aspects of structural scheme, precast element layout, shop drawing design and BIM 3D modelling. This paper gives a practical solution for the detailing design of precast concrete frame structure under structural design codes in China.

Porous Network Concrete : A bio-inspired building component to make concrete structures self-healing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sangadji, S.

2015-01-01

The high energy consumption, its corresponding emission of CO2 and financial losses due to premature failure are the pressing sustainability issues which must be tackled by the concrete infrastructure industry. Enhancement of concrete materials and durability of structures (designing new

Selected Aspects of Computer Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szczecina M.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper presents some important aspects concerning material constants of concrete and stages of modeling of reinforced concrete structures. The problems taken into account are: a choice of proper material model for concrete, establishing of compressive and tensile behavior of concrete and establishing the values of dilation angle, fracture energy and relaxation time for concrete. Proper values of material constants are fixed in simple compression and tension tests. The effectiveness and correctness of applied model is checked on the example of reinforced concrete frame corners under opening bending moment. Calculations are performed in Abaqus software using Concrete Damaged Plasticity model of concrete.

Vulnerability assessment for reinforced concrete buildings exposed to landslides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mavrouli, O.; Corominas, J.; Fotopoulou, S.; Pitilakis, K.; Zuccaro, G.; Cacace, F.; De Gregorio, D.; Santo, A.; Di Crescenzo, G.; Foerster, E.; Ulrich, T.

2014-01-01

The methodologies available for the analytical quantification of the vulnerability of buildings which are subject to actions resulting from slope instabilities and landslides are relatively limited in comparison with other components of quantitative landslide risk assessment. This paper provides a general methodology for calculating the vulnerabilities of reinforced concrete frame structures that are subject to three types of slope instability: slow-moving landslides, rapid flow-type slides and rock falls. The vulnerability is expressed using sets of fragility curves. A description of the general framework and of the specialised procedures employed is presented here, separately for each landslide mechanism, through the example of a single-bay one-storey reinforced concrete frame. The properties of the frame are taken into account as variables with associated uncertainties. The derived vulnerability curves presented here can be used directly by risk assessment practitioners without having to repeat the procedure, given the expected range of landslide intensities and for similar building typologies and ranges of structural characteristics. This permits the applicability of the calculated vulnerability to a wide variety of similar frames for a range of landslide intensity parameters. (authors)

Flexural strength of structural concrete repaired with HBPMM cement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memon, G.H.; Khaskheli, G.B.; Kumar, A.

2009-01-01

To repair damaged concrete structures, Dadabhoy Cement Factory in Sindh has launched a product known as HBPMM (Hi-Bond Polymer Modified Mortar) cement. HBPMM is used to repair various concrete structures in Pakistan but the experimental back up regarding the real performance of the product, as far as flexural strength of concrete is concerned, is not well known yet. This study is thus aimed to investigate the flexural strength of structural concrete repaired with HBPMM compared to that repaired with OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement). In total 32 concrete beams (6x6x18) having compressive strength of 3000 and 5000 psi were manufactured. To obtain flexural strength of the beams, these were splitted by using a UTM (Universal Testing Machine). Beams were then repaired with different applications of HBPMM and OPC. After 28 days of curing, the repaired beams were re-splitted to determine the flexural strength of repaired beams. Results show that both HBPMM and OPC are not very effective. However, the performance of HBPMM remained slightly better than that of OPC. Both OPC and HBPMM remained more efficient in case of 5000 psi concrete than that of 3000 psi concrete. Flexural strength of repaired beams could be increased by increasing application of the repairing material. (author)

Alkali aggregate reactivity in concrete structures in western Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, D.R.; Empey, D.

1989-01-01

In several regions of Canada, particularly parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, research, testing and evaluation of aged concrete structures in the field has shown that alkali aggregate reactivity can give rise to pronounced concrete deterioration, particularly in hydraulic structures subjected to saturation or alternate wetting and drying such as locks, dams, canals, etc. Concrete deterioration is mainly caused by alkali-silica reactions and alkali-carbonate reactions, but a third type of deterioration involves slow/late expanding alkali-silicate/silica reactivity. The alkalies NaOH and KOH in the concrete pore solutions are mainly responsible for attack on expansive rocks and minerals in concrete. Methods for evaluating alkali-aggregate reaction potential in aggregates, and field and laboratory methods for detecting deterioration are discussed. Examples of alkali-aggregate reactions in structures is western Canada are detailed, including a water reservoir at Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack in British Columbia, the Oldman River diversion and flume, the Lundbreck Falls Bridge, and the St Mary's Reservoir spillway, all in southern Alberta. Mitigative measures include avoidance of use of suspect aggregates, but if this cannot be avoided it is recommended to keep the total alkalies in the concrete as low as possible and minimize opportunities for saturation of concrete by moisture. 16 refs., 19 figs., 1 tab

Factor Structure of the Piagetian Stage of Concrete Operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Klausmeier, Herbert J.; Sipple, Thomas S.

1982-01-01

The Piagetian developmental stage of concrete operational thought and the theoretical groupement structures underlying children's performance of 12 concrete operations tasks are discussed. Tasks were shown to develop in five related sets. Three factor structures were found in this longitudinal study. (Author/CM)

Topology Optimization for Conceptual Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amir, Oded; Bogomolny, Michael

2011-01-01

Design of reinforced concrete structures is governed by the nonlinear behavior of concrete and by its dierent strengths in tension and compression. The purpose of this article is to present a computational procedure for optimal conceptual design of reinforced concrete structures, based on topology...... must be consid- ered. Optimized distribution of material is achieved by introducing interpolation rules for both elastic and plastic material properties. Several numerical examples illustrate the capability and potential of the proposed procedure....

Probabilistic Analysis of Structural Member from Recycled Aggregate Concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Broukalová, I.; Šeps, K.

2017-09-01

The paper aims at the topic of sustainable building concerning recycling of waste rubble concrete from demolition. Considering demands of maximising recycled aggregate use and minimising of cement consumption, composite from recycled concrete aggregate was proposed. The objective of the presented investigations was to verify feasibility of the recycled aggregate cement based fibre reinforced composite in a structural member. Reliability of wall from recycled aggregate fibre reinforced composite was assessed in a probabilistic analysis of a load-bearing capacity of the wall. The applicability of recycled aggregate fibre reinforced concrete in structural applications was demonstrated. The outcomes refer to issue of high scatter of material parameters of recycled aggregate concretes.

A study on the water permeability of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loadsman, R.V.C.; Acres, D.H.; Stokes, C.J.; Wadeson, L.

1988-03-01

This report forms part of the DoE's research programme on the disposal of nuclear waste. The information available on the permeability of concrete and the effects of various factors on this value are reviewed. The effect of defects on the overall permeability of concrete structures is examined and the recorded performance of a range of existing concrete structures is considered with identification of some of the factors that are significant in practice. Deficiencies in the information available on this subject are identified and recommendations for further work are made including a list of structures suitable for future monitoring. (author)

Determining the in situ concrete strength of existing structures for assessing their structural safety

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenbergen, R.D.J.M.; Vervuurt, A.H.J.M.

2012-01-01

EN 13791 applies when assessing the in situ compressive strength of structures and precast concrete components. According to the code itself, it may be adopted when doubt arises about the compressive strength of a concrete. For assessing the structural safety of existing structures, however, the

Nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete structures using software package abaqus

OpenAIRE

Marković Nemanja; Stojić Dragoslav; Cvetković Radovan

2014-01-01

Reinforced concrete (AB) is characterized by huge inhomogeneity resulting from the material characteristics of the concrete, then, quasi-brittle behavior during failure. These and other phenomena require the introduction of material nonlinearity in the modeling of reinforced concrete structures. This paper presents the modeling reinforced concrete in the software package ABAQUS. A brief theoretical overview is presented of methods such as: Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP), Smeared Concrete Cr...

Durable concrete for a waste repository - Measurement of ionic ingress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feldman, R.F.; Beaudoin, J.J.; Philipose, K.E.

1990-01-01

A waste repository for the below ground disposal of low level radioactive waste is planned at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. It relies greatly on the durability of concrete for the required 500 year service life. A research program to design durable concrete and predict its service life is in progress. The degradation of the concrete depends to a large extent on the rate of ingress of corrosive agents. Penetration of chloride and sulfate ions are particularly relevant. Twenty mix formulations were developed to create various types and qualities of concrete, and to study their behavior in different site environmental conditions. A total of 1,000 concrete specimens are being exposed at 20C and 45C to 25 different combinations of the corrosive agents including CO 2 . Procedures to measure the ionic profiles and to determine the factors controlling diffusion of the ions in the various concretes have been developed. Results of selected concrete systems exposed to chloride and sulfate solutions for 1 year are presented and discussed in terms of pore structure and permeability parameters of the concrete

Performance of Hydrophobisation Techniques in Case of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Błaszczyński, Tomasz; Osesek, Mateusz; Gwozdowski, Błażej; Ilski, Mirosław

2017-10-01

Concrete is, unchangeably, one of the most frequently applied building materials, also in the case of bridges, overpasses or viaducts. Along with the aging of such structures, the degradation of concrete, which may accelerate the corrosion of reinforcing steel and drastically decrease the load-bearing capacity of the structure, becomes an important issue. The paper analyzes the possibilities of using deep hydrophobisation in repairing reinforced concrete engineering structures. The benefits of properly securing reinforced concrete structures from the damaging effects of UV radiation, the influence of harmful gases, or progression of chlorine induced corrosion have been presented, especially in regards to bridge structures. The need to calculate the costs of carrying out investments along with the expected costs of maintaining such structures, as well as the high share of costs connected with logistics, has also been indicated in the total costs of repair works.

Effect of aggregate graining compositions on skid resistance of Exposed Aggregate Concrete pavement

Science.gov (United States)

Wasilewska, Marta; Gardziejczyk, Wladysław; Gierasimiuk, Pawel

2018-05-01

The paper presents the evaluation of skid resistance of EAC (Exposed Aggregate Concrete) pavements which differ in aggregate graining compositions. The tests were carried out on concrete mixes with a maximum aggregate size of 8 mm. Three types of coarse aggregates were selected depending on their resistance to polishing which was determined on the basis of the PSV (Polished Stone Value). Basalt (PSV 48), gabbro (PSV 50) and trachybasalt (PSV 52) aggregates were chosen. For each type of aggregate three graining compositions were designed, which differed in the content of coarse aggregate > 4mm. Their content for each series was as follows: A - 38%, B - 50% and C - 68%. Evaluation of the skid resistance has been performed using the FAP (Friction After Polishing) test equipment also known as the Wehner/Schulze machine. Laboratory method enables to compare the skid resistance of different types of wearing course under specified conditions simulating polishing processes. In addition, macrotexture measurements were made on the surface of each specimen using the Elatexure laser profile. Analysis of variance showed that at significance level α = 0.05, aggregate graining compositions as well as the PSV have a significant influence on the obtained values of the friction coefficient μm of the tested EAC pavements. The highest values of the μm have been obtained for EAC with the lowest amount of coarse aggregates (compositions A). In these cases the resistance to polishing of the aggregate does not significantly affect the friction coefficients. This is related to the large areas of cement mortar between the exposed coarse grains. Based on the analysis of microscope images, it was observed that the coarse aggregates were not sufficiently exposed. It has been proved that PSV significantly affected the coefficient of friction in the case of compositions B and C. This is caused by large areas of exposed coarse aggregate. The best parameters were achieved for the EAC pavements

Mathematical Model to Predict the Permeability of Water Transport in Concrete Structure

OpenAIRE

Solomon Ndubuisi Eluozo

2013-01-01

Mathematical model to predict the permeability of water transport in concrete has been established, the model is to monitor the rate of water transport in concrete structure. The process of this water transport is based on the constituent in the mixture of concrete. Permeability established a relation on the influence of the micropores on the constituent that made of concrete, the method of concrete placement determine the rate of permeability deposition in concrete structure, permeability es...

Assessing the performance of reinforced concrete structures under impact loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Akanshu; Reddy, G.R.; Vaze, K.K.; Ozbolt, Josko; Hofmann, J.

2011-01-01

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures housing nuclear facilities must qualify against much stringent requirements of operating and accidental loads than conventional structures. One such accidental load that must be considered while assessing the performance of safety related RC structures is impact load. It is known that the behavior of concrete/reinforced concrete structures is strongly influenced by the loading rate. The RC structural members subjected to impact loads behave quite differently as compared to the same subjected to quasi-static loading due to the strain-rate influence on strength, stiffness, and ductility as well as to the activation of inertia forces. Moreover, for concrete structures, which exhibit damage and fracture phenomena, the failure mode and cracking pattern depend significantly on loading rate. In general, there is a tendency that with the increase of loading rate the failure mode changes from mode-I to mixed mode. In order to assess the performance of existing structures against impact loads that may be generated mainly due to man-made accidental conditions, it is important to have models that can realistically predict the impact behavior of concrete structures. The present paper focuses on a relatively new approach for 3D finite element analysis of RC structures under impact loads. The approach uses rate sensitive micro-plane model as constitutive law for concrete, while the strain-rate influence is captured by the activation energy. Inertia forces are implicitly accounted for through dynamic finite element analysis. It is shown with the help of different examples that the approach can very well simulate the behavior of RC structural elements under high rate loading. (author)

Processing disaster debris liberating aggregates for structural concrete

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Wouw, P.M.F.; Florea, M.V.A.; Brouwers, H.J.H.; Schmidt, W.; Msinjili, N.S.

2016-01-01

Worldwide, the removal of debris and reconstruction is requested when natural disasters and conflicts cause damaged or collapsed buildings. The on-site recycling of concrete waste into new structural concrete decreases transport and production energy costs, reduces the utilization of raw materials,

Effect of high temperature on integrity of concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhat, P.D.

1986-01-01

The effect of high temperature on concrete material properties and structural behavior are studied in order to relate these effects to the performance of concrete containment structures. Salient data obtained from a test program undertaken to study the behavior of a restrained concrete structure under thermal gradient loads up to its ultimate limit are described. The preliminary results indicate that concrete material properties can be considered to remain unaltered up to temperatures of 100 0 C. The presence of thermal gradients did not significantly affect the structures ultimate mechanical load capacity. Relaxation of restraint forces due to creep was found to be an important factor. The test findings are compared with the observations made in available literature. The effect of test findings on the integrity analysis of a containment structure are discussed. The problem is studied from the viewpoint of a CANDU heavy water reactor containment

Structural Effects of Reinforced Concrete Beam Due to Corrosion

Science.gov (United States)

Noh, Hamidun Mohd; Idris, Nur'ain; Noor, Nurazuwa Md; Sarpin, Norliana; Zainal, Rozlin; Kasim, Narimah

2018-03-01

Corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete is one of the main issues among construction stakeholders. The main consequences of steel corrosion include loss of cross section of steel area, generation of expansive pressure which caused cracking of concrete, spalling and delaminating of the concrete cover. Thus, it reduces the bond strength between the steel reinforcing bar and concrete, and deteriorating the strength of the structure. The objective of this study is to investigate the structural effects of corrosion damage on the performance of reinforced concrete beam. A series of corroded reinforced concrete beam with a corrosion rate of 0%, 20% and 40% of rebar corrosion is used in parametric study to assess the influence of different level of corrosion rate to the structural performance. As a result, the used of interface element in the finite element modelling predicted the worst case of corrosion analysis since cracks is induced and generate at this surface. On the other hand, a positive linear relationship was sketched between the increase of expansive pressure and the corrosion rate. Meanwhile, the gradient of the graph is decreased with the increase of steel bar diameter. Furthermore, the analysis shows that there is a significant effect on the load bearing capacity of the structure where the higher corrosion rate generates a higher stress concentration at the mid span of the beam. This study could predict the residual strength of reinforced concrete beam under the corrosion using the finite element analysis. The experimental validation is needed on the next stage to investigate the quantitative relation between the corrosion rate and its influence on the mechanical properties.

Prevention of shrinkage cracking in tight concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvaredo, A.M.; Wittmann, F.H.

1995-01-01

It is shown that crack formation and propagation in concrete members subjected to restrained shrinkage can be realistically predicted by means of a comprehensive approach including a diffusion analysis and fracture mechanics considerations. The conditions for stable crack propagation regarding dimensions of the concrete member, degree of restraint to the imposed deformation and material properties are discussed. Guidelines on the prevention of shrinkage cracking of concrete structures are given. (author). 10 refs., 5 figs

Structural-functional integrated concrete with macro-encapsulated inorganic PCM

Science.gov (United States)

Mohseni, Ehsan; Tang, Waiching; Wang, Zhiyu

2017-09-01

Over the last few years the application of thermal energy storage system incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) to foster productivity and efficiency of buildings energy has grown rapidly. In this study, a structural-functional integrated concrete was developed using macro-encapsulated PCM-lightweight aggregate (LWA) as partial replacement (25 and 50% by volume) of coarse aggregate in control concrete. The PCM-LWA was prepared by incorporation of an inorganic PCM into porous LWAs through vacuum impregnation. The mechanical and thermal performance of PCM-LWA concrete were studied. The test results revealed that though the compressive strength of concrete with PCM-LWA was lower than the control concrete, but ranged from 22.02 MPa to 42.88 MPa which above the minimum strength requirement for structural application. The thermal performance test indicated that macro-encapsulated PCM-LWA has underwent the phase change transition reducing the indoor temperature.

Review on the Strength Development Required for the Concrete Structure of Nuclear Power Plant under Cold Weather Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koh, Kyung Teak; Park, Chun Jin; Ryu, Gum Sung; Kim, Do Gyeum; Lee, Jang Hwa [Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

2011-10-15

exposed to continuous cold weather conditions after the protection equipment, including the curing coat are removed, the structure's durability may lessen as compared to the concrete cured under the standard curing temperature conditions in the spring and fall, however, the studies on this status still remain poor. Accordingly, this study attempted to verify the adequacy of the insulation curing management standard, which is currently presented, during the construction period of the cold weather concrete, through reviewing the freeze-thaw resistance after curing until the point of 5 MPa, then exposing such to a certain cycle of freezethaw environment under the continuous cold weather conditions and then finally performing the standard curing for 28 days

Serviceability design load factors and reliability assessments for reinforced concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Bong Koo

1998-01-01

A reinforced concrete nuclear power plant containment structure is subjected to various random static and stochastic loads during its lifetime. Since these loads involve inherent randomness and other uncertainties, an appropriate probabilistic model for each load must be established in order to perform reliability analysis. The current ASME code for reinforced concrete containment structures are not based on probability concepts. The stochastic nature of natural hazard or accidental loads and the variations of material properties require a probabilistic approach for a rational assessment of structural safety and performance. The paper develops probability-based load factors for the limit state design of reinforced concrete containment structures. The purpose of constructing reinforced concrete containment structure is to protect against radioactive release, and so the use of a serviceability limit state against crack failure that can cause the emission of radioactive materials is suggested as a critical limit state for reinforced concrete containment structures. Load factors for the design of reinforced concrete containment structures are proposed and carried out the reliability assessments. (orig.)

Overview of ORNL/NRC programs addressing durability of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.

1994-01-01

The role of reinforced concrete relative to its applications as either safety-related structures in nuclear power or engineered barriers of low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities is described. Factors that can affect the long-term durability of reinforced concrete are identified. Overviews are presented of the Structural Aging Program, which is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants, and the Permeability Test Methods and Data Program, which is identifying pertinent data and information for use in performance assessments of engineered barriers for low-level radioactive waste disposal

Monitoring Corrosion of Steel Bars in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Sanjeev Kumar; Bhadauria, Sudhir Singh; Akhtar, Saleem

2014-01-01

Corrosion of steel bars embedded in reinforced concrete (RC) structures reduces the service life and durability of structures causing early failure of structure, which costs significantly for inspection and maintenance of deteriorating structures. Hence, monitoring of reinforcement corrosion is of significant importance for preventing premature failure of structures. This paper attempts to present the importance of monitoring reinforcement corrosion and describes the different methods for evaluating the corrosion state of RC structures, especially hal-cell potential (HCP) method. This paper also presents few techniques to protect concrete from corrosion. PMID:24558346

Monitoring corrosion of steel bars in reinforced concrete structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Sanjeev Kumar; Bhadauria, Sudhir Singh; Akhtar, Saleem

2014-01-01

Corrosion of steel bars embedded in reinforced concrete (RC) structures reduces the service life and durability of structures causing early failure of structure, which costs significantly for inspection and maintenance of deteriorating structures. Hence, monitoring of reinforcement corrosion is of significant importance for preventing premature failure of structures. This paper attempts to present the importance of monitoring reinforcement corrosion and describes the different methods for evaluating the corrosion state of RC structures, especially hal-cell potential (HCP) method. This paper also presents few techniques to protect concrete from corrosion.

Monitoring Corrosion of Steel Bars in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjeev Kumar Verma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Corrosion of steel bars embedded in reinforced concrete (RC structures reduces the service life and durability of structures causing early failure of structure, which costs significantly for inspection and maintenance of deteriorating structures. Hence, monitoring of reinforcement corrosion is of significant importance for preventing premature failure of structures. This paper attempts to present the importance of monitoring reinforcement corrosion and describes the different methods for evaluating the corrosion state of RC structures, especially hal-cell potential (HCP method. This paper also presents few techniques to protect concrete from corrosion.

Numerical Limit Analysis of Precast Concrete Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herfelt, Morten Andersen

Precast concrete elements are widely used in the construction industry as they provide a number of advantages over the conventional in-situ cast concrete structures. Joints cast on the construction site are needed to connect the precast elements, which poses several challenges. Moreover, the curr...... problems are solved efficiently using state-of-the-art solvers. It is concluded that the framework and developed joint models have the potential to enable efficient design of precast concrete structures in the near future......., the current practice is to design the joints as the weakest part of the structure, which makes analysis of the ultimate limit state behaviour by general purpose software difficult and inaccurate. Manual methods of analysis based on limit analysis have been used for several decades. The methods provide...... of the ultimate limit state behaviour. This thesis introduces a framework based on finite element limit analysis, a numerical method based on the same extremum principles as the manual limit analysis. The framework allows for efficient analysis and design in a rigorous manner by use of mathematical optimisation...

The effect of alkali-aggregate reaction on concrete bridge structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grković Slobodan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper shows contemporary issues related to unfavorable effects of concrete alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR on concrete bridge structures (CBS. Although AAR unfavorable effects on CBS were identified in 1930s, it was much later that AAR was acknowledged as one of the most pronounced deterioration processes in concrete that results in damages to concrete structures. There are two basic forms of AAR: alkali-silica reaction (ASR and alkali-carbonate reaction (ACR. Compared to ACR, ASR is more prominent, especially in certain geographic parts of the world. Damages to concrete caused by the ASR have negative effect primarily on usability and durability of CBS, what is followed by the decrease in load bearing capacity of structural components and reliability of the whole structure, shortening of service life (SL and costly repairs. For CBS, simultaneous occurrence of ASR and other degradation processes in concrete, such as those caused by the presence of moisture, water, temperature variations and use of deicing salt during winter, are especially damaging. Based on review of the most relevant literature, this paper is focused on mechanisms and mechanisms factors of the ASR, related contemporary research and reliability design guidelines for CBS that are based on prevention of the initiation and development of ASR.

Constitutive relation of concrete containing meso-structural characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Guo

Full Text Available A constitutive model of concrete is proposed based on the mixture theory of porous media within thermodynamic framework. By treating concrete as a multi-phase multi-component mixture, we constructed the constitutive functions for elastic, interfacial, and plastic strain energy respectively. A constitutive law of concrete accommodating internal micro-cracks and interfacial boundaries was established. The peak stress predicted with the developed model depends primarily on the volume ratio of aggregate, and the results explain very well reported experimental phenomena. The strain-stress curve under uniaxial loading was found in a good agreement with experimental data for concrete with three different mixing proportions. Keywords: Constitutive model of concrete, Mixture theory of porous media, Meso-structure, Interfacial energy

Concrete material characterization reinforced concrete tank structure Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winkel, B.V.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this report is to document the Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility (MWTF) Project position on the concrete mechanical properties needed to perform design/analysis calculations for the MWTF secondary concrete structure. This report provides a position on MWTF concrete properties for the Title 1 and Title 2 calculations. The scope of the report is limited to mechanical properties and does not include the thermophysical properties of concrete needed to perform heat transfer calculations. In the 1970's, a comprehensive series of tests were performed at Construction Technology Laboratories (CTL) on two different Hanford concrete mix designs. Statistical correlations of the CTL data were later generated by Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL). These test results and property correlations have been utilized in various design/analysis efforts of Hanford waste tanks. However, due to changes in the concrete design mix and the lower range of MWTF operating temperatures, plus uncertainties in the CTL data and PNL correlations, it was prudent to evaluate the CTL data base and PNL correlations, relative to the MWTF application, and develop a defendable position. The CTL test program for Hanford concrete involved two different mix designs: a 3 kip/in 2 mix and a 4.5 kip/in 2 mix. The proposed 28-day design strength for the MWTF tanks is 5 kip/in 2 . In addition to this design strength difference, there are also differences between the CTL and MWTF mix design details. Also of interest, are the appropriate application of the MWTF concrete properties in performing calculations demonstrating ACI Code compliance. Mix design details and ACI Code issues are addressed in Sections 3.0 and 5.0, respectively. The CTL test program and PNL data correlations focused on a temperature range of 250 to 450 F. The temperature range of interest for the MWTF tank concrete application is 70 to 200 F

Shear transfer capacity of reinforced concrete exposed to fire

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Subhan; Bhargava, Pradeep; Chourasia, Ajay

2018-04-01

Shear transfer capacity of reinforced concrete elements is a function of concrete compressive strength and reinforcement yield strength. Exposure of concrete and steel to elevated temperature reduces their mechanical properties resulting in reduced shear transfer capacity of RC elements. The objective of present study is to find the effect of elevated temperature on shear transfer capacity of reinforced concrete. For this purpose pushoff specimens were casted using normal strength concrete. After curing, specimens were heated to 250°C and 500°C in an electric furnace. Cooled specimens were tested for shear transfer capacity in a universal testing machine. It was found that shear transfer capacity and stiffness (slope of load-slip curve) were reduced when the specimens were heated to 250°C and 500°C. Load level for the initiation of crack slip was found to be decreased as the temperature was increased. A simple analytical approach is also proposed to predict the shear transfer capacity of reinforced concrete after elevated temperature.

Internal inspection of reinforced concrete for nuclear structures using shear wave tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, David B.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Aging of reinforced concrete used for worldwide nuclear structures is increasing and necessitating evaluation. • Nondestructive evaluation is a tool for assessing the condition of reinforced concrete of nuclear structures. • Ultrasonic shear wave tomography as a stress wave technique has begun to be utilized for investigation of concrete material. • A study using ultrasonic shear wave tomography indicates anomalies vital to the long-term operation of the structure. • The use of this technique has shown to successfully evaluate the internal state of reinforced concrete members. - Abstract: Reinforced concrete is important for nuclear related structures. Therefore, the integrity of structural members consisting of reinforced concrete is germane to the safe operation and longevity of these facilities. Many issues that reduce the likelihood of safe operation and longevity are not visible on the surface of reinforced concrete material. Therefore, an investigation of reinforced concrete material should include techniques which will allow peering into the concrete member and determining its internal state. The performance of nondestructive evaluations is pursuant to this goal. Some of the categories of nondestructive evaluations are electrochemical, magnetism, ground penetrating radar, and ultrasonic testing. A specific ultrasonic testing technique, namely ultrasonic shear wave tomography, is used to determine presence and extent of voids, honeycombs, cracks perpendicular to the surface, and/or delamination. This technique, and others similar to it, has been utilized in the nuclear industry to determine structural conditions

Modelling of the Deterioration of Reinforced Concrete Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thoft-Christensen, Palle

Stochastic modelling of the deterioration of reinforced concrete structures is addressed in this paper on basis of a detailed modelling of corrosion initiation and corrosion cracking. It is proposed that modelling of the deterioration of concrete should be based on a sound understanding...... of the physical and chemical properties of the concrete. The relationship between rebar corrosion and crack width is investigated. A new service life definition based on evolution of the corrosion crack width is proposed....

Stress-based topology optimization of concrete structures with prestressing reinforcements

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yangjun; Wang, Michael Yu; Deng, Zichen

2013-11-01

Following the extended two-material density penalization scheme, a stress-based topology optimization method for the layout design of prestressed concrete structures is proposed. The Drucker-Prager yield criterion is used to predict the asymmetrical strength failure of concrete. The prestress is considered by making a reasonable assumption on the prestressing orientation in each element and adding an additional load vector to the structural equilibrium function. The proposed optimization model is thus formulated as to minimize the reinforcement material volume under Drucker-Prager yield constraints on elemental concrete local stresses. In order to give a reasonable definition of concrete local stress and prevent the stress singularity phenomenon, the local stress interpolation function and the ɛ -relaxation technique are adopted. The topology optimization problem is solved using the method of moving asymptotes combined with an active set strategy. Numerical examples are given to show the efficiency of the proposed optimization method in the layout design of prestressed concrete structures.

Potential applications of steel fibre reinforced concrete to improve seismic response of frame structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adhikari, S.; Patnaik, A.

2012-01-01

Fibre reinforced concrete has gained acceptance in several civil engineering applications. The proclivity of new generation of engineers to use steel fibre reinforced concrete can be attributed to some distinct functional and structural benefits that it can provide compared to conventional reinforced concrete. Fibre reinforced concrete has been found to increase the post-cracking tensile strength of concrete thus facilitating pseudo-plastic response, improved energy absorption, and better energy dissipation capabilities that lead to better structural response under cyclic loading. These factors suggest benefits in considering the use of steel fibre reinforced concrete to enhance the structural response of reinforced concrete structures under earthquake loading. This paper summarizes useful background on steel fibre reinforced concrete, the benefits over conventional reinforced concrete, and its response to cyclic excitation. The authors believe that steel fibre reinforced concrete is a suitable ductile high performance material that is gaining acceptance for applications in frame structures and is particularly suitable for enhancing seismic response. (author)

Conservation of concrete structures according to fib Model Code 2010

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Matthews, S.; Bigaj-Van Vliet, A.; Ueda, T.

2013-01-01

Conservation of concrete structures forms an essential part of the fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010 (fib Model Code 2010). In particular, Chapter 9 of fib Model Code 2010 addresses issues concerning conservation strategies and tactics, conservation management, condition surveys, condition

The Effect of Elevated Temperature on Concrete Materials and Structures - a Literature Review.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naus, Dan J [ORNL

2006-03-01

The objective of this limited study was to provide an overview of the effects of elevated temperature on the behavior of concrete materials and structures. In meeting this objective the effects of elevated temperatures on the properties of ordinary Portland cement concrete constituent materials and concretes are summarized. The effects of elevated temperature on high-strength concrete materials are noted and their performance compared to normal strength concretes. A review of concrete materials for elevated-temperature service is presented. Nuclear power plant and general civil engineering design codes are described. Design considerations and analytical techniques for evaluating the response of reinforced concrete structures to elevated-temperature conditions are presented. Pertinent studies in which reinforced concrete structural elements were subjected to elevated temperatures are described.

The Effect of Elevated Temperature on Concrete Materials and Structures - a Literature Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, Dan J.

2006-01-01

The objective of this limited study was to provide an overview of the effects of elevated temperature on the behavior of concrete materials and structures. In meeting this objective the effects of elevated temperatures on the properties of ordinary Portland cement concrete constituent materials and concretes are summarized. The effects of elevated temperature on high-strength concrete materials are noted and their performance compared to normal strength concretes. A review of concrete materials for elevated-temperature service is presented. Nuclear power plant and general civil engineering design codes are described. Design considerations and analytical techniques for evaluating the response of reinforced concrete structures to elevated-temperature conditions are presented. Pertinent studies in which reinforced concrete structural elements were subjected to elevated temperatures are described.

Characteristics of Structural Breakdown in Plastic Concrete and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Characteristics of Structural Breakdown in Plastic Concrete and Their Potentials for Quality Control. ... A typical trace has four such significant features which characterise the mix. The significance of these features are analysed in relation to the functional requirements of plastic concrete in practice. Finally, the potentials of ...

Effect of steel surface conditions on reinforcing steel corrosion in concrete exposed to marine environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anzola, E.

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Laboratory methods and experimental tests were deployed in the present study to evaluate corrosion in reinforced concrete exposed to marine environments. Reinforcing steel exhibiting two different surface conditions prior to embedment in concrete were studied, one the one hand to assess the electrochemical behaviour of the bars during exposure of the concrete specimens to a simulated marine environment, and on the other to determine the strength of the steel/concrete bond. The reinforced concrete specimens prepared were adapted as required for electrochemical potential and corrosion rate testing. A total of 56 7x15-cm cylindrical specimens containing 3/8" steel rods anchored at a depth of 11.5 cm were made to evaluate the steel / concrete bond and exposed to a natural marine environment for 28 or 190 days prior to testing. All the specimens were made with ready-mixed concrete. It may be concluded from the results of the corrosion tests on reinforcing steel with different surface conditions that the oxide initially covering the bars was dissolved and the steel passivated by the alkalinity in the concrete. The chief finding of the bonding study was that the layer of oxide formed in pre-embedment steel deterioration contributed to establishing a better bond.

En el contexto de esta investigación, se tomaron en consideración métodos y ensayos experimentales de laboratorio, que permiten hacer una evaluación de la corrosión del hormigón armado expuesto en ambientes marinos. Por una parte se evaluó el comportamiento electroquímico de dos condiciones de estados superficiales del acero embebido en el hormigón, exponiéndolo en un ambiente marino simulado y, por otra parte, se estudió la adherencia entre el acero y el hormigón, con los mismos estados superficiales usados para la evaluación electroquímica. Las probetas se fabricaron de hormigón con acero de refuerzo en su interior, adecuándolas para realizar los ensayos de potenciales

Study on Seismic Behavior of Recycled Concrete Energy-efficient Homes Structure Wall

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Lan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The main point is to study the seismic behavior of the lattice type recycled concrete energy saving wall under low-cyclic loading,to provide the basis for the seismic performance of application of recycled concrete lattice wall in energy-saving residential structure. Design two walls with the same structure measures, include Lattice type recycled concrete wall and natural concrete wall, they are tested under low-cycle repetitive loading, compared failure mode and seismic performance in different reinforcement conditions of side column. The bearing capacity and ductility of recycled aggregate concrete are better than natural aggregate concrete, The stiffness degradation curves and the skeleton curves of the walls are basically the same, both of them have better seismic energy dissipation capacity. Lattice type concrete wall is good at seismic performance, recycled aggregate concrete is good at plastic deformation ability, it is advantageous to seismic energy dissipation of wall, it can be applied in energy efficient residential structure wall.

Chloride Ingress into Concrete under Water Pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Mia Schou; Sander, Lotte Braad; Grelk, Bent

2011-01-01

The chloride ingress into concrete under water pressures of 100 kPa and 800 kPa have been investigated by experiments. The specimens were exposed to a 10% NaCl solution and water mixture. For the concrete having w/c = 0.35 the experimental results show the chloride diffusion coefficient at 800 k......Pa (～8 atm.) is 12 times greater than at 100 kPa (～1 atm.). For w/c = 0.45 and w/c = 0.55 the chloride diffusion coefficients are 7 and 3 times greater. This means that a change in pressure highly influences the chloride ingress into the concrete and thereby the life length models for concrete structures....

A corrosion monitoring system for existing reinforced concrete structures.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-05-01

This study evaluated a multi-parameter corrosion monitoring system for existing reinforced concrete structures in chloride-laden service environments. The system was fabricated based on a prototype concrete corrosion measurement system that : had bee...

Review of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Material in Concrete Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayuddin Ayuddin

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP is a material that is lightweight, strong, anti-magnetic and corrosion resistant. This material can be used as an option to replace the steel material in concrete construction or as material to improve the strength of existing construction. CFRP is quite easy to be attached to the concrete structure and proved economically used as a material for repairing damaged structures and increase the resilience of structural beams, columns, bridges and other parts of the structure against earthquakes. CFRP materials can be shaped sheet to be attached to the concrete surface. Another reason is due to the use of CFRP has a higher ultimate strength and lower weight compared to steel reinforcement so that the handling is significantly easier. Through this paper suggests that CFRP materials can be applied to concrete structures, especially on concrete columns. Through the results of experiments conducted proved that the concrete columns externally wrapped with CFRP materials can increase the strength. This treatment is obtained after testing experiments on 130 mm diameter column with a height of 700 mm with concentric loading method to collapse. The experimental results indicate that a column is wrapped externally with CFRP materials can achieve a load capacity of 250 kN compared to the concrete columns externally without CFRP material which only reached 150 kN. If the column is given internally reinforcing steel and given externally CFRP materials can reach 270 kN. It shows that CFRP materials can be used for concrete structures can even replace reinforcing steel that has been widely used in building construction in Indonesia.

Doubling the Life of Concrete Structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pesic, Batric [Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States); Raja, Krishnan [Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States); Xi, Yumping [Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); Jun, Jiheon [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-07-24

Overall objective of the project was to study the fundamental properties of concrete (with and without steel reinforcement) with respect to chemical and physical parameters that can influence its structural integrity.

Doubling the Life of Concrete Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pesic, Batric; Raja, Krishnan; Xi, Yumping; Jun, Jiheon

2017-01-01

Overall objective of the project was to study the fundamental properties of concrete (with and without steel reinforcement) with respect to chemical and physical parameters that can influence its structural integrity.

Local response of concrete structures to explosive loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freund, H.U.; Krutzik, N.J.; Muller, K.

1989-01-01

This paper reports on the HDR safety program experiments performed concerning demolition of concrete structures and pipes by explosive charges. The precalculability of the local structure reaction as well as that of the global plant was checked. The effect on the bore hole wall by the detonating explosive and the local concrete behavior around the bore hole were investigated. The measured pressure-time history in and around the bore hole is compared with the calculated values. The calculated values seem to be near reality (as far as measurements are available), concerning pressure rise curve within the bore hole and the peak pressure. The analysis of the blow off contours performed with two variations of the material strength of the concrete plates is presented

Nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete structures using software package abaqus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marković Nemanja

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Reinforced concrete (AB is characterized by huge inhomogeneity resulting from the material characteristics of the concrete, then, quasi-brittle behavior during failure. These and other phenomena require the introduction of material nonlinearity in the modeling of reinforced concrete structures. This paper presents the modeling reinforced concrete in the software package ABAQUS. A brief theoretical overview is presented of methods such as: Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP, Smeared Concrete Cracking (CSC, Cap Plasticity (CP and Drucker-Prager model (DPM. We performed a nonlinear analysis of two-storey reinforced concrete frame by applying CDP method for modeling material nonlinearity of concrete. We have analyzed damage zones, crack propagation and loading-deflection ratio.

The repair and protection of reinforced concrete with migrating corrosion inhibitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stefanescu, D.

2016-01-01

The concrete is a very durable construction material and his use is based on the principle that concrete is an ideal environment for steel if properly proportioned and placed. In general, reinforced concrete has proved to be successful in terms of both structural performance and durability. However, there are instances of premature failure of reinforced concrete components due to corrosion of the reinforcement. Experience has shown that there are certain portions of exposed concrete structures more vulnerable than others. Methodology for concrete repair it addresses to suggestions of the types of repair methods and materials and a detailed description of the uses, limitations, materials, and procedures for Repair of Concrete. At same the time the methodology presents recommendation on materials, methods of mixing, application, curing and precautions to be exercised during placement. This work presents guidelines for managing reinforced concrete components and specifies the repair strategy with inhibitors incorporating. (authors)

Behavior of Equipment Support Beam Joint Directly Connected to A Steel-plate Concrete(SC) Wall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, K. S.; Kwon, K. J.

2008-01-01

To decrease the time for building nuclear power plants, a modular construction method, 'Steel-plate Concrete(SC)', has been investigated for over a decade. To construct a SC wall, a pair of steel plates are placed in parallel similar to a form-work in conventional reinforced concrete (RC) structures, and concrete is filled between the steel plates. Instead of removing the steel plates after the concrete has cured, the steel plates serve as components of the structural member. The exposed steel plate of SC structures serves as the base plate for the equipment support, and the headed studs welded to the steel plates are used as anchor bolts. Then, a support beam can be directly welded to the surface of the steel plate in any preferred position. In this study, we discuss the behavior and evaluation method of the equipment support joint directly connected to exposed steel plate of SC wall

Nanophase modified fly ash concrete with superior concrete properties, durability and biofouling resistance for seawater applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vishwakarma, Vinita; Sudha, U.; Ramachandran, D.; George, R.P.; Kamachi Mudali, U.; Kalpana Kumari; Preetha, R.; Pillai, C.S.

2015-01-01

There are many concrete structures in the cooling water system of nuclear power plants that are exposed to seawater in the form of tanks, pillars and reservoirs. These structures come in contact with aggressive chlorides and acid producing microbes and deteriorate by chemical and biological factors. Recently fly ash (FA) concrete has emerged exhibiting excellent degradation resistance in seawater environments. However some disadvantages are reported like lesser early strength, higher carbonation and calcium leaching. This work attempted to modify FA concrete by adding nanoparticles of TiO 2 and CaCO 3 for increased strength and degradation resistance. Four types of concrete and mortar mix namely fly ash concrete (FA), FA with 2% TiO 2 nanoparticles (FAT), FA with 2% CaCO 3 nanoparticles and FA with 2% TiO 2 : CaCO 3 nanoparticles were cast and immersed in seawater for a year. Thermal analysis and Differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) analysis was done before exposing in sea water to know the changes in the physical properties of the specimens at higher temperature. Strength and durability were evaluated using parameters like compressive strength, split tensile test, Rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT), carbonation test and pH degradation. Detailed biofilm characterizations were attempted using microbiological and molecular biology tools to study the antibacterial properties. Calcium leaching and sulfate attack studies were carried out by laboratory exposure studies. Using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), microstructural properties and chemical phases were identified. All the nanophase modified FA specimens showed superior properties compared to FA concrete with respect to strength, carbonation depth, calcium leaching and antibacterial activity. Results are discussed in detail in the paper. (author)

Plant life management of the ACR-1000 Concrete containment structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrishami, H.H.; Ricciuti, R.; Elgohary, M.

2009-01-01

The Ageing of reinforced concrete structures due to service conditions, aggressive environments, or accidents may cause their strength, serviceability and durability to decrease over time. For a new plant, a Plant Life Management (PLiM) program should start in the design process and then continues through the plant operation and decommissioning. Hence, PLiM must provide not only Ageing Management program (AMP) but also provide requirements on material characteristic and design criteria as well. The purpose of this paper is to present the Plant Life Management (PLiM) strategy for the concrete containment structure of the ACR-10001 (Advanced CANDU Reactor) designed by AECL. The ACR-1000 is designed for a 100-year plant life including 60-year operating life and an additional 40-year decommissioning period. The approach adopted for the PLiM strategy of the concrete containment structure is a preventive one, key areas being: 1) design methodology, 2) material performance and 3) ageing management program. During the design phase, in addition to strength and serviceability, durability, throughout the service life and decommissioning phase of the ACR-1000 structure, is a major consideration. Factors affecting durability design include: a) concrete performance, b) structural application, and c) consideration of environmental conditions. In addition to addressing the design methodology and material performance requirements, a systematic approach for the ageing management program for the concrete containment structure is presented. (authors)

Dam safety review using non-destructive methods for reinforced concrete structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Philibert, Alain; Saint-Pierre, Francois; Turcotte, Bernard [Le Groupe S.M. International Inc., Sherbrooke, (Canada)

2010-07-01

Dams built at the beginning of the twentieth century include concrete structures that were put in under rehabilitation works. In some cases, the details of the structures are not well documented. In other cases, concrete damage can be hidden under new layers of undamaged material. This requires that the dam safety review in a real investigation gather the information necessary for carrying out the hydraulic and stability studies required by the Dam Safety Act. This paper presented the process of dam safety review using non-destructive methods for reinforced concrete structures. Two reinforced concrete dams built in the 1900's, the Eustic dam on the Coaticook River and the Frontenac dam on the Magog River near Sherbrooke, were evaluated by S.M. International using non-destructive methods such as sonic and ground penetrating radar methods. The studies allowed mapping of concrete damage and provided geometric information on some non visible structure elements that were part of previous reinforcement operations.

Data on optimum recycle aggregate content in production of new structural concrete.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Suvash Chandra

2017-12-01

This data presented herein are the research summary of "mechanical behavior and durability performance of concrete containing recycled concrete aggregate" (Paul, 2011) [1]. The results reported in this article relate to an important parameter of optimum content of recycle concrete aggregate (RCA) in production of new concrete for both structural and non-structural applications. For the purpose of the research various types of physical, mechanical and durability tests are performed for concrete made with different percentages of RCA. Therefore, this data set can be a great help of the readers to understand the mechanism of RCA in relates to the concrete properties.

Acoustic Emission Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Elfergani, H. A.; Pullin, R.; Holford, K. M.

2011-07-01

Corrosion is a substantial problem in numerous structures and in particular corrosion is very serious in reinforced and prestressed concrete and must, in certain applications, be given special consideration because failure may result in loss of life and high financial cost. Furthermore corrosion cannot only be considered a long term problem with many studies reporting failure of bridges and concrete pipes due to corrosion within a short period after they were constructed. The concrete pipes which transport water are examples of structures that have suffered from corrosion; for example, the pipes of The Great Man-Made River Project of Libya. Five pipe failures due to corrosion have occurred since their installation. The main reason for the damage is corrosion of prestressed wires in the pipes due to the attack of chloride ions from the surrounding soil. Detection of the corrosion in initial stages has been very important to avoid other failures and the interruption of water flow. Even though most non-destructive methods which are used in the project are able to detect wire breaks, they cannot detect the presence of corrosion. Hence in areas where no excavation has been completed, areas of serious damage can go undetected. Therefore, the major problem which faces engineers is to find the best way to detect the corrosion and prevent the pipes from deteriorating. This paper reports on the use of the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique to detect the early stages of corrosion prior to deterioration of concrete structures.

Acoustic Emission Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elfergani, H A; Pullin, R; Holford, K M

2011-01-01

Corrosion is a substantial problem in numerous structures and in particular corrosion is very serious in reinforced and prestressed concrete and must, in certain applications, be given special consideration because failure may result in loss of life and high financial cost. Furthermore corrosion cannot only be considered a long term problem with many studies reporting failure of bridges and concrete pipes due to corrosion within a short period after they were constructed. The concrete pipes which transport water are examples of structures that have suffered from corrosion; for example, the pipes of The Great Man-Made River Project of Libya. Five pipe failures due to corrosion have occurred since their installation. The main reason for the damage is corrosion of prestressed wires in the pipes due to the attack of chloride ions from the surrounding soil. Detection of the corrosion in initial stages has been very important to avoid other failures and the interruption of water flow. Even though most non-destructive methods which are used in the project are able to detect wire breaks, they cannot detect the presence of corrosion. Hence in areas where no excavation has been completed, areas of serious damage can go undetected. Therefore, the major problem which faces engineers is to find the best way to detect the corrosion and prevent the pipes from deteriorating. This paper reports on the use of the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique to detect the early stages of corrosion prior to deterioration of concrete structures.

Strategy for 100-year life of the ACR-1000 concrete containment structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrishami, H.; Elgohary, M.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present the Plant Life Management (PLiM) strategy for the concrete containment structure of the ACR-1000 (Advanced CANDU Reactor) designed by AECL. The ACR-1000 is designed for 100-year plant life including 60-year operating life and additional 40-year decommissioning period of time. The approach adopted for the PLiM strategy of the concrete containment structure is a preventive one, key areas being: 1) design methodology, 2) material performance and 3) life cycle management and ageing management program. In the design phase, in addition to strength and serviceability, durability is a major requirement during the service life and decommissioning phase of the ACR structure. Parameters affecting durability design include: a) concrete performance, b) structural application, and c) environmental conditions. Due to the complex nature of the environmental effects acting on structures during the service life of project, it is considered that true improved performance during the service life can be achieved by improving the material characteristics. Many recent innovations in advanced concrete materials technology have made it possible to produce modern concrete such as high-performance concrete with exceptional performance characteristics. In this paper, the PLiM strategy for the ACR-1000 concrete containment is presented. In addition to addressing the design methodology and material performance areas, a systematic approach for ageing management program for the concrete containment structure is presented. (author)

Characterizing the Nano and Micro Structure of Concrete toImprove its Durability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monteiro, P.J.M.; Kirchheim, A.P.; Chae, S.; Fischer, Peter; MacDowell, Alastair; Schaible, Eirc; Wenk, H.R.; Macdowell, Alastair A.

2009-01-13

New and advanced methodologies have been developed to characterize the nano and microstructure of cement paste and concrete exposed to aggressive environments. High resolution full-field soft X-ray imaging in the water window is providing new insight on the nano scale of the cement hydration process, which leads to a nano-optimization of cement-based systems. Hard X-ray microtomography images of ice inside cement paste and cracking caused by the alkali?silica reaction (ASR) enables three-dimensional structural identification. The potential of neutron diffraction to determine reactive aggregates by measuring their residual strains and preferred orientation is studied. Results of experiments using these tools are shown on this paper.

Modeling of fracture of protective concrete structures under impact loads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radchenko, P. A., E-mail: radchenko@live.ru; Batuev, S. P.; Radchenko, A. V.; Plevkov, V. S. [Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building, Tomsk, 634003 (Russian Federation)

2015-10-27

This paper presents results of numerical simulation of interaction between a Boeing 747-400 aircraft and the protective shell of a nuclear power plant. The shell is presented as a complex multilayered cellular structure consisting of layers of concrete and fiber concrete bonded with steel trusses. Numerical simulation was performed three-dimensionally using the original algorithm and software taking into account algorithms for building grids of complex geometric objects and parallel computations. Dynamics of the stress-strain state and fracture of the structure were studied. Destruction is described using a two-stage model that allows taking into account anisotropy of elastic and strength properties of concrete and fiber concrete. It is shown that wave processes initiate destruction of the cellular shell structure; cells start to destruct in an unloading wave originating after the compression wave arrival at free cell surfaces.

Modeling of fracture of protective concrete structures under impact loads

Science.gov (United States)

Radchenko, P. A.; Batuev, S. P.; Radchenko, A. V.; Plevkov, V. S.

2015-10-01

This paper presents results of numerical simulation of interaction between a Boeing 747-400 aircraft and the protective shell of a nuclear power plant. The shell is presented as a complex multilayered cellular structure consisting of layers of concrete and fiber concrete bonded with steel trusses. Numerical simulation was performed three-dimensionally using the original algorithm and software taking into account algorithms for building grids of complex geometric objects and parallel computations. Dynamics of the stress-strain state and fracture of the structure were studied. Destruction is described using a two-stage model that allows taking into account anisotropy of elastic and strength properties of concrete and fiber concrete. It is shown that wave processes initiate destruction of the cellular shell structure; cells start to destruct in an unloading wave originating after the compression wave arrival at free cell surfaces.

Structural design of nuclear power plant using stiffened steel plate concrete structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Ilhwan; Kim, Sungmin; Mun, Taeyoup; Kim, Keunkyeong; Sun, Wonsang

2009-01-01

Nuclear power is an alternative energy source that is conducive to mitigate the environmental strains. The countries having nuclear power plants are encouraging research and development sector to find ways to construct safer and more economically feasible nuclear power plants. Modularization using Steel Plate Concrete(SC) structure has been proposed as a solution to these efforts. A study of structural modules using SC structure has been performed for shortening of construction period and enhancement of structural safety of NPP structures in Korea. As a result of the research, the design code and design techniques based on limit state design method has been developed. The design code has been developed through various structural tests and theoretical studies, and it has been modified by application design of SC structure for NPP buildings. The code consists of unstiffened SC wall design, stiffened SC wall design, Half-SC slab design, stud design, connection design and so on. The stiffened steel plate concrete(SSC) wall is SC structure whose steel plates with ribs are composed on both sides of the concrete wall, and this structure was developed for improved constructability and safety of SC structure. This paper explains a design application of SC structure for a sample building specially devised to reflect all of major structural properties of main buildings of APR1400. In addition, Stiffening effect of SSC structure is evaluated and structural efficiency of SSC structure is verified in comparison with that of unstiffened SC structure. (author)

Design of fire resistant concrete structures, using validated Fem models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erich, S.J.F.; Overbeek, van A.B.M.; Heijden, van der G.H.A.; Pel, L.; Huinink, H.P.; Vervuurt, A.H.J.M.; Schlangen, E.; Schlutter, de G.

2008-01-01

Fire safety of buildings and structures is an important issue, and has a great impact on human life and economy. One of the processes negatively affecting the strength of a concrete building or structure during fire is spalling. Many examples exists in which spalling of concrete during fire has

Leakage of pressurized gases through unlined concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizkalla, S.H.; Simmonds, S.H.

1983-01-01

Eight reinforced concrete specimens were fabricated and subjected to tensile membrane forces and air pressure to study the air leakage characteristics in cracked reinforced concrete members. A mathematical expression for the rate of pressurized air flowing through an idealized crack is presented. The mathematical expression is refined by using the experimental data to describe the air flow rate through any given crack pattern. Graphical charts are also presented for the calculation of the air leakage rate through concrete cracks. The concept of equivalent crack width for a given crack pattern is introduced. The mathematical expression and graphical charts are modified to include this equivalent crack width concept. The proposed technique is applicable for the prediction of the leakage from concrete containment structures or any similar structures due to high internal pressure sufficient to initiate cracking. (orig.)

Quality control of fireproof coatings for reinforced concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Gravit, Marina; Dmitriev, Ivan; Ishkov, Alexander

2017-10-01

The article analyzes methods of quality inspection of fireproof coatings (work flow, measuring, laboratory, etc.). In modern construction there is a problem of lack of distinct monitoring for the fire protection testing. There is a description of this testing for reinforced concrete structures. The article shows the results of calculation quality control of hatches as an example of fireproof coating for reinforced concrete structures.

Three dimensional finite element linear analysis of reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inbasakaran, M.; Pandarinathan, V.G.; Krishnamoorthy, C.S.

1979-01-01

A twenty noded isoparametric reinforced concrete solid element for the three dimensional linear elastic stress analysis of reinforced concrete structures is presented. The reinforcement is directly included as an integral part of the element thus facilitating discretization of the structure independent of the orientation of reinforcement. Concrete stiffness is evaluated by taking 3 x 3 x 3 Gauss integration rule and steel stiffness is evaluated numerically by considering three Gaussian points along the length of reinforcement. The numerical integration for steel stiffness necessiates the conversion of global coordiantes of the Gaussian points to nondimensional local coordinates and this is done by Newton Raphson iterative method. Subroutines for the above formulation have been developed and added to SAP and STAP routines for solving the examples. The validity of the reinforced concrete element is verified by comparison of results from finite element analysis and analytical results. It is concluded that this finite element model provides a valuable analytical tool for the three dimensional elastic stress analysis of concrete structures like beams curved in plan and nuclear containment vessels. (orig.)

Detecting alkali-silica reaction in thick concrete structures using linear array ultrasound

Science.gov (United States)

Bull Ezell, N. Dianne; Albright, Austin; Clayton, Dwight; Santos-Villalobos, Hector

2018-03-01

Commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) depend heavily on concrete structures, making the long-term performance of these structures crucial for safe operation, especially with license period extensions to 60 years and possibly beyond. Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is a reaction that occurs over time in concrete between alkaline cement paste and reactive, noncrystalline silica (aggregates). In the presence of water, an expansive gel is formed within the aggregates, which results in microcracks in aggregates and adjacent cement paste. ASR can potentially affect concrete properties and performance characteristics such as compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, flexural stiffness, shear strength, and tensile strength. Currently, no nondestructive evaluation methods have proven effective in identifying ASR before surface cracks form. ASR is identified visibly or by petrographic analysis. Although ASR definitely impacts concrete material properties, the performance of concrete structures exhibiting ASR depends on whether or not the concrete is unconfined or confined with reinforcing bars. Confinement by reinforcing bars restrainsthe expansion of ASR-affected concrete, similar to prestressing, thus improving the performance of a structure. Additionally, there is no direct correlation between the mechanical properties of concrete sample cores and the in-situ properties of the concrete. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and a consortium of universities have developed an accelerated ASR experiment. Three large concrete specimens, representative of NPP infrastructure, were constructed containing both embedded and surface instruments. This paper presents preliminary analysis of these specimens using a frequency-banded synthetic aperture focusing technique.

Online Monitoring of Concrete Structures in Nuclear Power Plants: Interim Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahadevan, Sankaran [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Cai, Guowei [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Agarwal, Vivek [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-03-01

The existing fleet of nuclear power plants in the United States have initial operating licenses of 40 years, and many of these plants have applied for and received license extensions. As plant structures, systems, and components age, their useful life—considering both structural integrity and performance—is reduced as a result of deterioration of the materials. Assessment and management of aging concrete structures in nuclear plants require a more systematic approach than simple reliance on existing code-based design margins of safety. Structural health monitoring is required to produce actionable information regarding structural integrity that supports operational and maintenance decisions. The online monitoring of concrete structures project conducted under the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control Technologies Pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability program at Idaho National Laboratory is seeking to develop and demonstrate capabilities for concrete structures health monitoring. Through this research project, several national laboratories and Vanderbilt University propose to develop a framework of research activities for the health monitoring of nuclear power plant concrete structures that includes the integration of four elements—damage modeling, monitoring, data analytics, and uncertainty quantification. This report briefly discusses activities in this project during October-December, 2014. The most significant activity during this period was the organizing of a two-day workshop on research needs in online monitoring of concrete structures, hosted by Vanderbilt University in November 2014. Thirty invitees from academia, industry and government participated in the workshop. The presentations and discussions at the workshop surveyed current activities related to concrete structures deterioration modeling and monitoring, and identified the challenges, knowledge gaps, and opportunities for advancing the state of the art; these

Structural analysis of reinforced concrete structures under monotonous and cyclic loadings: numerical aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lepretre, C.; Millard, A.; Nahas, G.

1989-01-01

The structural analysis of reinforced concrete structures is usually performed either by means of simplified methods of strength of materials type i.e. global methods, or by means of detailed methods of continuum mechanics type, i.e. local methods. For this second type, some constitutive models are available for concrete and rebars in a certain number of finite element systems. These models are often validated on simple homogeneous tests. Therefore, it is important to appraise the validity of the results when applying them to the analysis of a reinforced concrete structure, in order to be able to make correct predictions of the actual behaviour, under normal and faulty conditions. For this purpose, some tests have been performed at I.N.S.A. de Lyon on reinforced concrete beams, subjected to monotonous and cyclic loadings, in order to generate reference solutions to be compared with the numerical predictions given by two finite element systems: - CASTEM, developed by C.E.A./.D.E.M.T. - ELEFINI, developed by I.N.S.A. de Lyon

Use of recycled tires in non-structural concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al Rawahi Zamzam

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This research addresses the issue of tire waste management and natural aggregate resource depletion. It investigates use of commercially produced recycled tire rubber as replacement for fine and coarse aggregate in non-structural concrete. Two replacement levels of 10% and 20% were considered for fine aggregate with 0% or 10% of coarse aggregate. The study employed a mix proportion of 1:5:4 (cement: fine aggregate: coarse aggregate with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.25, which is normally utilized in concrete block manufacturing in Oman. The mixes were tested for their thermal conductivity, water absorption and compressive strength. The behavior of mixes exposed to 100 and 200°C was also studied and the samples were later tested for compressive strength. The results showed improvements in compressive strength after exposure to heat. Thermal conductivity was reduced as the percentage replacement increased for both fine and coarse aggregate. During heat exposure, the temperature rise was faster in rubberized mixes, and the compressive strength of all mixes improved after the exposure to heat. Water absorption and void content increased with increase in replacement percentage. The compressive strength did not show a clear trend with the replacement and this is due to the sensitivity of the stiff mix used in the study and its inherent lean nature. The results indicate that the lean nature of the mix makes it insensitive to small replacement investigated in this research.

Durability of cracked fibre reinforced concrete exposed to freeze-thaw and deicing salt

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan De Place

1998-01-01

Durability studies are carried out by subjecting FRC-beams to combined mechanical and environmental load. Mechanical load is obtained by subjecting beams to 4-point bending until a predefined crack width is reached. Specimens sawn from the beams after unloading are exposed to freeze-thaw and deic......Durability studies are carried out by subjecting FRC-beams to combined mechanical and environmental load. Mechanical load is obtained by subjecting beams to 4-point bending until a predefined crack width is reached. Specimens sawn from the beams after unloading are exposed to freeze-thaw...... and deicing salt. The concrete has a water-powder ratio of 0.38 including both fly ash and silica fume. Both steel fibres (ZP, 0.4 vol%) and polypropylene fibres (PP, 1 vol%) are used as well as main reinforcement. The freeze-thaw test emphasizes the need for a critical evaluation of the mix design and mixing...

A Reusable PZT Transducer for Monitoring Initial Hydration and Structural Health of Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaowen Yang

2010-05-01

Full Text Available During the construction of a concrete structure, strength monitoring is important to ensure the safety of both personnel and the structure. Furthermore, to increase the efficiency of in situ casting or precast of concrete, determining the optimal time of demolding is important for concrete suppliers. Surface bonded lead zirconate titanate (PZT transducers have been used for damage detection and parameter identification for various engineering structures over the last two decades. In this work, a reusable PZT transducer setup for monitoring initial hydration of concrete and structural health is developed, where a piece of PZT is bonded to an enclosure with two bolts tightened inside the holes drilled in the enclosure. An impedance analyzer is used to acquire the admittance signatures of the PZT. Root mean square deviation (RMSD is employed to associate the change in concrete strength with changes in the PZT admittance signatures. The results show that the reusable setup is able to effectively monitor the initial hydration of concrete and the structural health. It can also be detached from the concrete for future re-use.

A Reusable PZT Transducer for Monitoring Initial Hydration and Structural Health of Concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yaowen; Divsholi, Bahador Sabet; Soh, Chee Kiong

2010-01-01

During the construction of a concrete structure, strength monitoring is important to ensure the safety of both personnel and the structure. Furthermore, to increase the efficiency of in situ casting or precast of concrete, determining the optimal time of demolding is important for concrete suppliers. Surface bonded lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers have been used for damage detection and parameter identification for various engineering structures over the last two decades. In this work, a reusable PZT transducer setup for monitoring initial hydration of concrete and structural health is developed, where a piece of PZT is bonded to an enclosure with two bolts tightened inside the holes drilled in the enclosure. An impedance analyzer is used to acquire the admittance signatures of the PZT. Root mean square deviation (RMSD) is employed to associate the change in concrete strength with changes in the PZT admittance signatures. The results show that the reusable setup is able to effectively monitor the initial hydration of concrete and the structural health. It can also be detached from the concrete for future re-use. PMID:22399929

A reusable PZT transducer for monitoring initial hydration and structural health of concrete.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yaowen; Divsholi, Bahador Sabet; Soh, Chee Kiong

2010-01-01

During the construction of a concrete structure, strength monitoring is important to ensure the safety of both personnel and the structure. Furthermore, to increase the efficiency of in situ casting or precast of concrete, determining the optimal time of demolding is important for concrete suppliers. Surface bonded lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers have been used for damage detection and parameter identification for various engineering structures over the last two decades. In this work, a reusable PZT transducer setup for monitoring initial hydration of concrete and structural health is developed, where a piece of PZT is bonded to an enclosure with two bolts tightened inside the holes drilled in the enclosure. An impedance analyzer is used to acquire the admittance signatures of the PZT. Root mean square deviation (RMSD) is employed to associate the change in concrete strength with changes in the PZT admittance signatures. The results show that the reusable setup is able to effectively monitor the initial hydration of concrete and the structural health. It can also be detached from the concrete for future re-use.

A study on physical properties of concrete and reinforcement at elevated temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanazu, Tsutomu

2002-01-01

Reinforced concrete structures such as a containment vessel, a support of the reactor, piping systems and facilities for storing high level radioactive waste in a nuclear power plant are exposed to a high temperature condition. Changes of physical properties of concrete and reinforcement caused by high temperature influence on mechanical behavior of these structures and internal stresses are induced by difference of thermal coefficients between concrete and reinforcement that was reported in the previous paper by the author. These are the special features in high temperature conditions. Temperature dependence of physical properties of concrete and reinforcement are summarized in the paper based on the experimental results. (author)

Determination of the neutralization depth of concrete under the aggressive environment influence

Science.gov (United States)

Morzhukhina, Anastasia; Nikitin, Stanislav; Akimova, Elena

2018-03-01

Aggressive environments have a significant impact on destruction of many reinforced concrete structures, such as high-rise constructions or chemical plants. For example, some high-rise constructions are equipped with a swimming pool, so they are exposed to chloride ions in the air. Penetration of aggressive chemical substances into the body of concrete contributes to acceleration of reinforced concrete structure corrosion that in turn leads to load bearing capacity loss and destruction of the building. The article considers and analyzes the main technologies for calculating penetration depth of various aggressive substances into the body of concrete. The calculation of corrosion depth was made for 50-year service life.

Plant Life Management of the EC6 Concrete Containment Structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abrishami, Homayoun; Ricciuti, Rick; Khan, Azhar [CANDU Energy Inc., Mississauga (Canada)

2012-03-15

Aging of reinforced concrete structures due to service conditions, aggressive environments, or accidents may cause their strength, serviceability and durability to decrease over time. Due to the complex nature of safety-related structures in nuclear power plants in comparison to other structures, they possess a number of characteristics that make them comparison to other structures, they possess a number of characteristics that make them unique. These characteristics are: thick concrete cross-sections, heavy reinforcement, often one-side access only, subjected to such ageing stresses as irradiation and elevated temperature, in addition to other typical ageing mechanisms (i. e., exposure to freeze/thaw cycles, aggressive chemicals, etc.) that typically affects other types of non-nuclear structures. For a new plant, the Plant Life Management Program (PLiM) should start in the design process and then continues through construction, plant operation and decommissioning. Hence PLiM must provide not only Ageing Management program (AMP) but also provide requirements on material characteristic and the design criteria as well. The purpose of this paper is to present the Plant Life Management (PLiM) strategy for the concrete containment structure of EC6 (Enhanced CANDU 6) Nuclear Power Plant designed by CANDU Energy Inc. The EC6 is designed for 100-year plant life including a 60-year operating life and an additional 40-year decommissioning period of time. The approach adopted for the PLiM strategy of the concrete containment structure is a preventive one, key areas being: 1) design methodology, 2) material performance and 3) life cycle management and ageing management program. In addition to strength and serviceability, durability is a major consideration during the design phase, service life and up to the completion of decommissioning. Factors affecting durability design include: a) concrete performance, b) structural application, and c) consideration of environmental

Plant Life Management of the EC6 Concrete Containment Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrishami, Homayoun; Ricciuti, Rick; Khan, Azhar

2012-01-01

Aging of reinforced concrete structures due to service conditions, aggressive environments, or accidents may cause their strength, serviceability and durability to decrease over time. Due to the complex nature of safety-related structures in nuclear power plants in comparison to other structures, they possess a number of characteristics that make them comparison to other structures, they possess a number of characteristics that make them unique. These characteristics are: thick concrete cross-sections, heavy reinforcement, often one-side access only, subjected to such ageing stresses as irradiation and elevated temperature, in addition to other typical ageing mechanisms (i. e., exposure to freeze/thaw cycles, aggressive chemicals, etc.) that typically affects other types of non-nuclear structures. For a new plant, the Plant Life Management Program (PLiM) should start in the design process and then continues through construction, plant operation and decommissioning. Hence PLiM must provide not only Ageing Management program (AMP) but also provide requirements on material characteristic and the design criteria as well. The purpose of this paper is to present the Plant Life Management (PLiM) strategy for the concrete containment structure of EC6 (Enhanced CANDU 6) Nuclear Power Plant designed by CANDU Energy Inc. The EC6 is designed for 100-year plant life including a 60-year operating life and an additional 40-year decommissioning period of time. The approach adopted for the PLiM strategy of the concrete containment structure is a preventive one, key areas being: 1) design methodology, 2) material performance and 3) life cycle management and ageing management program. In addition to strength and serviceability, durability is a major consideration during the design phase, service life and up to the completion of decommissioning. Factors affecting durability design include: a) concrete performance, b) structural application, and c) consideration of environmental

Activities at ORNL in support of continuing the service of nuclear power plant concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.

2012-01-01

In general, nuclear power plant concrete structure's performance has been very good; however, aging of concrete structures occurs with the passage of time that can potentially result in degradation if its effects are not controlled. Safety-related nuclear power plant concrete structures are described. In-service inspection and testing requirements in the U.S. are summarized. The interaction of the license renewal process and concrete structures is noted. A summary of operating experience related to aging of nuclear power plant concrete structures is provided. Several candidate areas are identified where additional research would be beneficial for aging management of nuclear power plant concrete structures. Finally, an update on recent activities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory related to aging management of nuclear power plant concrete structures is provided. (author)

Structural Behaviors of Reinforced Concrete Piers Rehabilitated with FRP Wraps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junsuk Kang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP wraps to retrofit and strengthen existing structures such as reinforced concrete piers is becoming popular due to the higher tensile strength, durability, and flexibility gained and the method’s ease of handling and low installation and maintenance costs. As yet, however, few guidelines have been developed for determining the optimum thicknesses of the FRP wraps applied to external surfaces of concrete or masonry structures. In this study, nonlinear pushover finite element analyses were utilized to analyze the complex structural behaviors of FRP-wrapped reinforced rectangular piers. Design parameters such as pier section sizes, pier heights, pier cap lengths, compressive strengths of concrete, and the thicknesses of the FRP wraps used were thoroughly tested under incremental lateral and vertical loads. The results provide useful guidelines for analyzing and designing appropriate FRP wraps for existing concrete piers.

Ultimate load capacity assessment of reinforced concrete shell structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Amita; Singh, R.K.; Kushwaha, H.S.; Mahajan, S.C.; Kakodkar, A.

1993-01-01

The objective of this study is to develop capability for prediction of ultimate load capacity of reinforced concrete shell structures. The present finite element code ULCA (Ultimate Load Capacity Assessment) adopts a degenerate concept of formulating general isoparametric shell element with a layered approach in the thickness direction. Different failure modes such as crushing, tensile cracking and reinforcement yielding are recognised for various problems. The structure fails by crushing of concrete when the concrete strain/stress reaches the ultimate stress or strain of concrete. Material nonlinearities as a result of tension cracking, tension stiffening between reinforcement and concrete in cracked region and yielding of reinforcement are considered along with geometric nonlinearity. Thus with this code it is possible to predict the pressure at which the first cracking, first through thickness cracking, first yielding of reinforcement occurs. After validating the code with few bench mark problems for different failure modes a reinforced concrete nuclear containment is analysed for its ultimate capacity and the results are matched with the published results. Further the ultimate load capacity of outer containment wall of Narora Atomic Power Station is predicted. It is observed that containment fails in membrane region and has a sufficient margin against design pressure. (author). 9 refs., 56 figs., 3 tabs., 1 appendix with 4 tabs

Evaluation of the environmental, material, and structural performance of recycled aggregate concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Michaud, Katherine Sarah

Concrete is the most commonly used building material in the construction industry, and contributes to 52% of construction and demolition waste in Canada. Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is one way to reduce this impact. To evaluate the performance of coarse and granular (fine and coarse) RCA in structural concrete applications, four studies were performed: an environmental assessment, a material testing program, a shear performance study, and a flexural performance study. To determine the environmental benefits of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), three case studies were investigated using different populations and proximities to city centres. Environmental modelling suggested that RCA replacement could result in energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions, especially in remote areas. Tests were performed to determine if the volumetric replacement of up to 30% coarse RCA and 20% granular RCA is suitable for structural concrete applications in Canada. Fresh, hardened, and durability properties were evaluated. All five (5) of the RCA mixes showed equivalent material performance to the control mixes and met the requirements for a structural concrete mix. The five (5) RAC mixes were also used in structural testing. One-way reinforced concrete slab specimens were tested to failure to evaluate the shear and flexural performance of the RAC members. Peak capacities of and crack formation within each member were analyzed to evaluate the performance of RAC compared to conventional concrete. The shear capacity of specimens made from four (4) of the five (5) RAC mixtures was higher or equivalent to the control specimens. Specimens of the concrete mixture containing the highest content of recycled aggregate, 20% volumetric replacement of granular RCA, had shear capacities 14.1% lower, and exhibited cracking at lower loads than the control. The average flexural capacities of all RAC specimens were within 3.7% of the control specimens. Results from this research

Cathodic protection of reinforced concrete structures in the Netherlands - Experience and developments: Cathodic protection of concrete - 10 years experience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polder, R.B.

1998-01-01

Cathodic protection (CP) of reinforcing steel in concrete structures has been used successfully for over 20 years. CP is able to stop corrosion in a reliable and economical way where chloride contamination has caused reinforcement corrosion and subsequent concrete damage. To new structures where

Durability of cracked fibre reinforced concrete structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan De Place; Nielsen, Laila

1997-01-01

(capillary water uptake) is used, involving an in-situ method and a laboratory method. Three different concrete qualities as well as steel fibres (ZP) and polypropylene fibres (PP) are used. Results of the durability tests on cracked FRC-beams are compared to results for uncracked FRC-beams and beams without......Durability studies are carried out by subjecting FRC-beams to combined mechanical and environmental load. Mechanical load is obtained by exposing beams to il-point bending until a predefined crack width is reached, using a newly developed test setup. As environmental load, exposure to water...

Bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization for strut-and-tie modelling of three-dimensional structural concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Shobeiri, Vahid; Ahmadi-Nedushan, Behrouz

2017-12-01

This article presents a method for the automatic generation of optimal strut-and-tie models in reinforced concrete structures using a bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization method. The methodology presented is developed for compliance minimization relying on the Abaqus finite element software package. The proposed approach deals with the generation of truss-like designs in a three-dimensional environment, addressing the design of corbels and joints as well as bridge piers and pile caps. Several three-dimensional examples are provided to show the capabilities of the proposed framework in finding optimal strut-and-tie models in reinforced concrete structures and verifying its efficiency to cope with torsional actions. Several issues relating to the use of the topology optimization for strut-and-tie modelling of structural concrete, such as chequerboard patterns, mesh-dependency and multiple load cases, are studied. In the last example, a design procedure for detailing and dimensioning of the strut-and-tie models is given according to the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 318-08 provisions.

Strain rate effects for spallation of concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Häussler-Combe, Ulrich; Panteki, Evmorfia; Kühn, Tino

2015-09-01

Appropriate triaxial constitutive laws are the key for a realistic simulation of high speed dynamics of concrete. The strain rate effect is still an open issue within this context. In particular the question whether it is a material property - which can be covered by rate dependent stress strain relations - or mainly an effect of inertia is still under discussion. Experimental and theoretical investigations of spallation of concrete specimen in a Hopkinson Bar setup may bring some evidence into this question. For this purpose the paper describes the VERD model, a newly developed constitutive law for concrete based on a damage approach with included strain rate effects [1]. In contrast to other approaches the dynamic strength increase is not directly coupled to strain rate values but related to physical mechanisms like the retarded movement of water in capillary systems and delayed microcracking. The constitutive law is fully triaxial and implemented into explicit finite element codes for the investigation of a wide range of concrete structures exposed to impact and explosions. The current setup models spallation experiments with concrete specimen [2]. The results of such experiments are mainly related to the dynamic tensile strength and the crack energy of concrete which may be derived from, e.g., the velocity of spalled concrete fragments. The experimental results are compared to the VERD model and two further constitutive laws implemented in LS-Dyna. The results indicate that both viscosity and retarded damage are required for a realistic description of the material behaviour of concrete exposed to high strain effects [3].

Strain rate effects for spallation of concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Häussler-Combe Ulrich

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Appropriate triaxial constitutive laws are the key for a realistic simulation of high speed dynamics of concrete. The strain rate effect is still an open issue within this context. In particular the question whether it is a material property – which can be covered by rate dependent stress strain relations – or mainly an effect of inertia is still under discussion. Experimental and theoretical investigations of spallation of concrete specimen in a Hopkinson Bar setup may bring some evidence into this question. For this purpose the paper describes the VERD model, a newly developed constitutive law for concrete based on a damage approach with included strain rate effects [1]. In contrast to other approaches the dynamic strength increase is not directly coupled to strain rate values but related to physical mechanisms like the retarded movement of water in capillary systems and delayed microcracking. The constitutive law is fully triaxial and implemented into explicit finite element codes for the investigation of a wide range of concrete structures exposed to impact and explosions. The current setup models spallation experiments with concrete specimen [2]. The results of such experiments are mainly related to the dynamic tensile strength and the crack energy of concrete which may be derived from, e.g., the velocity of spalled concrete fragments. The experimental results are compared to the VERD model and two further constitutive laws implemented in LS-Dyna. The results indicate that both viscosity and retarded damage are required for a realistic description of the material behaviour of concrete exposed to high strain effects [3].

A Simple Demonstration of Concrete Structural Health Monitoring Framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahadevan, Sankaran [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Agarwal, Vivek [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Cai, Guowei [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Nath, Paromita [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Bao, Yanqing [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Bru Brea, Jose Maria [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Koester, David [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Adams, Douglas [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Kosson, David [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-03-01

Assessment and management of aging concrete structures in nuclear power plants require a more systematic approach than simple reliance on existing code margins of safety. Structural health monitoring of concrete structures aims to understand the current health condition of a structure based on heterogeneous measurements to produce high confidence actionable information regarding structural integrity that supports operational and maintenance decisions. This ongoing research project is seeking to develop a probabilistic framework for health diagnosis and prognosis of aging concrete structures in a nuclear power plant subjected to physical, chemical, environment, and mechanical degradation. The proposed framework consists of four elements—damage modeling, monitoring, data analytics, and uncertainty quantification. This report describes a proof-of-concept example on a small concrete slab subjected to a freeze-thaw experiment that explores techniques in each of the four elements of the framework and their integration. An experimental set-up at Vanderbilt University’s Laboratory for Systems Integrity and Reliability is used to research effective combination of full-field techniques that include infrared thermography, digital image correlation, and ultrasonic measurement. The measured data are linked to the probabilistic framework: the thermography, digital image correlation data, and ultrasonic measurement data are used for Bayesian calibration of model parameters, for diagnosis of damage, and for prognosis of future damage. The proof-of-concept demonstration presented in this report highlights the significance of each element of the framework and their integration.

Analysis of seismic effects on reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tai, A.A.

1981-12-01

An important bibliographical research was undertaken in order to make the best possible analysis of the dynamic behaviour of materials and of structural components. This research work was completed by the study of the structures tested on a seismic table. The results obtained from this preliminary study, particularly those concerning the modification in the rigidity of reinforced concrete structures under alternate and seismic loading, enabled a calculation method (called ''equivalent static'') to be drawn up for analyzing the behaviour of reinforced concrete structures in earthquakes. This method takes into account the non-linearity of the behaviour of materials, in particular. The earthquake responses that were obtained by this method on gantries tested on a vibrating table, tally very satisfactorily with the test figures [fr

Method on the aging evaluation in nuclear power plant concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitsutaka, Yoshinori; Tsukagoshi, Masayuki

2014-01-01

In this paper, method on the durability evaluation in nuclear power plant concrete structures was investigated. In view of the importance of evaluating the degree of deterioration of reinforced concrete structures, relationships should be formulated among the number of years elapsed, t, the amount of action of a deteriorative factor, F, the degree of material deterioration, D, and the performance of the structure, P. Evaluation by PDFt diagrams combining these relationships may be effective. A detailed procedure of durability evaluation for a reinforced concrete structure using PDFt concept is presented for the deterioration factors of thermal effect, irradiation, neutralization and penetration of salinity by referring to the recent papers

Embedded micro-sensor for monitoring pH in concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, Rengaswamy; Phillips, Terry E.; Bargeron, C. Brent; Carlson, Micah A.; Schemm, Elizabeth R.; Saffarian, Hassan M.

2000-04-01

Three major causes of corrosion of steel in concrete are chloride ions (Cl-), temperature (T) and acidity (pH). Under normal operating temperatures and with pH above 13, steel does not undergo pitting corrosion. In presence of Cl-, if the pH decreases below 12, the probability of pitting increases. Acid rain and atmospheric carbon dioxide cause the pH to drop in concrete, often leading to corrosion of the structure with the concomitant cost of repair or replacement. Currently, the pH level in concrete is estimated through destructive testing of the structures. Glass ISFET, and other pH sensors that need maintenance and calibration cannot be embedded in concrete. In this paper, we describe an inexpensive solid state pH sensor that can be embedded in concrete, to detect pH changes at the early stages. It employs a chemical reagent, trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) that exhibits changes in optical properties in the 12 - 14 pH range, and is held in a film of a sol-gel/TNBS composite on an optically transparent surface. A simple LED/filter/photodiode transducer monitors pH-induced changes in TNBS. Such a device needs no periodic calibration or maintenance. The optical window, the light-source and sensor can be easily housed and encapsulated in a chemically inert structure, and embedded in concrete.

Concrete structures. Contribution to the safety assessment of existing structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. COUTO

Full Text Available The safety evaluation of an existing concrete structure differs from the design of new structures. The partial safety factors for actions and resistances adopted in the design phase consider uncertainties and inaccuracies related to the building processes of structures, variability of materials strength and numerical approximations of the calculation and design processes. However, when analyzing a finished structure, a large number of unknown factors during the design stage are already defined and can be measured, which justifies a change in the increasing factors of the actions or reduction factors of resistances. Therefore, it is understood that safety assessment in existing structures is more complex than introducing security when designing a new structure, because it requires inspection, testing, analysis and careful diagnose. Strong knowledge and security concepts in structural engineering are needed, as well as knowledge about the materials of construction employed, in order to identify, control and properly consider the variability of actions and resistances in the structure. With the intention of discussing this topic considered complex and diffuse, this paper presents an introduction to the safety of concrete structures, a synthesis of the recommended procedures by Brazilian standards and another codes, associated with the topic, as well a realistic example of the safety assessment of an existing structure.

Impact of biofouling on corrosion resistance of reinforced concrete

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Patil, B.T.; Gajendragad, M.R.; Ranganna, G.; Wagh, A.B.; Sudhakaran, T.

the structure from deterioration; a nonuniform deposit can lead to severe localized pitting corrosion. To study this cylindrical reinforced concrete electrodes were exposed to seawater. They were periodically removed and examined for the presence of fouling...

Numerical Limit Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kasper Paaske

For more than half a century, limit state analysis based on the extremum principles have been used to assess the load bearing capacity of reinforced concrete structures. Extensi- ve research within the field has lead to several techniques for performing such analysis manually. While these manual...... methods provide engineers with valuable tools for limit sta- te analysis, their application becomes difficult with increased structural complexity. The main challenge is to solve the optimization problem posed by the extremum principles. This thesis is a study of how numerical methods can be used to solve...... limit state analysis problems. The work focuses on determination of the load bearing capacity of reinforced concrete structures by employing the lower bound theorem and a finite element method using equilibrium elements is developed. The recent year’s development within the field of convex optimization...

Contrastive Numerical Investigations on Thermo-Structural Behaviors in Mass Concrete with Various Cements

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Wei; Feng, Chuqiao; Liu, Xinghong; Liu, Shuhua; Zhang, Chao; Yuan, Wei

2016-01-01

This work is a contrastive investigation of numerical simulations to improve the comprehension of thermo-structural coupled phenomena of mass concrete structures during construction. The finite element (FE) analysis of thermo-structural behaviors is used to investigate the applicability of supersulfated cement (SSC) in mass concrete structures. A multi-scale framework based on a homogenization scheme is adopted in the parameter studies to describe the nonlinear concrete behaviors. Based on the experimental data of hydration heat evolution rate and quantity of SSC and fly ash Portland cement, the hydration properties of various cements are studied. Simulations are run on a concrete dam section with a conventional method and a chemo-thermo-mechanical coupled method. The results show that SSC is more suitable for mass concrete structures from the standpoint of temperature control and crack prevention. PMID:28773517

Ceramic ware waste as coarse aggregate for structural concrete production.

Science.gov (United States)

García-González, Julia; Rodríguez-Robles, Desirée; Juan-Valdés, Andrés; Morán-Del Pozo, Julia M; Guerra-Romero, M Ignacio

2015-01-01

The manufacture of any kind of product inevitably entails the production of waste. The quantity of waste generated by the ceramic industry, a very important sector in Spain, is between 5% and 8% of the final output and it is therefore necessary to find an effective waste recovery method. The aim of the study reported in the present article was to seek a sustainable means of managing waste from the ceramic industry through the incorporation of this type of waste in the total replacement of conventional aggregate (gravel) used in structural concrete. Having verified that the recycled ceramic aggregates met all the technical requirements imposed by current Spanish legislation, established in the Code on Structural Concrete (EHE-08), then it is prepared a control concrete mix and the recycled concrete mix using 100% recycled ceramic aggregate instead of coarse natural aggregate. The concretes obtained were subjected to the appropriate tests in order to conduct a comparison of their mechanical properties. The results show that the concretes made using ceramic sanitary ware aggregate possessed the same mechanical properties as those made with conventional aggregate. It is therefore possible to conclude that the reuse of recycled ceramic aggregate to produce recycled concrete is a feasible alternative for the sustainable management of this waste.

Contribution to the numerical study of concrete behaviour and of reinforced concrete structures submitted to coupled thermal and mechanical solicitations: a damageable thermo-elasto-plastic approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nechnech, W.

2000-12-01

The aim of this research is the development of an Finite Element model for the analysis of reinforced concrete structures under thermal, mechanical loadings or any combination of them. An available synthesis of results on the concrete behavior under thermal solicitation is exposed. The different behavior of concrete that can be founded notably in thermo-mechanical analysis (Damage, unilateral phenomenon, thermo-mechanical interaction,...) are underlined. The various families of modeling are analyzed thereafter while underlining the important aspects of the behavior that each one can re-transcribe. A new thermo-plastic damage model for plain concrete subjected to combined thermal and cyclic loading is developed using the concept of plastic-work-hardening and stiffness degradation in continuum damage mechanics. Two damage variables are used: the first one for mechanical action and the second one for thermal action. Further, thermo-mechanical interaction strains have been introduced to describe the influence of mechanical loading on the physical process of thermal expansion of concrete. The constitutive relations for elastoplastic responses are decoupled from the degradation damage responses by using the effective stress concept. This method provides advantages in the numerical implementation. A simple and thermodynamically consistent scalar degradation model is introduced to simulate the effect of damage on elastic stiffness and its recovery during crack opening and closing. Efficient computational algorithms for the proposed model are subsequently explored and performance of this model is demonstrated with numerical examples. (author)

The effect of crack width on the service life of reinforced concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Van Hung, Nguyen; Viet Hung, Vu; Viet, Tran Bao

2018-04-01

Reinforced concrete has become a widely used construction material around the world. Nowadays, the assessment of deterioration and life expectancy of reinforced concrete structure is very important and necessary as concrete is a complex material with brittle failure. Under the effect of load and over time, cracks occur in the structure, significantly reducing its performance and durability. Therefore, a number of models for predicting the penetration of chloride ions into the concrete were proposed to assess the durability of the structure. In the study performed by T B Viet (2016) [1], the author proposed a new theoretical model, especially considering the effects of macro and micro cracking on the diffusion coefficient of chloride ion in the cracked concrete. The following experimental results, in term of electrical indication of concrete’s ability to resist chloride ion penetration, are used to calculate the lifespan of a reinforced concrete structure according to Dura Crete approach [8] with different crack widths to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the above model in the range of concrete compressive strength of 30-70MPa.

Characterizing the nano and micro structure of concrete to improve its durability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monteiro, P.J.M.; Kirchheim, A.P.; Chae, S.; Fischer, P.; MacDowell, A.A.; Schaible, E.; Wenk, H.R.

2008-10-22

New and advanced methodologies have been developed to characterize the nano and microstructure of cement paste and concrete exposed to aggressive environments. High resolution full-field soft X-ray imaging in the water window is providing new insight on the nano scale of the cement hydration process, which leads to a nano-optimization of cement-based systems. Hard X-ray microtomography images on ice inside cement paste and cracking caused by the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) enables three-dimensional structural identification. The potential of neutron diffraction to determine reactive aggregates by measuring their residual strains and preferred orientation is studied. Results of experiments using these tools will be shown on this paper.

Characterizing the nano and micro structure of concrete to improve its durability

KAUST Repository

Monteiro, P.J.M.

2009-09-01

New and advanced methodologies have been developed to characterize the nano and microstructure of cement paste and concrete exposed to aggressive environments. High resolution full-field soft X-ray imaging in the water window is providing new insight on the nano scale of the cement hydration process, which leads to a nano-optimization of cement-based systems. Hard X-ray microtomography images of ice inside cement paste and cracking caused by the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) enables three-dimensional structural identification. The potential of neutron diffraction to determine reactive aggregates by measuring their residual strains and preferred orientation is studied. Results of experiments using these tools are shown on this paper. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterizing the nano and micro structure of concrete to improve its durability

KAUST Repository

Monteiro, P.J.M.; Kirchheim, A.P.; Chae, S.; Fischer, P.; MacDowell, A.A.; Schaible, E.; Wenk, H.R.

2009-01-01

New and advanced methodologies have been developed to characterize the nano and microstructure of cement paste and concrete exposed to aggressive environments. High resolution full-field soft X-ray imaging in the water window is providing new insight on the nano scale of the cement hydration process, which leads to a nano-optimization of cement-based systems. Hard X-ray microtomography images of ice inside cement paste and cracking caused by the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) enables three-dimensional structural identification. The potential of neutron diffraction to determine reactive aggregates by measuring their residual strains and preferred orientation is studied. Results of experiments using these tools are shown on this paper. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Standardization principles of radiographic investigation of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Runkiewicz, L.

1979-01-01

The PN-78/B-06264 Polish Standard concerning the radiographic methods of concrete structure control is discussed. It concerns the inner structure of the building elements, dimensions and position of honeycombs and reinforcement. (author)

Long-term properties of concrete in nuclear containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Field, S.N.; Bamforth, P.B.

1991-01-01

Over the last thirty years a large volume of testing has been carried out on concretes used in prestressed concrete pressure vessels and similar structures. The main aim of the work has been to provide the designers with a prediction method for elastic moduli and creep deformation which takes into account temperature and age at loading. This paper summarises and reviews the results from the six concretes tested by Taywood Engineering Ltd (T.E.L.), comparing mixes with and without PFA. (author)

Study on polyurethane foamed concrete for use in structural applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iman Kattoof Harith

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, foamed concrete is being widely used in civil construction and building, because of its high fluidity and settlement, low self-weight and low thermal conductivity. However, it has some major setbacks such as low strength and increased shrinkage at later ages. The strength gain of concrete depends upon several variables; one of these is the curing conditions. This work aims to study the potential production of foamed concrete as a sustainable structural material by varying the curing methods. For this purpose, sample cubes, cylinders and prisms were prepared to find the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and drying shrinkage at different ages. Samples of the polyurethane foamed concrete cured under four different curing regimes (water, moisture, sealing by membrane-forming curing compound and air curing. At the end of the study, polyurethane foamed concrete used for this study has shown the potential for use in structural applications. Also, the results show that the samples cured by moisture have the highest compressive strength at all ages. Keywords: Polyurethane foamed concrete, Curing conditions, Fly ash, Compressive strength, Static modulus of elasticity drying shrinkage

Static reliability of concrete structures under extreme temperature, radiation, moisture and force loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepanek, P.; Stastnik, S.; Salajka, V.; Hradil, P.; Skolar, J.; Chlanda, V.

2003-01-01

The contribution presents some aspects of the static reliability of concrete structures under temperature effects and under mechanical loading. The mathematical model of a load-bearing concrete structure was performed using the FEM method. The temperature field and static stress that generated states of stress were taken into account. A brief description of some aspects of evaluation of the reliability within the primary circuit concrete structures is stated. The knowledge of actual physical and mechanical characteristics and chemical composition of concrete were necessary for obtaining correct results of numerical analysis. (author)

Reinforced concrete containment structures in high seismic zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, T.S.

1977-01-01

A new structural concept for reinforced concrete containment structures at sites where earthquake ground motions in terms of the Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) exceeds 0.3 g is presented. The structural concept is based on: (1) an inner steel-lined concrete shell which houses the reactor and provides shielding and containment in the event of loss of coolant accident; (2) an outer annular concrete shell structure which houses auxilary reactor equipment and safeguards systems. These shell structures are supported on a common foundation mat which is embeded in the subgrade. Under stipulated earthquake conditions the two shell structures interact to resist lateral inertia forces. Thus the annular structure which is not a pressure boundary acts as a lateral support for the inner containment shell. The concept is practical, economically feasible and new to practice. An integrated configuration which includes the interior shell, the annular structure and the subgrade is analyzed for several static and dynamic loading conditions. The analysis is done using a finite difference solution scheme for the static loading conditions. A semi-analytical three-dimensional finite element scheme combined with a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm is used for the dynamic loading conditions. The effects of cracking of the containment structure due to pressurization in conjunction with earthquake loading are discussed. Analytical results for both the finite difference and the finite element schemes are presented and the sensitivity of the results to changes in the input parameters is studied. General recommendations are given for plant configurations where high seismic loading is a major design consideration

Methodology for assessing the probability of corrosion in concrete structures on the basis of half-cell potential and concrete resistivity measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadowski, Lukasz

2013-01-01

In recent years, the corrosion of steel reinforcement has become a major problem in the construction industry. Therefore, much attention has been given to developing methods of predicting the service life of reinforced concrete structures. The progress of corrosion cannot be visually assessed until a crack or a delamination appears. The corrosion process can be tracked using several electrochemical techniques. Most commonly the half-cell potential measurement technique is used for this purpose. However, it is generally accepted that it should be supplemented with other techniques. Hence, a methodology for assessing the probability of corrosion in concrete slabs by means of a combination of two methods, that is, the half-cell potential method and the concrete resistivity method, is proposed. An assessment of the probability of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures carried out using the proposed methodology is presented. 200 mm thick 750 mm  ×  750 mm reinforced concrete slab specimens were investigated. Potential E corr and concrete resistivity ρ in each point of the applied grid were measured. The experimental results indicate that the proposed methodology can be successfully used to assess the probability of corrosion in concrete structures.

Methodology for Assessing the Probability of Corrosion in Concrete Structures on the Basis of Half-Cell Potential and Concrete Resistivity Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukasz Sadowski

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the corrosion of steel reinforcement has become a major problem in the construction industry. Therefore, much attention has been given to developing methods of predicting the service life of reinforced concrete structures. The progress of corrosion cannot be visually assessed until a crack or a delamination appears. The corrosion process can be tracked using several electrochemical techniques. Most commonly the half-cell potential measurement technique is used for this purpose. However, it is generally accepted that it should be supplemented with other techniques. Hence, a methodology for assessing the probability of corrosion in concrete slabs by means of a combination of two methods, that is, the half-cell potential method and the concrete resistivity method, is proposed. An assessment of the probability of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures carried out using the proposed methodology is presented. 200 mm thick 750 mm  ×  750 mm reinforced concrete slab specimens were investigated. Potential Ecorr and concrete resistivity ρ in each point of the applied grid were measured. The experimental results indicate that the proposed methodology can be successfully used to assess the probability of corrosion in concrete structures.

Experimental Study and Reactive Transport Modeling of Boric Acid Leaching of Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiang K.-T. K.

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Borated water leakage through spent fuel pools (SFPs at pressurized water reactors is a concern because it could cause corrosion of reinforcement steel in the concrete structure, compromise the integrity of the structure, or cause unmonitored releases of contaminated water to the environment. Experimental data indicate that pH is a critical parameter that determines the corrosion susceptibility of rebar in borated water and the degree of concrete degradation by boric acid leaching. In this study, reactive transport modeling of concrete leaching by borated water was performed to provide information on the solution pH in the concrete crack or matrix and the degree of concrete degradation at different locations of an SFP concrete structure exposed to borated water. Simulations up to 100 years were performed using different boric acid concentrations, crack apertures, and solution flow rates. Concrete cylinders were immersed in boric acid solutions for several months and the mineralogical changes and boric acid penetration in the concrete cylinder were evaluated as a function of time. The depths of concrete leaching by boric acid solution derived from the reactive transport simulations were compared with the measured boric acid penetration depth.

Procedure for getting safety classed concrete structures approved by Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halme, Ville-Juhani

2015-01-01

Posiva is preparing geological final disposal in the Finnish bedrock in Olkiluoto, Eurajoki. The final disposal facility includes encapsulation plant and underground repository. Most of the main civil structures are concrete structures. STUK is the supervising authority in civil structures. The National Building Code of Finland and STUK's Regulatory Guide on nuclear safety (YVL) are the most important instructions when constructing concrete structures into nuclear installation. Posiva has classified concrete structures in two classes according STUK's YVL-guidance: EYT (non-nuclear) and Safety Class 3 (SC 3, nuclear safety significance). When building SC 3 concrete structures, specific protocol must be followed. Protocol includes planned routines for design, construction, supervision, quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) activities. Documents relating concrete structures must be approved by Posiva and STUK before construction work. After structures have been designed and actual building is ongoing, there are two main steps. Before concreting, readiness inspection for concreting must be arranged. Readiness inspection will be arranged according to a specific plan and the date must be informed to STUK. After establishing readiness for concreting, casting work can begin. Once concrete structures are done, inspected and approved, final documentation according to a quality control plan will be reviewed by Posiva. After Posiva's approval, final documentation will be sent for STUK's approval. In the end STUK will give the permission for commissioning of the concrete structures after approved commissioning inspection. The document is made up of an abstract and a poster

Thermochemical degradation of limestone aggregate concrete on exposure to sodium fire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Premila, M.; Sivasubramanian, K.; Amarendra, G.; Sundar, C.S.

2008-01-01

Limestone aggregate concrete blocks were subjected to sodium fire conforming to a realistic scenario in order to qualify them as protective sacrificial layers over structural concrete flooring in liquid metal-cooled fast breeder reactors. Mid infrared absorption measurements were carried out on these sodium fire-exposed samples as a function of depth from the affected surface. Definite signatures of thermochemical degradation indicating dehydration and structural modification of the limestone concrete have been obtained. Control runs were carried out to delineate the thermal effects of sodium fires from that of the chemical interaction effects. Measurements on limestone aggregate samples treated with fused NaOH provided direct evidence of the exact mechanism of the sodium attack on concrete. The observed degradation effects were correlated to the mechanical strength of the concrete blocks and to the intensity of the sodium fire experienced

Early-age behaviour of concrete in massive structures, experimentation and modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zreiki, J.; Bouchelaghem, F.; Chaouche, M.

2010-01-01

This study is focused on the behaviour of concrete at early-age in massive structures, in relation with the prediction of both cracking risk and residual stresses, which is still a challenging task. In this paper, a 3D thermo-chemo-mechanical model has been developed, on the basis of complete material characterization experiments, in order to predict the early-age development of strains and residual stresses, and in order to assess the risk of cracking in massive concrete structures. The parameters of the proposed model were identified on two different concretes, High Performance Concrete and Fibrous Self-Compacted Concrete - from simple experiments in the laboratory: uniaxial tension and compression tests, dynamic Young's modulus measurements, free and autogenous shrinkages, semi-adiabatic calorimetry. The proposed model has been implemented in a Finite Element code, and the numerical simulations of the laboratory tests have proved the model consistency. Furthermore, early-age experiments conducted on massive structures have also been simulated, in order to investigate the predictive capability of the model, and to assess the model performance in practical situations where varying temperatures are involved.

Development of a low activation concrete shielding wall by multi-layered structure for a fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Satoshi; Maegawa, Toshio; Yoshimatsu, Kenji; Sato, Koichi; Nonaka, Akira; Takakura, Kosuke; Ochiai, Kentaro; Konno, Chikara

2011-01-01

A multi-layered concrete structure has been developed to reduce induced activity in the shielding for neutron generating facilities such as a fusion reactor. The multi-layered concrete structure is composed of: (1) an inner low activation concrete, (2) a boron-doped low activation concrete as the second layer, and (3) ordinary concrete as the outer layer of the neutron shield. With the multi-layered concrete structure the volume of boron is drastically decreased compared to a monolithic boron-doped concrete. A 14 MeV neutron shielding experiment with multi-layered concrete structure mockups was performed at FNS and several reaction rates and induced activity in the mockups were measured. This demonstrated that the multi-layered concrete effectively reduced low energy neutrons and induced activity.

Civil engineering: calculations of pre-stressed concrete structures using CodeAster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerard, B.; Ulm, F.

1997-11-01

This document presents an analysis of the different calculation methods for pre-stressed concrete structure which can be performed by using finite element methods. Two methods of calculating the pre-stressing of concrete structures with finite elements have been determined. The equivalent method which consists of replacing the action of pre-stressing the concrete by equivalent forces. These method is well suited to dimensioning and studying the overall stability of a structure. It is not an easy matter to take into account the coupled or time-varying phenomena. This approach ignores the evolution of the interaction between the pre-stressing and the concrete. The explicit method which consists of including the mechanical resolution of the pre-stressed cables in that of a concrete structure. Not only does this allow a local study of the pre-stressed to be made, it also allows the coupling which developed over time to be determined, e.g. slip, deferred deformation and coupling between the steel and concrete behaviours. This method enables non-linear phenomena with varying degrees of complexity, such as fracture or yielding of the steels, drying out of the concrete, creep, etc to be described. The two methods are complementary. This document presents the mathematical and computer developments relating to each of this method. In the case of the explicit method, certain of the Code-Aster functions already make it possible to meet several EDF application requirements. Several couplings can be taken into account, such as thermomechanical, shrinkage in drying, creep, relaxation and injection of the cables. Three immediate developments of Code-Aster are proposed for the following applications: - a procedure for calculating the pre-stress losses along the pre-stressing cables; - a command to allocate these forces in the form of an initial force field in the bar elements associated with the cables; - a procedure for linking elements whose nodes do not coincide with each other

A study on the effects of seawater on the durable life of concrete structures(II)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Byung Hwan; Jang, Bong Suk; Jang, Seung Yeop; Jeon, Se Jin; Yu, Yeong; Park, Dae Gyun; Hyeong, Sang Soo [Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1999-02-15

Recently, large scale concrete structures such as nuclear power plants and offshore structures are actively being built in this country. These structures are subject to heavy attack due to seawater environment. A reasonable consideration for corrosion has not been paid to the structures in the past decades due to insufficient research data and guidelines. The durability is emerging as one of the most important factors. In the design and construction of concrete structures. The purpose of the present study is, therefore, to explore the corrosion mechanism and penetration mechanism of chloride ion, and to establish the evaluation procedure of durability life of concrete structures. In this study, the chloride ion concentration of seawater around our country have been analyzed and the deterioration mechanism of concrete structures have been also analyzed. The penetration mechanism of seawater into the concrete has been also studied. To this end, a comprehensive experimental program has been setup. The major test variables include the type of cement and the type of mineral admixture. The strength test as well as corrosion test have been conducted to explore the effects of chloride ion penetration on the properties of concrete. The corrosion mechanism and the penetration of chloride ion into concrete structures have been studied. These results will allow the estimation of durable life of concrete structures in nuclear power plants. The experimental results and the developed theory in the present study can be efficiently used to analyze the chloride ion penetration and to estimate the durability of concrete structures In nuclear power plants. The present study may also provide strong basis to evaluate the remaining service life of concrete structures in nuclear power plants.

High performance repairing of reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskhakov, I.; Ribakov, Y.; Holschemacher, K.; Mueller, T.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Steel fibered high strength concrete is effective for repairing concrete elements. ► Changing fibers’ content, required ductility of the repaired element is achieved. ► Experiments prove previously developed design concepts for two layer beams. -- Abstract: Steel fibered high strength concrete (SFHSC) is an effective material that can be used for repairing concrete elements. Design of normal strength concrete (NSC) elements that should be repaired using SFHSC can be based on general concepts for design of two-layer beams, consisting of SFHSC in the compressed zone and NSC without fibers in the tensile zone. It was previously reported that such elements are effective when their section carries rather large bending moments. Steel fibers, added to high strength concrete, increase its ultimate deformations due to the additional energy dissipation potential contributed by fibers. When changing the fibers’ content, a required ductility level of the repaired element can be achieved. Providing proper ductility is important for design of structures to dynamic loadings. The current study discusses experimental results that form a basis for finding optimal fiber content, yielding the highest Poisson coefficient and ductility of the repaired elements’ sections. Some technological issues as well as distribution of fibers in the cross section of two-layer bending elements are investigated. The experimental results, obtained in the frame of this study, form a basis for general technological provisions, related to repairing of NSC beams and slabs, using SFHSC.

Prevention of concrete structures from collapsing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cechmanek R.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available At the end of the 20th century requirements on using electrical properties of building materials emerged for application in heating of trafficable surfaces, grounding of electrostatic charges in floors, shielding of electro-magnetic fields and diagnosis of concrete structure state in the course of time. For this reason, it was necessary to design special fibre-cement elements able to transfer any mechanical impulse to an electricallymeasured signal detected as a change in electrical resistance with computer outputs. Regarding previous research studies, it was concluded that special fibre-cement composites are able to conduct electric current under specific conditions. This property is ensured by using of various kinds of carbon materials. Though carbon fibres are less conductive than metal fibres, composites with carbon fibres were evaluated as better current conductors than the composites with metal fibres. By means of various kinds of carbon particles and fibres it is possible to design cement composites with an ability to monitor changes in electrical conductivity of concretes. The designed composites are assembled with conductive wires and connected with a special electronic equipment for monitoring of changes in alternate voltage passing through the tensometer within mechanical loading of a concrete element in which the composite is integrated. The tensometers are placed preferably into parts of the concrete elements subjected to compression, such as simple reinforced columns or upper parts of longitudinal beams. Several tests of repeated loading and simultaneous monitoring of vertical as well as horizontal prefabricated concrete elements were carried out and evaluated.

Early stage beneficial effects of cathodic protection in concrete structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polder, R.B.; Peelen, W.H.A.; Neeft, E.A.C.; Stoop, B.T.J.

2010-01-01

Over the last 25 years, cathodic protection (CP) of reinforced concrete structures suffering from chloride induced reinforcement corrosion has shown to be successful and durable. CP current causes steel polarisation, electrochemical reactions and ion transport in the concrete. CP systems are

Towards assuring the continued performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Mori, Y.; Arndt, E.G.

1993-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants for the purpose of providing improved technical bases for their continued service. Pertinent concrete structures are described in terms of their importance, design considerations, and materials of construction. Degradation factors which can potentially impact the ability of these structures to meet their functional and performance requirements are identified. A review of the performance history of the concrete components in nuclear power plants is provided. Accomplishments of the SLAG Program are summarized, i.e., development of the structural materials information center, development of a structural aging assessment methodology, evaluation of models for predicting the remaining life of in-service concrete, review of in-service inspection methods, and development of a methodology for reliability-based condition assessment and life prediction of concrete structures. On-going activities are also described

Nondestructive Evaluation of Thick Concrete Structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clayton, Dwight A [ORNL

2015-01-01

Materials issues are a key concern for the existing nuclear reactor fleet in the United States as material degradation can lead to increased maintenance, increased downtime, and increased risk. Extending reactor life to 60 years and beyond will likely increase susceptibility and severity of both known and new forms of degradation. A multitude of concrete-based structures are typically part of a light water reactor plant to provide foundation, support, shielding, and containment functions. The size and complexity of nuclear power plant containment structures and the heterogeneity of Portland cement concrete make characterization of the degradation extent a difficult task. This paper examines the benefits of using time-frequency analysis with Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT). By using wavelet packet decomposition, the original ultrasound signals are decomposed into various frequency bands that facilitates highly selective analysis of the signal’s frequency content and can be visualized using the familiar SAFT image reconstruction algorithm.

77 FR 69508 - Inservice Inspection of Prestressed Concrete Containment Structures With Grouted Tendons

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-19

... Containment Structures With Grouted Tendons AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Regulatory guide... (RG) 1.90, ``Inservice Inspection of Prestressed Concrete Containment Structures with Grouted Tendons... appropriate surveillance program for prestressed concrete containment structures with grouted tendons...

Performance Evaluation of Waterproofing Membrane Systems Subject to the Concrete Joint Load Behavior of Below-Grade Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaeyoung Song

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Below-grade structures such as parking lots, underground subway tunnels, and basements are growing in scale and reaching deeper below-ground levels. In this type of environment, they become subject to higher water pressure. The concrete material of the structures is exposed to wet conditions for longer periods of time, which makes the proper adhesion of waterproofing membranes difficult. Joint movements from increased structural settlement, thermal expansion/shrinkage, and physical loads from external sources (e.g., vehicles make securing durable waterproofing challenging. While ASTM Guides, Korean Codes, and BS Practice Codes on below-grade waterproofing stress the importance of manufacturer specification for quality control, ensuring high quality waterproofing for the ever-changing scale of construction remains a challenge. This study proposes a new evaluation method and criteria which allow for the selection of waterproofing membranes based on specific performance attributes and workmanship. It subjects six different waterproofing membrane systems (installed on dry and wet surface conditioned mortar slab specimens with an artificial joint to different cyclic movement widths to 300 cycles in water to demonstrate that inadequate material properties and workmanship are key causes for leakages.

Assessment of degradation and aging of nuclear power plants concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busby, J.; Naus, D.; Graves, H.; Sheikh, A.; Le Pape, Y.; Rashid, J.; Saouma, V.; Wall, J.

2015-01-01

This paper summarizes the results of an expert-panel assessment of ageing degradation modes and mechanisms of concrete structures in NPPs, where, based on specific operating environments, degradation is likely to occur, or may have occurred; to define relevant aging and degradation modes and mechanisms; and to perform systematic assessment of the effects of these age-related degradation mechanisms on the future life of those materials and structures. The following 7 degradation modes and mechanisms have been identified as having the greatest potential impact on the ability of concrete structures to fulfill their safety related functions during long-term NPP operation. 1) Corrosion of conventional reinforcement is difficult to assess because of inaccessibility to inspection; 2) Creep of pre-stressed concrete containments continuously affects the internal stress state and adds to tendon relaxation and gradual loss of prestress; 3) Irradiation of concrete lacks sufficient data to for a clear evaluation of its effects on long-term operations; 4) Alkali-silica reaction potential consequences on the structural integrity of the containment; 5) Fracture/cracking, which is a well understood behavior characteristic of concrete structures and is accounted for in structural design, plays a unique role in post-tensioned containments during de-tensioning and re-tensioning operations which may be undertaken as part of life extension retrofit work, resulting in delamination, and may evolve with time as a creep-cracking interaction mechanism; 6) Boric acid attack of concrete in the spent fuel pool involves knowledge gaps related to the kinetics and the extent of the attack (role of the concrete mix design); 7) Corrosion of the inaccessible side of the spent fuel pool and containment liners and the stress corrosion cracking of the tendons are important degradation modes due to the absence of in-service inspection. The potential impact of these mechanisms may be mitigated by

Research on Deterioration Mechanism of Concrete Materials in an Actual Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shiping Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The cause for deterioration of the concrete structure located in severe environment has been explored both in field and in laboratory. Serious cracking and spalling appeared upon surface of the concrete structure soon after the structure was put into service. Both alkali-aggregate reaction and freeze-thaw cycles may result in similar macro visible cracking and spalling. The possibility of alkali-aggregate reaction was excluded by both field survey and lab examination such as chemical analysis, petrographic analysis, and determination of alkali reactivity of aggregates. According to results of freeze-thaw cycles, impermeability testing, and microstructure analysis, it is deduced that the severe environmental conditions plus the relatively inferior frost resistance cause the deterioration of concrete. Usage of air entraining admixture can improve frost resistance and impermeability. Furthermore, new approaches to mitigate the deterioration of concrete used in severe environmental condition are discussed.

Volume changes in unrestrained structural lightweight concrete.

Science.gov (United States)

1964-08-01

In this study a comparator-type measuring system was developed to accurately determine volume change characteristics of one structural lightweight concrete. The specific properties studied were the coefficient of linear thermal expansion and unrestra...

Strain measurements of temperatures up to 3000C in a concrete structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schittenhelm, Ch.

1975-10-01

Strain measurements in a concrete structure representing a cylindrical section of a Prestressed Concrete Reactor Vessel with hot liner, were made. In order to interpret these values in terms of strain and stress in a three dimensional structure, the gauge characteristics as well as the material date of the concrete have to be known in great detail. The paper deals with the performance of different gauges embedded in small concrete blocks and others of the same type embedded in the test ring. Temperature resistance, long-time performance, electrical drift and hysteresis of the gauges were investigated. (author)

Stainless steel reinforcement for durability in concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cochrane, D.J.

1998-01-01

Stainless steels and concrete are materials which the nuclear industry, more than any other, has given special attention to over the years. It is the intention of this paper to inform congress about developments outside the nuclear industry, in the use of stainless steel as reinforcement (rebar) in concrete structures. It is left to individual engineers within the industry to assess the implications of this information to applications with which they will be familiar. (author)

Design optimization of embedded ultrasonic transducers for concrete structures assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumoulin, Cédric; Deraemaeker, Arnaud

2017-08-01

In the last decades, the field of structural health monitoring and damage detection has been intensively explored. Active vibration techniques allow to excite structures at high frequency vibrations which are sensitive to small damage. Piezoelectric PZT transducers are perfect candidates for such testing due to their small size, low cost and large bandwidth. Current ultrasonic systems are based on external piezoelectric transducers which need to be placed on two faces of the concrete specimen. The limited accessibility of in-service structures makes such an arrangement often impractical. An alternative is to embed permanently low-cost transducers inside the structure. Such types of transducers have been applied successfully for the in-situ estimation of the P-wave velocity in fresh concrete, and for crack monitoring. Up to now, the design of such transducers was essentially based on trial and error, or in a few cases, on the limitation of the acoustic impedance mismatch between the PZT and concrete. In the present study, we explore the working principles of embedded piezoelectric transducers which are found to be significantly different from external transducers. One of the major challenges concerning embedded transducers is to produce very low cost transducers. We show that a practical way to achieve this imperative is to consider the radial mode of actuation of bulk PZT elements. This is done by developing a simple finite element model of a piezoelectric transducer embedded in an infinite medium. The model is coupled with a multi-objective genetic algorithm which is used to design specific ultrasonic embedded transducers both for hard and fresh concrete monitoring. The results show the efficiency of the approach and a few designs are proposed which are optimal for hard concrete, fresh concrete, or both, in a given frequency band of interest. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Constitutive Models for Design of Sustainable Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Brozovsky, J.; Cajka, R.; Koktan, J.

2018-04-01

The paper deals with numerical models of reinforced concrete which are expected to be useful to enhance design of sustainable reinforced concrete structures. That is, the models which can deliver higher precision of results than the linear elastic models but which are still feasible for engineering practice. Such models can be based on an elastic-plastic material. The paper discusses properties of such models. A material model based of the Chen criteria and the Ohtani hardening model for concrete was selected for further development. There is also given a comparison of behaviour of such model with behaviour of a more complex smeared crack model which is based on principles of fracture mechanics.

The surrounding concrete structure of the containment as a safety component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alex, H.; Kuntze, W.M.

1978-01-01

This paper will briefly discuss the containments of the various types of reactors in the Federal Republic of Germany and will try to show the importance of the surrounding concrete structures with respect to safety. It will be seen that the surrounding concrete structures serve in any case - as protection against external events - as secondary shielding and must therefore be considered as a passive safety feature. The design requirements for the surrounding concrete structures with respect to protection against external events and to physical protection generally supplement each other. Reference will be made to possible alternatives, which might result from studies of underground siting of nuclear power plants. Whether or not this type of construction can lead to additional safety can only be judged when the results of all these studies - some of which are still under way - are evaluated. The concluding part of this paper will deal with the responsibilities of the civil engineering supervisory authorities and the nuclear licensing authorities with respect to the surrounding concrete structures. (orig.) [de

Evaluating portland cement concrete degradation by sulphate exposure through artificial neural networks modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Douglas Nunes de; Bourguignon, Lucas Gabriel Garcia; Tolentino, Evandro; Costa, Rodrigo Moyses; Tello, Cledola Cassia Oliveira de

2015-01-01

A concrete is durable if it has accomplished the desired service life in the environment in which it is exposed. The durability of concrete materials can be limited as a result of adverse performance of its cement-paste matrix or aggregate constituents under either chemical or physical attack. Among other aggressive chemical exposures, the sulphate attack is an important concern. Water, soils and gases, which contain sulphate, represent a potential threat to the durability of concrete structures. Sulphate attack in concrete leads to the conversion of the hydration products of cement to ettringite, gypsum, and other phases, and also it leads to the destabilization of the primary strength generating calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel. The formation of ettringite and gypsum is common in cementitious systems exposed to most types of sulphate solutions. The present work presents the application of the neural networks for estimating deterioration of various concrete mixtures due to exposure to sulphate solutions. A neural networks model was constructed, trained and tested using the available database. In general, artificial neural networks could be successfully used in function approximation problems in order to approach the data generation function. Once data generation function is known, artificial neural network structure is tested using data not presented to the network during training. This paper is intent to provide the technical requirements related to the production of a durable concrete to be used in the structures of the Brazilian near-surface repository of radioactive wastes. (author)

Evaluating portland cement concrete degradation by sulphate exposure through artificial neural networks modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Douglas Nunes de; Bourguignon, Lucas Gabriel Garcia; Tolentino, Evandro, E-mail: tolentino@timoteo.cefetmg.br [Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica de Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG), Timoteo, MG (Brazil); Costa, Rodrigo Moyses, E-mail: rodrigo@moyses.com.br [Universidade de Itauna, Itauna, MG (Brazil); Tello, Cledola Cassia Oliveira de, E-mail: tellocc@cdtn.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nucelar (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2015-07-01

A concrete is durable if it has accomplished the desired service life in the environment in which it is exposed. The durability of concrete materials can be limited as a result of adverse performance of its cement-paste matrix or aggregate constituents under either chemical or physical attack. Among other aggressive chemical exposures, the sulphate attack is an important concern. Water, soils and gases, which contain sulphate, represent a potential threat to the durability of concrete structures. Sulphate attack in concrete leads to the conversion of the hydration products of cement to ettringite, gypsum, and other phases, and also it leads to the destabilization of the primary strength generating calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel. The formation of ettringite and gypsum is common in cementitious systems exposed to most types of sulphate solutions. The present work presents the application of the neural networks for estimating deterioration of various concrete mixtures due to exposure to sulphate solutions. A neural networks model was constructed, trained and tested using the available database. In general, artificial neural networks could be successfully used in function approximation problems in order to approach the data generation function. Once data generation function is known, artificial neural network structure is tested using data not presented to the network during training. This paper is intent to provide the technical requirements related to the production of a durable concrete to be used in the structures of the Brazilian near-surface repository of radioactive wastes. (author)

The use of acoustic monitoring to manage concrete structures in the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paulson, P.O.; Tozser, O.; Wit, M. de

2003-01-01

Concrete and steel are widely used in containment vessels within the nuclear industry. Both are excellent acoustic transmitters. In many structures tensioned wire elements are used within containment structures. However, tensioned wire can be vulnerable to corrosion. To reduce the probability of corrosion sophisticated protection systems are used. To confirm that the design strength is available through time, extensive inspection and maintenance regimes are implemented. These regimes include tests to confirm the condition of the post-tensioning, and pressure tests (leak tests) to verify the performance of vessel. This paper presents an acoustic monitoring technology which uses widely distributed sensors to detect and locate wire failures using the energy released at failure. The technology has been used on a range of structures including post-tensioned concrete bridges, suspension bridges, buildings, pre-cast concrete cylinder pipelines (PCCP) and prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCV), where it has increased confidence in structures and reduced maintenance costs. Where the level of ambient noise is low then SoundPrint acoustic monitoring can detect concrete cracking. This has been shown in PCCP pipelines, on laboratory test structures and also in nuclear structures. The programme has shown that distributed sensors can locate internal cracking well before there is any external evidence. Several projects have been completed on nuclear vessels. The first has been completed on an Electricite de France (EDF) concrete test pressure vessel at Civaux in France. The second at the Sandia PCCV Test Vessel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, which involved the testing of a steel lined concrete vessel. The third was on a PCCV in Maryland, USA. Acoustic monitoring is also able to monitor the deterioration of post-tensioned concrete structures as a result of seismic activity. Summary details of a case history are presented. (author)

Experimental collaboration for thick concrete structures with alkali-silica reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Ezell, N. Dianne Bull; Hayes, Nolan; Lenarduzzi, Roberto; Clayton, Dwight; Ma, Z. John; Le Pape, Sihem; Le Pape, Yann

2018-04-01

Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is a reaction that occurs over time in concrete between alkaline cement paste and reactive, non-crystalline silica in aggregates. An expansive gel is formed within the aggregates which results in micro-cracks in aggregates and adjacent cement paste. The reaction requires the presence of water and has been predominantly detected in groundwater-impacted portions of below grade structures, with limited impact to exterior surfaces in above grade structures. ASR can potentially affect concrete properties and performance characteristics such as compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, shear strength, and tensile strength. Since ASR degradation often takes significant amounts of time, developing ASR detection techniques is important to the sustainability and extended operation lifetimes of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) designed and built an experiment representative of typical NPP structures to study ASR in thick concrete structures.

Early-age behaviour of concrete in massive structures, experimentation and modelling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zreiki, J., E-mail: zreiki@lmt.ens-cachan.f [ENS Cachan/CNRS UMR8535/UPMC/PRES UniverSud Paris, Cachan (France); Bouchelaghem, F. [ENS Cachan/CNRS UMR8535/UPMC/PRES UniverSud Paris, Cachan (France); UPMC Univ Paris 06 (France); Chaouche, M. [ENS Cachan/CNRS UMR8535/UPMC/PRES UniverSud Paris, Cachan (France)

2010-10-15

This study is focused on the behaviour of concrete at early-age in massive structures, in relation with the prediction of both cracking risk and residual stresses, which is still a challenging task. In this paper, a 3D thermo-chemo-mechanical model has been developed, on the basis of complete material characterization experiments, in order to predict the early-age development of strains and residual stresses, and in order to assess the risk of cracking in massive concrete structures. The parameters of the proposed model were identified on two different concretes, High Performance Concrete and Fibrous Self-Compacted Concrete - from simple experiments in the laboratory: uniaxial tension and compression tests, dynamic Young's modulus measurements, free and autogenous shrinkages, semi-adiabatic calorimetry. The proposed model has been implemented in a Finite Element code, and the numerical simulations of the laboratory tests have proved the model consistency. Furthermore, early-age experiments conducted on massive structures have also been simulated, in order to investigate the predictive capability of the model, and to assess the model performance in practical situations where varying temperatures are involved.

Alkali-silica reactivity of expanded glass granules in structure of lightweight concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bumanis, G; Bajare, D; Korjakins, A; Locs, J

2013-01-01

Main component in the lightweight concrete, which provides its properties, is aggregate. A lot of investigations on alkali silica reaction (ASR) between cement and lightweight aggregates have been done with their results published in the academic literature. Whereas expanded glass granules, which is relatively new product in the market of building materials, has not been a frequent research object. Therefore lightweight granules made from waste glass and eight types of cement with different chemical and mineralogical composition were examined in this research. Expanded glass granules used in this research is commercially available material produced by Penostek. Lightweight concrete mixtures were prepared by using commercial chemical additives to improve workability of concrete. The aim of the study is to identify effect of cement composition to the ASR reaction which occurs between expanded glass granules and binder. Expanded glass granules mechanical and physical properties were determined. In addition, properties of fresh and hardened concrete were determined. The ASR test was processed according to RILEM AAR-2 testing recommendation. Tests with scanning electron microscope and microstructural investigations were performed for expanded glass granules and hardened concrete specimens before and after exposing them in alkali solution

Fire exposed aluminium structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maljaars, J.; Fellinger, J.E.J.; Soetens, F.

2005-01-01

Material properties and mechanical response models for fire design of steel structures are based on extensive research and experience. Contrarily, the behaviour of aluminium load bearing structures exposed to fire is relatively unexplored. This article gives an overview of physical and mechanical

Development of laboratory acceleration test method for service life prediction of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, M. S.; Song, Y. C.; Bang, K. S.; Lee, J. S.; Kim, D. K.

1999-01-01

Service life prediction of nuclear power plants depends on the application of history of structures, field inspection and test, the development of laboratory acceleration tests, their analysis method and predictive model. In this study, laboratory acceleration test method for service life prediction of concrete structures and application of experimental test results are introduced. This study is concerned with environmental condition of concrete structures and is to develop the acceleration test method for durability factors of concrete structures e.g. carbonation, sulfate attack, freeze-thaw cycles and shrinkage-expansion etc

The study on the mechanical characteristics of concrete of nuclear reactor containment structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, W. S.; Kwon, K. J.; Cho, M. S.; Song, Y. C.

2000-01-01

Reactor containment structure of nuclear power plant designed by prestressed concrete causes time-dependent prestress loss due to the mechanical characteristics of concrete. Prestress loss strongly affects to the safety factor of structure under the circumstances of designing, construction and inspection. Thus, this study is to investigate the mechanical characteristics of reactor containment concrete structure of Yonggwang No. 5 and 6. In this study, the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, poisson's ratio and creep test followed by ASTM code are performed to investigate the mechanical characteristics of concrete made by V type cement. Additionally, since creep causes more time-dependent prestress loss than the other, the measurement value from the creep test is compared with the results from the creep prediction equations by KSCE, JSCE, Hansen, ACI and CEB-FIP model for the effective application. Hereafter, the results of this study may enable to assist the calculation effective stress considering time-dependent prestress loss of the prestressed concrete structures

Concrete structural analysis tools and properties for Hanford site waste tank evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, C.J.; Peterson, W.S.; Winkel, B.V.; Weiner, E.O.

1995-09-01

As Hanford Site Contractors address maintenance and future structural demands on nuclear waste tanks built as early as 1943, it is necessary to address their current safety margins and ensure safe margins are maintained. Although the current civil engineering practice has building codes for reinforced concrete design guidelines, the tanks were not constructed to today's building codes and future demands potentially result in loads and modifications to the tanks that are outside the original design basis and current practice. The Hanford Site engineering staff has embraced nonlinear finite-element modeling of concrete in an effort to obtain a more accurate understanding of the actual tank margins. This document brings together and integrates past Hanford Site nonlinear reinforced concrete analysis methods, past Hanford Site concrete testing, public domain research testing, and current concrete research directions. This document, including future revisions, provides the structural engineering overview (or survey) for a consistent, accurate approach to nonlinear finite-element modeling of reinforced concrete for Hanford Site waste storage tanks. This report addresses concrete strength and modulus degradation with temperature, creep, shrinkage, long-term sustained loads, and temperature degradation of rebar and concrete bonds. Recommendations are given for parameter studies and evaluation techniques for review of nonlinear finite-element analysis of concrete

Sodium Exposure Tests on Limestone Concrete Used as Sacrificial Protection Layer in FBR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parida, F.C.; Das, S.K.; Sharma, A.K.; Rao, P.M.; Ramesh, S.S.; Somayajulu, P.A.; Malarvizhi, B.; Kasinathan, N.

2006-01-01

Hot sodium coming in contact with structural concrete in case of sodium leak in FBR system cause damage as a result of thermo-chemical attack by burning sodium. In addition, release of free and bound water from concrete leads to generation of hydrogen gas, which is explosive in nature. Hence limestone concrete, as sacrificial layer on the structural concrete in FBR, needs to be qualified. Four concrete blocks of dimension 600 mm x 600 mm x 300 mm with 300 mm x 300 mm x 150 mm cavity were cast and subjected to controlled sodium exposure tests. They have composition of ordinary portland cement, water, fine and coarse aggregate of limestone in the ratio of 1: 0.58: 2.547: 3.817. These blocks were subjected to preliminary inspection by ultrasonic pulse velocity technique and rebound hammer tests. Each block was exposed for 30 minutes to about 12 kg of liquid sodium (∼ 120 mm liquid column) at 550 deg. C in open air, after which sodium was sucked back from the cavity of the concrete block into a sodium tank. On-line temperature monitoring was carried out at strategic locations of sodium pool and concrete block. After removing sodium from the cavity and cleaning the surfaces, rebound hammer testing was carried out on each concrete block at the same locations where data were taken earlier at pre-exposed stage. The statistical analysis of rebound hammer data revealed that one of the concrete block alone has undergone damage to the extent of 16%. The loss of mass occurred for all the four blocks varied from 0.6 to 2.4% due to release of water during the test duration. Chemical analysis of sodium in concrete samples collected from cavity floor of each block helped in generation of depth profiles of sodium monoxide concentration for each block. From this it is concluded that a bulk penetration of sodium up to 30 mm depth has taken place. However it was also observed that at few local spots, sodium penetrated into concrete up to 50 mm. Cylindrical core samples of 50 mm x 150

Evaluation of calculational and material models for concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunham, R.S.; Rashid, Y.R.; Yuan, K.A.

1984-01-01

A computer code utilizing an appropriate finite element, material and constitutive model has been under development as a part of a comprehensive effort by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to develop and validate a realistic methodology for the ultimate load analysis of concrete containment structures. A preliminary evaluation of the reinforced and prestressed concrete modeling capabilities recently implemented in the ABAQUS-EPGEN code has been completed. This effort focuses on using a state-of-the-art calculational model to predict the behavior of large-scale reinforced concrete slabs tested under uniaxial and biaxial tension to simulate the wall of a typical concrete containment structure under internal pressure. This paper gives comparisons between calculations and experimental measurements for a uniaxially-loaded specimen. The calculated strains compare well with the measured strains in the reinforcing steel; however, the calculations gave diffused cracking patterns that do not agree with the discrete cracking observed in the experiments. Recommendations for improvement of the calculational models are given. (orig.)

Service-life prediction of reinforced concrete structures in subsurface environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Ki Jung; Jung, Hae Ryong; Park, Joo Wan [Korea Radioactive Waste Agency, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-03-15

This paper focuses on the estimation of durability and service-life of reinforced concrete structures in Wolsong Low- and intermediate-level wastes Disposal Center (WLDC) in Korea. There are six disposal silos located in the saturated environment. The silo concrete is degraded due to reactions with groundwater and chemical attacks, and finally it will lose its properties as a transport barrier. The infiltration of sulfate and magnesium, leaching of potassium hydroxide, and chlorine induced corrosion are the most significant factors for degradation of reinforced concrete structure in underground environment. From the result of evaluation of the degradation time for each factor, the degradation rate of the reinforced concrete due to sulfate and magnesium is 1.308×10{sup -3} cm/yr, and it is estimated to take 48,000 years for full degradation while potassium hydroxide is leached in depth of less than 1.5 cm at 1,000 years after the initiation of degradation. In case of chlorine induced corrosion, it takes 1,648 years to initiate corrosion in the main reinforced bar and 2,288 years to reach the lifetime limit of the structural integrity, and thus it is evaluated as the most significant factor.

Limit load analysis of thick-walled concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Argyris, J.H.; Faust, G.; Willam, K.J.

1975-01-01

The paper illustrates the interaction of constitutive modeling and finite element solution techniques for limit load prediction of concrete structures. On the constitutive side, an engineering model of concrete fracture is developed in which the Mohr-Coulomb criterion is augmented by tension cut-off to describe incipient failure. Upon intersection with the stress path the failure surface collapses for brittle behaviour according to one of three softening rules, no-tension, no-cohesion, and no-friction. The stress transfer accompanying the energy dissipation during local failure is modelled by several fracture rules which are examined with regard to ultimate load prediction. On the numerical side the effect of finite element idealization is studied first as far as ultimate load convergence is concerned. Subsequently, incremental tangential and initial load techniques are compared together with the effect of step size. Limit load analyses of a thick-walled concrete ring and a lined concrete reactor closure conclude the paper with examples from practical engineering. (orig.) [de

Numerical simulation of deformation and fracture of space protective shell structures from concrete and fiber concrete under pulse loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radchenko, P A; Batuev, S P; Radchenko, A V; Plevkov, V S

2015-01-01

This paper presents results of numerical simulation of interaction between aircraft Boeing 747-400 and protective shell of nuclear power plant. The shell is presented as complex multilayered cellular structure comprising layers of concrete and fiber concrete bonded with steel trusses. Numerical simulation was held three-dimensionally using the author's algorithm and software taking into account algorithms for building grids of complex geometric objects and parallel computations. The dynamics of stress-strain state and fracture of structure were studied. Destruction is described using two-stage model that allows taking into account anisotropy of elastic and strength properties of concrete and fiber concrete. It is shown that wave processes initiate destruction of shell cellular structure—cells start to destruct in unloading wave, originating after output of compression wave to the free surfaces of cells. (paper)

Structural performance evaluation on aging underground reinforced concrete structures. Part 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumura, Takuro; Matsuo, Toyofumi; Miyagawa, Yoshinori

2009-01-01

When we evaluate the soundness of reinforced concrete structures, it is important to assess the chloride induced deterioration. We conducted the reinforcing steel corrosion tests of reinforced concrete specimens under simulated tidal environment of sea. Parameters of the tests were water cement ratio, cement type and crack width of concrete. Periods of the tests were eighty month. The obtained results were summarized at follows: (a) The chloride ion concentration at the initiation of reinforcing steel corrosion was about 3.0 kg/m 3 in case of reinforcing steel in non-crack concrete used ordinary cement. (b) The corrosion rate of reinforcing steels was almost constant at any cement type specimens after causing crack by reinforcing steel corrosion. (c) The corrosion rate of reinforcing steels in specimens, which caused cracks by bending load, increased as crack width. In the same type specimens, the corrosion rate of reinforcing steels in fly ash cement specimens was larger than that of ordinary cement specimens. In this case, the corrosion rate of reinforcing steels was evaluated about 0.18 mm/year. (author)

Nondestructive evaluation of dissipative behavior of reinforced concrete structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luong, M.P. [Ecole Polytechnique, LMS, CNRS, 91 - Palaiseau (France)

2001-07-01

Current technological developments tend toward increased exploitation of materials strengths and toward tackling extreme loads and environmental actions such as offshore structures subject to wind and wave loading, or buildings in seismic area. Concrete is widely used as a construction material because of its high strength-cost ratio in many applications. Experience of earthquakes and laboratory tests has shown that well designed and detailed reinforced concrete is suitable for earthquake resistant structures. The most severe likely earthquake can be survived if the members are sufficiently ductile to absorb and dissipate seismic energy by inelastic deformation. This requires a designer to assess realistically the acceptable levels of strength and to ensure adequate dissipation. This paper proposes the use of infrared thermography as a nondestructive, noncontact and real-time technique to examine diverse mechanisms of dissipation and to illustrate the onset of damage process, stress concentration and heat dissipation localization in loaded zone. In addition, this technique can be used as a nondestructive method for evaluating the fatigue limit of concrete structure subject to repeated loading.

Nondestructive evaluation of dissipative behavior of reinforced concrete structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luong, M.P.

2001-01-01

Current technological developments tend toward increased exploitation of materials strengths and toward tackling extreme loads and environmental actions such as offshore structures subject to wind and wave loading, or buildings in seismic area. Concrete is widely used as a construction material because of its high strength-cost ratio in many applications. Experience of earthquakes and laboratory tests has shown that well designed and detailed reinforced concrete is suitable for earthquake resistant structures. The most severe likely earthquake can be survived if the members are sufficiently ductile to absorb and dissipate seismic energy by inelastic deformation. This requires a designer to assess realistically the acceptable levels of strength and to ensure adequate dissipation. This paper proposes the use of infrared thermography as a nondestructive, noncontact and real-time technique to examine diverse mechanisms of dissipation and to illustrate the onset of damage process, stress concentration and heat dissipation localization in loaded zone. In addition, this technique can be used as a nondestructive method for evaluating the fatigue limit of concrete structure subject to repeated loading

Effect of high temperature or fire on heavy weight concrete properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakr, K.; EL-Hakim, E.

2005-01-01

Temperature plays an important role in the use of concrete for shielding nuclear reactors. In the present work, the effect of different durations (1, 2 and 3 h) of high temperatures (250, 500, 750 and 950 deg. C) on the physical, mechanical and radiation properties of heavy concrete was studied. The effect of fire fitting systems on concrete properties was investigated. Results showed that ilmenite concrete had the highest density, modulus of elasticity and lowest absorption percent, and it had also higher values of compressive, tensile, bending and bonding strengths than gravel or baryte concrete. Ilmenite concrete showed the highest attenuation of transmitted gamma rays. Firing (heating) exposure time was inversely proportional to mechanical properties of all types of concrete. Ilmenite concrete was more resistant to elevated temperature. Foam or air proved to be better than water as a cooling system in concrete structure exposed to high temperature because water leads to a big damage in concrete properties

Structural evaluations of existing underground reinforced concrete tanks for radioactive waste storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vollert, F.R.

1979-10-01

Structural integrity evaluations are being conducted for underground, steel-lined reinforced concrete tanks for storing radioactive wastes. The tanks sustain large soil overburden loads and elevated temperatures from the waste for long time periods. The evaluations include laboratory experiments to determine the long-term effects of elevated temperatures on the elastic properties of concrete, and to estimate the effect of the waste chemicals on concrete durability. Available concrete samples from the tanks were also tested to determine the quality of the concrete in the tanks and for comparison with the laboratory data. Finite element, nonlinear, time-dependent analyses are performed to show the thermal creep, cracking, and stresses occurring in the concrete tanks due to the service conditions. Ultimate load analyses are made to assess the safety margin in the tanks. Finally, seismic analyses of a tank in the stressed condition due to the soil and thermal loadings were conducted to determine that the structure has sufficient reserve capacity to withstand 0.25 g earthquake accelerations

Efficiency of fiber reinforced concrete application in structures subjected to dynamic effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morozov Valeriy Ivanovich

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Fiber reinforced concretes possess high strength under dynamic loadings, which include impact loads, thanks to their high structural viscosity. This is the reason for using them in difficult operating conditions, where increasing the performance characteristics and the structure durability is of prime importance, and the issues of the cost become less significant. Applying methods of disperse reinforcement is most challenging in case of subtle high-porous materials on mineral binders, for example foamed concrete. At the same time, the experiments conducted in Russia and abroad show, that also in other cases the concrete strength resistance several times increases as a result of disperse reinforcement. This doesn't depend on average density of the concrete and type of fiber used. In the article the fibre reinforced concrete impact resistance is analysed. Recommendations are given in regard to fibre concrete application in manufacture of monolithic floor units for industrial buildings and precast piles.

Modeling and analysis of aging behavior of concrete structures in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rashid, J.Y.R.; James, R.J.; Dunham, R.S. [ANATECH (United States)

2011-07-01

As nuclear power plants approach the end of their original design life and begin to transition to the life extension phase, consideration has to be given to the effects of structural aging when evaluating the extended operation of reinforced or pre-stressed concrete structures. The behavior of concrete is highly nonlinear, having low tensile strength, shear stiffness and strength that depend on crack widths, and a confinement-dependent compressive elasto-plasticity. A concrete material model is described having the appropriate capabilities required for evaluating structural aging. The model treats reinforced concrete as a three-phase composite: plain concrete material as a three-dimensional continuum phase, steel reinforcement (rebar) as a uni-directional phase, and a rebar-concrete interaction phase. Structural aging is defined as the combined effects of time dependent material properties degradation and service induced changes in loading and operational conditions. Three broad categories of structural aging, and the interaction between them, are considered: 1) Aging effects due to expected time dependent changes in material properties, 2) Aging effects due to unexpected time dependent material degradation, and 3) Aging effects due to operational environment and loading. Example analyses are presented which illustrate the value of using advanced modeling and simulation in evaluating expected and unusual structural behavior. This is particularly important for safety structures that are approaching the end of their design life and are facing the prospect of re-licensing for extended operation

Case study of the gradient features of in situ concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pengkun Hou

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The recognition of gradient features of the properties of in situ concrete is important for the interpretation/prediction of service life. In this work, the gradient features: water absorption, porosity, mineralogy, morphology and micromechanical properties were studied on two in situ road concretes (15 and 5 years old, respectively by weighing, MIP, XRD, IR, SEM/EDS and micro-indentation techniques. Results showed that a coarsening trend of the pores of the concrete leads to a gradual increase of liquid transport property from inside to outside. Although the carbonation of the exposed surface results in a compact microstructure of the paste, its combined action with calcium-leaching leads to a comparable porosity of different concrete layers. Moreover, the combining factors result in three morphological features, i.e. a porous and granular exposed-layer, a fibrous and porous subexposed-layer and a compact inner-layer. Micro-indentation test results showed that a hard layer that moves inward with aging exists due to the alterations of the mineralogy, the pore and the gel structure.

New Trends for Reinforced Concrete Structures: Some Results of Exploratory Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo N. F. Carmo

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Today, the concrete sector is being pushed to innovate in order to better address current challenges with higher competitiveness and more sustainable solutions. Different research studies have been conducted all over the world in which novel approaches and paths were proposed. It is important to spread information to define new strategies for the future of this industry. The enhancement of concrete properties and the impact of these changes in structural design are some of the topics analysed in those studies. This paper presents four experimental studies conducted by the authors where different types of concrete and structural members were tested. The common goal of these studies was to develop innovative solutions with high performance and low environmental impact. The scope of the first study was the structural behaviour of members produced with lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC. Results of several beams, ties, and slabs are herein presented and analysed. The advantage of using glass fibre–reinforced polymer (GFRP rebars was addressed in a second study, and main results obtained with this type of rebar are also herein presented. Recent advances in nanotechnology led to the development of concretes incorporating nanoparticles into the binder matrix. Typically, these nanoparticles have a diameter of 10–300 nanometers and are added to the mixture to reduce the porosity and increase the density of the binder matrix, improving the mechanical properties and durability. To analyse their influence on steel-to-concrete bonding and on the shear and flexural behaviour of the beams was the main goal of the third study herein described. Finally, a new concept to produce reinforced concrete members with high durability using a special concrete cover, which was the goal of the fourth study, is also herein presented.

Stiffness analysis of glued connection of the timber-concrete structure

Science.gov (United States)

Daňková, Jana; Mec, Pavel; Majstríková, Tereza

2016-01-01

This paper presents results of experimental and mathematical analysis of stiffness characteristics of a composite timber-concrete structure. The composite timberconcrete structure presented herein is non-typical compared to similar types of building structures. The interaction between the timber and concrete part of the composite cross-section is not based on metal connecting elements, but it is ensured by a glued-in perforated mesh made of plywood. The paper presents results of experimental and mathematical analysis for material alternatives of the solution of the glued joint. The slip modulus values were determined experimentally. Data obtained from the experiment evaluated by means of regression analysis. Test results were also used as input data for the compilation of a 3D model of a composite structure by means of the 3D finite element model. On the basis of result evaluation, it can be stated that the stress-deformation behaviour at shear loading of this specific timber-concrete composite structure can be affected by the type of glue used. Parameters of the 3D model of both alternative of the structure represent well the behaviour of the composite structure and the model can be used for predicting design parameters of a building structure.

Influence of Mineral Additives on Environmental Resistance of Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lebedeva Ramunė

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic concrete is a composite material that consists of coarse and fine aggregates and a binder, which transforms from liquid to solid state while curing and is exposed to destructive impacts during exploitation. The research was carried out with various cements – Portland cement, slag Portland cement, slag cement and limestone. The results of research showed that quantity of slag in hardened Portland cement paste influences freezing-thawing of concrete for hydraulic structures. Hydraulic concrete under impact of the Baltic Sea is influenced by sea water and freezing and thawing cycles. Under the mentioned impacts exerted simultaneously, experiment results enable assessment of durability of hydraulic concrete. The objective of the work is to assess the impact of the environment of the Baltic Sea on changes in properties of hydraulic concrete after cyclic freezing and thawing.

Stainless and Galvanized Steel, Hydrophobic Admixture and Flexible Polymer-Cement Coating Compared in Increasing Durability of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Tittarelli, Francesca; Giosuè, Chiara; Mobili, Alessandra

2017-08-01

The use of stainless or galvanized steel reinforcements, a hydrophobic admixture or a flexible polymer-cement coating were compared as methods to improve the corrosion resistance of sound or cracked reinforced concrete specimens exposed to chloride rich solutions. The results show that in full immersion condition, negligible corrosion rates were detected in all cracked specimens, except those treated with the flexible polymer-cement mortar as preventive method against corrosion and the hydrophobic concrete specimens. High corrosion rates were measured in all cracked specimens exposed to wet-dry cycles, except for those reinforced with stainless steel, those treated with the flexible polymer-cement coating as restorative method against reinforcement corrosion and for hydrophobic concrete specimens reinforced with galvanized steel reinforcements.

Scale modeling of reinforced concrete structures subjected to seismic loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dove, R.C.

1983-01-01

Reinforced concrete, Category I structures are so large that the possibility of seismicly testing the prototype structures under controlled conditions is essentially nonexistent. However, experimental data, from which important structural properties can be determined and existing and new methods of seismic analysis benchmarked, are badly needed. As a result, seismic experiments on scaled models are of considerable interest. In this paper, the scaling laws are developed in some detail so that assumptions and choices based on judgement can be clearly recognized and their effects discussed. The scaling laws developed are then used to design a reinforced concrete model of a Category I structure. Finally, how scaling is effected by various types of damping (viscous, structural, and Coulomb) is discussed

Conceptual Design Tool for Concrete Shell Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holst, Malene Kirstine; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

2011-01-01

This paper focuses on conceptual tools for concrete shell structures when working within the span of performance-based design and computational morphogenesis. The designer, referred to as the Architect-Engineer, works through several iterations parallel with aesthetic, functional and technical re...

Residual strength evaluation of concrete structural components ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper presents methodologies for residual strength evaluation of concrete structural components using linear elastic and nonlinear fracture mechanics principles. The effect of cohesive forces due to aggregate bridging has been represented mathematically by employing tension softening models. Various tension ...

Structural Response to Blast Loading: The Effects of Corrosion on Reinforced Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakan Yalciner

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Structural blast design has become a necessary part of the design with increasing terrorist attacks. Terrorist attacks are not the one to make the structures important against blast loading where other explosions such as high gas explosions also take an important place in structural safety. The main objective of this study was to verify the structural performance levels under the impact of different blast loading scenarios. The blast loads were represented by using triangular pulse for single degree of freedom system. The effect of blast load on both corroded and uncorroded reinforced concrete buildings was examined for different explosion distances. Modified plastic hinge properties were used to ensure the effects of corrosion. The results indicated that explosion distance and concrete strength were key parameters to define the performance of the structures against blast loading.

Application of global elements to a reinforced concrete structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morand, O.

1994-01-01

The dimensioning of nuclear facilities requires to take into account the possible risk of earthquakes. However such installations are generally complex structures with reinforced concrete poles, walls, beams and porches. In this study, a seismic analysis of such a structure is proposed. The use of the Castem 2000 global element code was attempted to dynamically simulate the behaviour of the reinforced concrete elements. However, no suitable modeling has been found for the storeys, the functioning of which being dominated by carrying walls. Concerning the porch-type storeys, monotonous static loads were simulated and provided information on the local and global behaviour of these structures. Thus, representative global elements could be realized for these structures. Results obtained are satisfactory for these storeys which essentially undergo a bending deformation. (J.S.)

Overview of Activities in U.S. Related to Continued Service of Nuclear Power Plant Concrete Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, Dan J.

2011-01-01

Safety-related nuclear power plant concrete structures are described and commentary on continued service assessments of these structures is provided. In-service inspection and testing requirements in the U.S. are summarized. The license renewal process in the U.S. is outlined and its current status noted. A summary of operating experience related to U.S. nuclear power plant concrete structures is presented. Several candidate areas are identified where additional research would be of benefit to aging management of NPP concrete structures. Finally current ORNL activities related to aging-management of concrete structures are outlined: development of operating experience database, application of structural reliability theory, and compilation of elevated temperature concrete material property data and information.

Local damage to reinforced concrete structures caused by impact of aircraft engine missiles. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugano, T.; Tsubota, H.; Kasai, Y.; Koshika, N.; Ohnuma, H.; Von Riesemann, W.A.; Bickel, D.C.; Parks, M.B.

1993-01-01

Structural damage induced by an aircraft crashing into a reinforced concrete structure includes local damage caused by the deformable engines, and global damage caused by the entire aircraft. Local damage to the target may consist of spalling of concrete from its front face together with missile penetration into it, scabbing of concrete from its rear face, and perforation of missile through it. Until now, local damage to concrete structures has been mainly evaluated by rigid missile impact tests. Past research work regarding local damage caused by impact of deformable missiles has been limited. This paper presents the results of a series of impact tests of small-, intermediate-, and full-scale engine models into reinforced concrete panels. The purpose of the tests was to determine the local damage to a reinforced concrete structure caused by the impact of a deformable aircraft engine. (orig.)

The Effect of Different Shape and Perforated rHDPE in Concrete Structures on Flexural Strength

Science.gov (United States)

Yuhazri, MY; Hafiz, KM; Myia, YZA; Jia, CP; Sihombing, H.; Sapuan, SM; Badarulzaman, NA

2017-10-01

This research was carried out to develop a reinforcing structure from recycled HDPE plastic lubricant containers to be embedded in concrete structure. Different forms and shapes of recycled HDPE plastic are designed as reinforcement incorporate with cement. In this study, the reinforcing structure was prepared by washing, cutting, dimensioning and joining of the waste HDPE containers (direct technique without treatment on plastic surface). Then, the rHDPE reinforced concrete was produced by casting based on standard of procedure in civil engineering technique. Eight different shapes of rHDPE in concrete structure were used to determine the concrete’s ability in terms of flexural strength. Embedded round shape in solid and perforated of rHDPE in concrete system drastically improved flexural strength at 17.78 % and 13.79 %. The result would seem that the concrete with reinforcing rHDPE structure exhibits a more gradual or flexible properties than concrete beams without reinforcement that has the properties of fragile.

The effects of pressure dependent constitutive model to simulate concrete structures failure under impact loads

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhatar, S. N.; Sonoda, Y.; Kamarudin, A. F.; Noh, M. S. Md; Tokumaru, S.

2018-04-01

The main objective of this paper is to explore the effect of confining pressure in the compression and tension zone by simulating the behaviour of reinforced concrete/mortar structures subjected to the impact load. The analysis comprises the numerical simulation of the influences of high mass low speed impact weight dropping on concrete structures, where the analyses are incorporated with meshless method namely as Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The derivation of the plastic stiffness matrix of Drucker-Prager (DP) that extended from Von-Mises (VM) yield criteria to simulate the concrete behaviour were presented in this paper. In which, the displacements for concrete/mortar structures are assumed to be infinitesimal. Furthermore, the influence of the different material model of DP and VM that used numerically for concrete and mortar structures are also discussed. Validation upon existing experimental test results is carried out to investigate the effect of confining pressure, it is found that VM criterion causes unreal impact failure (flexural cracking) of concrete structures.

Effect of corrosion on the fatigue service-life on steel and reinforced concrete beams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veerman, R.P.; van Breugel, K.; Koenders, E.A.B.

2015-01-01

Chloride-induced corrosion is a point of big concern in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. To monitor the actual health and to predict the remaining service-life of structures, it is important to understand the structural behaviour and the failure mechanism of structures exposed to chlorides under

Structural recycled concrete: utilization of recycled aggregate from construction and demolition wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alaejos Gutierrez, P.; Sanchez de Juan, M.

2015-01-01

This paper aims to present the main results of CEDEX research works concerning the use of recycled aggregates for structural concretes. By way of conclusion, recommendations on the requirements of the recycled aggregates have been established, providing information about the influence of these aggregates on the properties of structural concrete. (Author)

Innovating a classic course in concrete structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goltermann, Per

2016-01-01

A large number of changes, new activities and approaches have been tested at DTU in the teaching of concrete structures: Use of mandatory assignments, handing out solutions before or after exercises, detailed or summary solutions, brush-up teaching materials, strengthened consistency in solutions...

Health monitoring and rehabilitation of a concrete structure using intelligent materials

Science.gov (United States)

Song, G.; Mo, Y. L.; Otero, K.; Gu, H.

2006-04-01

This paper presents the concept of an intelligent reinforced concrete structure (IRCS) and its application in structural health monitoring and rehabilitation. The IRCS has multiple functions which include self-rehabilitation, self-vibration damping, and self-structural health monitoring. These functions are enabled by two types of intelligent (smart) materials: shape memory alloys (SMAs) and piezoceramics. In this research, Nitinol type SMA and PZT (lead zirconate titanate) type piezoceramics are used. The proposed concrete structure is reinforced by martensite Nitinol cables using the method of post-tensioning. The martensite SMA significantly increases the concrete's damping property and its ability to handle large impact. In the presence of cracks due to explosions or earthquakes, by electrically heating the SMA cables, the SMA cables contract and close up the cracks. In this research, PZT patches are embedded in the concrete structure to detect possible cracks inside the concrete structure. The wavelet packet analysis method is then applied as a signal-processing tool to analyze the sensor signals. A damage index is defined to describe the damage severity for health monitoring purposes. In addition, by monitoring the electric resistance change of the SMA cables, the crack width can be estimated. To demonstrate this concept, a concrete beam specimen with reinforced SMA cables and with embedded PZT patches is fabricated. Experiments demonstrate that the IRC has the ability of self-sensing and self-rehabilitation. Three-point bending tests were conducted. During the loading process, a crack opens up to 0.47 inches. Upon removal of the load and heating the SMA cables, the crack closes up. The damage index formed by wavelet packet analysis of the PZT sensor data predicts and confirms the onset and severity of the crack during the loading. Also during the loading, the electrical resistance value of the SMA cable changes by up to 27% and this phenomenon is used to

Development of structural health monitoring and early warning system for reinforced concrete system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iranata, Data; Wahyuni, Endah; Murtiadi, Suryawan; Widodo, Amien; Riksakomara, Edwin; Sani, Nisfu Asrul

2015-01-01

Many buildings have been damaged due to earthquakes that occurred recently in Indonesia. The main cause of the damage is the large deformation of the building structural component cannot accommodate properly. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the Structural Health Monitoring System (SHMS) to measure precisely the deformation of the building structural component in the real time conditions. This paper presents the development of SHMS for reinforced concrete structural system. This monitoring system is based on deformation component such as strain of reinforcement bar, concrete strain, and displacement of reinforced concrete component. Since the deformation component has exceeded the limit value, the warning message can be sent to the building occupies. This warning message has also can be performed as early warning system of the reinforced concrete structural system. The warning message can also be sent via Short Message Service (SMS) through the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network. Hence, the SHMS should be integrated with internet modem to connect with GSM network. Additionally, the SHMS program is verified with experimental study of simply supported reinforced concrete beam. Verification results show that the SHMS has good agreement with experimental results

Contributions to reinforced concrete structures numerical simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badel, P.B.

2001-07-01

In order to be able to carry out simulations of reinforced concrete structures, it is necessary to know two aspects: the behaviour laws have to reflect the complex behaviour of concrete and a numerical environment has to be developed in order to avoid to the user difficulties due to the softening nature of the behaviour. This work deals with these two subjects. After an accurate estimation of two behaviour models (micro-plan and mesoscopic models), two damage models (the first one using a scalar variable, the other one a tensorial damage of the 2 order) are proposed. These two models belong to the framework of generalized standard materials, which renders their numerical integration easy and efficient. A method of load control is developed in order to make easier the convergence of the calculations. At last, simulations of industrial structures illustrate the efficiency of the method. (O.M.)

Development of a Skewed Pipe Shear Connector for Precast Concrete Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang-Hyo; Choi, Jae-Gu; Park, Sejun; Lee, Hyunmin; Heo, And Won-Ho

2017-05-13

Joint connection methods, such as shear key and loop bar, improve the structural performance of precast concrete structures; consequently, there is usually decreased workability or constructional efficiency. This paper proposes a high-efficiency skewed pipe shear connector. To resist shear and pull-out forces, the proposed connectors are placed diagonally between precast concrete segments and a cast-in-place concrete joint part on a girder. Design variables (such as the pipe diameter, length, and insertion angle) have been examined to investigate the connection performance of the proposed connector. The results of our testing indicate that the skewed pipe shear connectors have 50% higher ductility and a 15% higher ratio of maximum load to yield strength as compared to the corresponding parameters of the loop bar. Finite element analysis was used for validation. The resulting validation indicates that, compared to the loop bar, the skewed pipe shear connector has a higher ultimate shear and pull-out resistance. These results indicate that the skewed pipe shear connector demonstrates more idealized behavior than the loop bar in precast concrete structures.

Rigidity of reinforced concrete structures in the presence of different cracks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iakovenko Igor

2017-01-01

Full Text Available It is proposed a method for rigidity calculating of reinforced concrete structures in the presence of cracks, suitable for rod and flat-strained concrete composite structures. It is based on the operating conditions and includes a new, more complete classification of the various cracks, models of a special crack, the calculation of the two-console model; a special cantilever model to determine the parameters of the joint between the concrete; calculation model of the block with the working section at the beginning and end of the crack to determine the horizontal (vertical projections of various cracks with the involvement of analytical relationships. They are based on the extremum of a function of many variables and Lagrange multipliers, as well as attracting level model of multi-level development of the various cracks, which allow to find the distance between the cracks and width of their disclosure, with considering the effect of discontinuities. This effect can greatly simplify the process of determining the rigidity of reinforced concrete structures (including composite ones, despite the complexity and diversity of the crack pattern.

Diffusion under water-saturated conditions in PFA/OPC-based structural concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, A.W.; Nickerson, A.K.

1990-05-01

A substantial proportion of the volume of the UK radioactive waste repository is likely to be composed of materials based on hydraulic cements. This includes the structural components, which are likely to be manufactured from concrete. The mass transport characteristics of dissolved species for a typical structural concrete, based on a mixture of pulverised fuel ash and ordinary Portland cement, have been measured in a water-saturated condition. Both the water permeability and the diffusion parameters (for caesium, strontium and iodide ion and tritiated water diffusion) are low compared to values obtained for other structural concretes. The intrinsic diffusion coefficients for iodide and caesium ions are in the range 2-5x10 -14 m 2 s -1 . There is no evidence of significant sorption of any of the diffusants studied. (author)

Prediction of Chloride Diffusion in Concrete Structure Using Meshless Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ling Yao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Degradation of RC structures due to chloride penetration followed by reinforcement corrosion is a serious problem in civil engineering. The numerical simulation methods at present mainly involve finite element methods (FEM, which are based on mesh generation. In this study, element-free Galerkin (EFG and meshless weighted least squares (MWLS methods are used to solve the problem of simulation of chloride diffusion in concrete. The range of a scaling parameter is presented using numerical examples based on meshless methods. One- and two-dimensional numerical examples validated the effectiveness and accuracy of the two meshless methods by comparing results obtained by MWLS with results computed by EFG and FEM and results calculated by an analytical method. A good agreement is obtained among MWLS and EFG numerical simulations and the experimental data obtained from an existing marine concrete structure. These results indicate that MWLS and EFG are reliable meshless methods that can be used for the prediction of chloride ingress in concrete structures.

Performance and working life of cathodic protection systems for concrete structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polder, R.B.; Worm, D.; Courage, W.; Leegwater, G.

2012-01-01

Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete structures causes concrete cracking and steel diameter reduction, eventually resulting in loss of safety. Conventional repair means heavy, labour intensive and costly work and the required quality level is under economic pressure. Consequently, conventional

Topology optimization of reinforced concrete structures considering control of shrinkage and strength failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Yangjun; Wang, Michael Yu; Zhou, Mingdong

2015-01-01

To take into account the shrinkage effect in the early stage of Reinforced Concrete (RC) design, an effective continuum topology optimization method is presented in this paper. Based on the power-law interpolation, shrinkage of concrete is numerically simulated by introducing an additional design......-dependent force. Under multi-axial stress conditions, the concrete failure surface is well fitted by two Drucker-Prager yield functions. The optimization problem aims at minimizing the cost function under yield strength constraints on concrete elements and a structural shrinkage volume constraint. In conjunction...... to ensure the structural safety under the combined action of external loads and shrinkage....

Offshore concrete structures; Estructuras Offshore (mar adentro) de Hormigon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lamas Pardo, M.; Carral Couce, L. M.

2011-07-01

In the offshore industry there are two possible materials for the construction of the hull of a structure; the steel and concrete, with the first one widely used until now, as in the rest of the shipbuilding industry of merchant ships, warships, etc. Materials such as aluminum, GRP or timber areused in small units with lengths lower than 100 m, and in less adverse conditions than in the offshore industry. Nevertheless, some ships/barges have been built of concrete in the past, but have been rather isolated cases which have not changed the practice in the industry. In the First and Second World War were built by the scarcity of materials, while the series of barges by Alfred A. Yee was a rare exception. Other units were also made in concrete, but almost anecdotal. Still, the behaviour of these concrete structures, especially in terms of maintenance, has been excellent. Therefore, the fact that the concrete has not had an adequate reception so far in shipbuilding, does not mean that in will not be the material best suited for the offshore industry in the future. The extra displacement and associated fuel costs in concrete ships have been found prohibitive in the past. But the loss of mobility of a concrete hull in relation to a steel hull can be perfectly offset by the advantages offered by the concrete, as the shipping and offshore industry have very different priorities. One of the main differences in these priorities is in terms of maintenance and resistance to fatigue, precisely where the concrete performs better. ships can easily be dry docked for maintenance and repair, while in the offshore platforms these works have to be done in situ so maintenance and fatigue are crucial to them. Besides these, the concrete has other advantages according to findings of several studies. And although they are interested in the conclusions that the makes as they came from people in the concrete industry, the fact that in recent years concrete offshore unit shave been built

Continuing the service of aging concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Arndt, E.G.

1993-01-01

Concrete structures play a vital role in the safe operation of all light-water reactor plants because they provide foundation, support, shielding and containment functions. History tells us that concrete is a durable material. However, a number of factors can compromise its performance, singly or in combination: (1) faulty design, (2) use of unsuitable materials, (3) improper workmanship, (4) exposure to aggressive environments, and (5) excessive structural loads. Furthermore, aging of nuclear power plant (NPP) concrete structures occurs with the passage of time and has the potential, if its effects are not controlled, to increase the risk to public health and safety. Although limited, incidences of degradation of concrete structures in NPPs indicate that there is a need for improved surveillance, inspection/testing, and maintenance to enhance the technical bases for assurance of continued safe operation of NPPs. Guidelines and criteria for use in evaluating the remaining structural margins (residual life) are required. Potential regulatory applications of this research include: improved predictions of long-term material and structural performance and available safety margins at future times; establishment of limits on exposure to environmental stressors; reduction in total reliance by licensing on inspection and surveillance through development of a methodology which will enable the integrity of structures to be assessed (either pre- or post-accident); and improvements in damage inspection methodology through potential incorporation of results into national standards which could be referenced by standard review plans

A study on the effects of seawater on the durable life of concrete structures(I)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Byung Hwan; Chang, Bong Seok; Chang, Seung Yeob; Cheon, Se Jin; Cheong, Sang Hwa; Yu, Yeong; Shin, Yong Seok; Shin, Myeong Su; Hyeong, Sang Su [Seoul Nationl Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1998-06-15

Recently, large scale concrete structures such as Nuclear Power Plants and offshore structures are actively being built in this country. These structures are subject to heavy attack due to seawater environment. A reasonable consideration for corrosion has not been paid to the structures in the past decades due to insufficient research data and guidelines. The durability os emerging as one of the most important factors in the design and construction of concrete structures. The purpose of the present study is, therefore, to explore the corrosion mechanism and penetration mechanism of chloride ion, and to establish the evaluation procedure of durability life of concrete structures. A comprehensive experimental program has been set up and severe the types and amount of cement and mineral admixtures. The test results on the corrosion and strength characteristics of various concrete with be reported in the second-year report since the corrosion tests need long time. The results can be used in the design and construction of concrete structures in the future.

Hybrid Bridge Structures Made of Frp Composite and Concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Rajchel, Mateusz; Siwowski, Tomasz

2017-09-01

Despite many advantages over the conventional construction materials, the contemporary development of FRP composites in bridge engineering is limited due to high initial cost, low stiffness (in case of glass fibers) and sudden composite failure mode. In order to reduce the given limitations, mixed (hybrid) solutions connecting the FRP composites and conventional construction materials, including concrete, have been tested in many countries for 20 years. Shaping the hybrid structures based on the attributes of particular materials, aims to increase stiffness and reduce cost without losing the carrying capacity, lightness and easiness of bridges that includes such hybrid girders, and to avoid the sudden dangerous failure mode. In the following article, the authors described examples of hybrid road bridges made of FRP composite and concrete within the time of 20 years and presented the first Polish hybrid FRP-concrete road bridge. Also, the directions of further research, necessary to spread these innovative, advanced and sustainable bridge structures were indicated.

Evaluation of the suitability for concrete using fly ash in N.P.P. structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, M. S.; Song, Y. C.; Kim, S. W.; Ko, K. T.

2002-01-01

The nuclear power plant structures constructed in Korea has been generally used type V cement(sulfate-resisting Portland cement), but according to the study results reported recently, it shows that type V cement is superior the resistance of sulfate attack, but the resistance of salt damage is weaker than type I cement. It is increased the demands on the use of mineral admixtures such as fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag instead of type V cement in order to improve the durability of concrete structures. But the study on concrete mixed with fly ash in Korea has been mainly performed on rheology and strength properties of the concrete. Therefore, this study is to improve the durability of concrete structures of N.P.P. as using fly ash cement instead of type V cement. As a results, the concrete containing fly ash is improved the resistance to salt attack, sulfate attack and freezing-thawing and is deteriorated the carbonation. But if it is used the concrete with high strength or low water-powder ratio, the concrete have not problem on the durability

Viscoelastic and thermal behavior of structural concrete with reference to containment vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stefanou, G.D.

1981-01-01

A method of numerical viscoelastic stress analysis is described suitable for concrete structures operating at elevated temperatures. The paper describes how approximate numerical methods of elastic analysis of the finite element type can be extended to incorporate the viscoelastic behavior of structural concrete of the quasi-static type. A new eight parameter viscoelastic model is proposed to represent concrete behavior in the loaded and unloaded stage. The deformational expressions for the proposed viscoelastic analogue are also developed. Finally, as a result of courve-fitting procedures, the evaluation of the creep law coefficients are obtained for creep laws appropriate to a test regime. The proposed method is of general application providing that the properties of concrete are assessed reasonably well. The analytical predictions are compared with experimental results obtained on concrete model specimens loaded for 3 1/2 months, at a temperature of 80 0 C. (author)

Summary and conclusions of a program addressing aging of nuclear power plant concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Hookham, C.J.; Graves, H.L. III

1999-01-01

Research has been conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to address aging management of nuclear power plant concrete structures. The purpose was to identify potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service assessments. The focus of this program was on structural integrity rather than on leaktightness or pressure retention of concrete structures. Primary program accomplishments include formulation of a Structural Materials Information Center that contains data and information on the time variation of material properties under the influence of pertinent environmental stressors and aging factors for 144 materials, an aging assessment methodology to identify critical structures and degradation factors that can potentially impact their performance, guidelines and evaluation criteria for use in condition assessments of reinforced concrete structures, and a reliability-based methodology for current condition assessments and estimations of future performance of reinforced concrete nuclear power plant structures. In addition, in-depth evaluations were conducted of several nondestructive evaluation and repair-related technologies to develop guidance on their applicability. (orig.)

Loi constitutive chimioplastique pour le beton expose aux hautes temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Hammoud, Rabah

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. Even though it has been used for several centuries, its behavior to high temperature remains to be understood. In the light of recent extreme events, including accidents, and arson, special attention has been focused on the performance of concrete in the fire safety assessment of buildings and tunnels. Fire represents one of the most severe conditions encountered during the life-time of a structure. Concrete exposed to high temperature can significantly jeopardize the structural integrity and load bearing capacity of the structure. Spalling of concrete remains one of the main issues to be addressed in the case of fire in buildings and tunnels. Successful modeling of this phenomenon depends not only on the accurate prediction of the temperature distribution through structural concrete but also on its mechanical response to the heating and boundaries restrains conditions and the migration of moisture and associated pore pressures. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a reliable formulation of concrete with all required information to understand its behavior during and after exposure to elevated temperature. It is also necessary to properly assess the effects of thermal degradation in order to develop predictive tools and validate design codes. Many structural problems can be adequately worthy by an elastoplastic model. The ultimate goal of this study is the development of a new constitutive model under a chemoplastic framework. To do this, an experimental program is carried out. The purpose of this program is twofold. First, it is essential to calibrate the proposed constitutive law that will be developed, and, second, for defining an inverse a problem. Usually, uniaxial and triaxial tests, conducted with confining pressure varied between 1.3 and 24 MPa and a temperature up to 700°C, allow us to identify the constitutive law parameters. This law reproduces the reduced field strength due to

Significance of Alkali-Silica reaction in nuclear safety-related concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Pape, Y.; Field, K.G.; Mattus, C.H.; Naus, D.J.; Busby, J.T.; Saouma, V.; Ma, Z.J.; Cabage, J.V.; Guimaraes, M.

2015-01-01

Nuclear Power Plant license renewal up to 60 years and possible life extension beyond has established a renewed focus on long-term aging of nuclear generating stations materials, and particularly, on concrete. Large irreplaceable sections of most nuclear generating stations include concrete components. The Expanded Materials Degradation Analysis, jointly performed by the Department of Energy, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Academia and the Power Generation Industry, identified the need to develop a consistent knowledge base of alkali-silica reaction (ASR) within concrete as an urgent priority (Graves et al., 2014). ASR results in an expansion of Concrete produced by the reaction between alkali (generally from cement), reactive aggregate (like amorphous silica) and water absorption. ASR causes expansion, cracking and loss of mechanical properties. Considering that US commercial reactors in operation enter the age when ASR distress can be potentially observed and that numerous non-nuclear infrastructures (transportation, energy production) in a majority of the States have already experienced ASR-related concrete degradation, the susceptibility and significance of ASR for nuclear concrete structures must be addressed. This paper outlines an on-going research program including the investigation of the possibility of ASR in nuclear power plants, and the assessment of the residual shear bearing capacity of ASR-subjected nuclear structures. (authors)

Evaluation on Compression Properties of Different Shape and Perforated rHDPE in Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Yuhazri, M. Y.; Hafiz, K. M.; Myia, Y. Z. A.; Jia, C. P.; Sihombing, H.; Sapuan, S. M.; Badarulzaman, N. A.

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a concrete structure by incorporating waste HDPE plastic as the main reinforcement material and cement as the matrix via standard casting technique. There are eight different shapes of rHDPE reinforcing structure were used to investigate the compression properties of produced concrete composites. Experimental result shown that the highest shape in compressive strength of rHDPE reinforcing structure were the concrete with the addition of X-perforated beam (18.22 MPa), followed by X-beam (17.7 MPa), square perforated tube (17.54 MPa), round tube (17.42 MPa) and round perforated tube (16.69 MPa). In terms of their compressive behavior, the average concrete containing rHDPE reinforcement was successfully improved by 6 % of the mechanical characteristic compared to control concrete. It is shown that the addition of waste plastic as reinforcement structure can provide better compressive strength based on their shape and pattern respectively.

Effect of mineral additives on structure and properties of concrete for pavements

Science.gov (United States)

Sobol, Khrystyna; Markiv, Taras; Hunyak, Oleksii

2017-12-01

Concrete pavements is an attractive alternative to asphalt pavements because of its lower cost and higher durability. Major contribution to sustainable development can be made by partial replacement of cement in concrete pavement with supplementary cementitious materials of different nature and origin. In this paper, the effect of natural zeolite and perlite additives in complex with chemical admixtures on the structure and properties of concrete for pavement was studied. Compressive and flexural strength test was used to study the mechanical behavior of designed concrete under load. Generally, the compressive strength of both control concrete and concrete containing mineral additives levels at the later ages of hardening. The microstructure analysis of concrete with mineral additives of different nature activity showed the formation of additional amount of hydration products such as tobermorite type calcium hydrosilicate which provide self-reinforcement of hardening concrete system.

Aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Arndt, E.G.

1990-01-01

The Structural Aging Program has the overall objective of providing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with an improved basis for evaluating nuclear power plants for continued service. In meeting this objective, a materials property data base is being developed as well as an aging assessment methodology for concrete structures in nuclear power plants. Furthermore, studies are well under way to review and assess inservice inspection techniques for concrete structures and to develop a methodology which can be used for performing current as well as reliability-based future conditions assessments of these structures. 16 refs., 2 tabs

Towards practical multiscale approach for analysis of reinforced concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Moyeda, Arturo; Fish, Jacob

2017-12-01

We present a novel multiscale approach for analysis of reinforced concrete structural elements that overcomes two major hurdles in utilization of multiscale technologies in practice: (1) coupling between material and structural scales due to consideration of large representative volume elements (RVE), and (2) computational complexity of solving complex nonlinear multiscale problems. The former is accomplished using a variant of computational continua framework that accounts for sizeable reinforced concrete RVEs by adjusting the location of quadrature points. The latter is accomplished by means of reduced order homogenization customized for structural elements. The proposed multiscale approach has been verified against direct numerical simulations and validated against experimental results.

Structural and seismic analyses of waste facility reinforced concrete storage vaults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, C.Y.

1995-01-01

Facility 317 of Argonne National Laboratory consists of several reinforced concrete waste storage vaults designed and constructed in the late 1940's through the early 1960's. In this paper, structural analyses of these concrete vaults subjected to various natural hazards are described, emphasizing the northwest shallow vault. The natural phenomenon hazards considered include both earthquakes and tornados. Because these vaults are deeply embedded in the soil, the SASSI (System Analysis of Soil-Structure Interaction) code was utilized for the seismic calculations. The ultimate strength method was used to analyze the reinforced concrete structures. In all studies, moment and shear strengths at critical locations of the storage vaults were evaluated. Results of the structural analyses show that almost all the waste storage vaults meet the code requirements according to ACI 349--85. These vaults also satisfy the performance goal such that confinement of hazardous materials is maintained and functioning of the facility is not interrupted

General requirements for concrete containment structures for CANDU nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-07-01

This standard provides the general requirements used in the design, construction, testing, and commissioning of concrete containment structures for CANDU nuclear power plants designated as class containment and is directed to the owners, designers, manufacturers, fabricators, and constructors of the concrete components and parts

Durability performance of submerged concrete structures - phase 2.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

This project determined that severe corrosion of steel can occur in the submerged : portions of reinforced concrete structures in marine environments. Field studies of decommissioned : pilings from Florida bridges revealed multiple instances of stron...

Temperature measurement and damage detection in concrete beams exposed to fire using PPP-BOTDA based fiber optic sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Yi; Hoehler, Matthew S.; Smith, Christopher M.; Bundy, Matthew; Chen, Genda

2017-10-01

In this study, Brillouin scattering-based distributed fiber optic sensor is implemented to measure temperature distributions and detect cracks in concrete structures subjected to fire for the first time. A telecommunication-grade optical fiber is characterized as a high temperature sensor with pulse pre-pump Brillouin optical time domain analysis (PPP-BODTA), and implemented to measure spatially-distributed temperatures in reinforced concrete beams in fire. Four beams were tested to failure in a natural gas fueled compartment fire, each instrumented with one fused silica, single-mode optical fiber as a distributed sensor and four thermocouples. Prior to concrete cracking, the distributed temperature was validated at locations of the thermocouples by a relative difference of less than 9%. The cracks in concrete can be identified as sharp peaks in the temperature distribution since the cracks are locally filled with hot air. Concrete cracking did not affect the sensitivity of the distributed sensor but concrete spalling broke the optical fiber loop required for PPP-BOTDA measurements.

Destructive vibration test of a concrete structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C.K.; Czarnecki, R.M.; Scholl, R.E.

1977-01-01

Two identical full-scale 4-story reinforced concrete structures were built in 1965-1966 at the Nevada Test Site to investigate their dynamic response behavior to underground nuclear explosions. For eight years following their construction, the structures were the subject of a continuing program of vibration testing, and substantial data has been collected on the elastic response of these structures. In 1974 it was decided to conduct a high-amplitude vibration test that would cause the south structure (free of partitions) to deform beyond its elastic limit and cause major structural damage. Results of the 1974 testing program are summarized

Structural Applications of Fibre Reinforced Concrete in the Czech Republic

Science.gov (United States)

Kohoutková, A.; Broukalová, I.

2017-09-01

The paper presents improvement of function and performance of the precast structural members by using fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) instead of ordinary reinforced concrete and attempts to transfer innovative technologies from laboratory in academic sphere into real industrial production which is cost-effective and brings about savings of labour and material. Three examples of successful technology transfer are shown - application of FRC in an element without common rebar reinforcement, in the element with steel rebar reinforcement and SFRC pre-tensioned structural element. Benefits of FRC utilization are discussed.

Elasto-viscoplastic finite element model for prestressed concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prates Junior, N.P.; Silva, C.S.B.; Campos Filho, A.; Gastal, F.P.S.L.

1995-01-01

This paper presents a computational model, based on the finite element method, for the study of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures under plane stress states. It comprehends short and long-term loading situations, where creep and shrinkage in concrete and steel relaxation are considered. Elasto-viscoplastic constitutive models are used to describe the behavior of the materials. The model includes prestressing and no prestressing reinforcement, on situation with pre- and post-tension with and without bond. A set of prestressed concrete slab elements were tested under instantaneous and long-term loading. The experimental data for deflections, deformations and ultimate strength are used to compare and validate the results obtained through the proposed model. (author). 11 refs., 5 figs

Pore Structure Characterization in Concrete Prepared with Carbonated Fly Ash

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, Sanjukta

2018-03-01

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is a technique to address the global concern of continuously rising CO2 level in the atmosphere. Fly ash is considered as a suitable medium for CCS due to presence of metal oxides. The fly ash which has already sequestered carbon dioxide is referred to as carbonated fly ash. Recent research reveals better durability of concretes using carbonated fly ash as part replacement of cement. In the present research pore structure characterization of the carbonated fly ash concrete has been carried out. Mercury Intrusion porosimetry test has been conducted on control concrete and concrete specimens using fly ash and carbonated fly ash at replacement levels of 25% and 40%. The specimens have been water cured for 28 days and 90 days. It is observed that porosity reduction rate is more pronounced in carbonated fly ash concrete compared to control concrete at higher water curing age. Correlation analysis is also carried out which indicates moderately linear relationship between porosity % and pore distribution with particle size and water curing.

Analysis of FRP bars used as reinforcement in concrete structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kinga Brózda

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the design and construction of building and engineering structures, it is of utmost importance to provide their reliability and safety. The use of FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymers bars as reinforcement of structural concrete elements could help reducing the typical defects of reinforced concrete and increase its strength parameters. In the paper the selected FRP bar characteristic properties are presented and advantages derived therefrom are specified. Furthermore, the most commonly used in construction types of FRP bars, depending on the raw material used during the production process are listed. In addition, the possibility of recycling of elements reinforced with FRP bars is presented and compared with traditional reinforced concrete (reinforced with steel bars. The production method of FRP bars (pultrusion is shown. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of using this method are discussed.

Behaviour of normal reinforced concrete columns exposed to different soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasheed Laith

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Concrete resistance to sulfate attack is one of the most important characteristics for maintaining the durability of concrete. In this study, the effect of the attack of sulfate salts on normal reinforced concrete column was investigated by burying these columns in two types of soils (sandy and clayey in two pits at a depth of 3 m in one of the agricultural areas in the holy city of Karbala, one containing sandy soil (SO3 = 10.609% and the other containing clayey soil with (SO3 = 2.61%. The tests were used (pure axial compression test of reinforced concrete columns, compressive strength test, and splitting tensile strength test, absorption, voids ratio and finally density. It`s found that the strength of RC columns decreasing by (12.51% for age (240 days, for columns buried in clayey soil, where the strength increased by (11.71% for the same period, for columns buried in sandy soils, with respect to the reference column.

Application of smart BFRP bars with distributed fiber optic sensors into concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yongsheng; Wu, Zhishen; Yang, Caiqian; Wu, Gang; Zhao, Lihua; Song, Shiwei

2010-04-01

In this paper, the self-sensing and mechanical properties of concrete structures strengthened with a novel type of smart basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars were experimentally studied, wherein the sensing element is Brillouin scattering-based distributed optical fiber sensing technique. First, one of the smart bars was applied to strengthen a 2m concrete beam under a 4-points static loading manner in the laboratory. During the experiment, the bar can measure the inner strain changes and monitor the randomly distributed cracks well. With the distributed strain information along the bar, the distributed deformation of the beam can be calculated, and the structural health can be monitored and evaluated as well. Then, two smart bars with a length of about 70m were embedded into a concrete airfield pavement reinforced by long BFRP bars. In the field test, all the optical fiber sensors in the smart bars survived the whole concrete casting process and worked well. From the measured data, the concrete cracks along the pavement length can be easily monitored. The experimental results also confirmed that the bars can strengthen the structures especially after the yielding of steel bars. All the results confirm that this new type of smart BFRP bars show not only good sensing performance but also mechanical performance in the concrete structures.

Evaluation and Comparison of Freeze-Thaw Tests and Air Void Analysis of Pervious Concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Mia Schou Møller; Hansen, Kurt Kielsgaard; Kevern, John T.

2016-01-01

Pearl-Chain Bridge technology is an innovative precast arch bridge solution which uses pervious concrete as fill material. To ensure longevity of the bridge superstructure it is necessary that the per-vious concrete fill is designed to be freeze-thaw durable; however, no standards exist on how...... to eval-uate the freeze-thaw resistance of fresh or hardened pervious concrete and correspondingly what constitutes acceptable freeze-thaw durability. A greater understanding of the correlation between the freeze-thaw performance and the air void structure of pervious concrete is needed. In the present...... study six pervious concrete mixes were exposed to freeze-thaw testing, and their air void structure was analyzed using an automated linear-traverse method. It was found that there is a miscorrelation between these two test methods in their assumption of whether or not the large interconnected voids...

Hybrid structure in civil engineering construction. Composite types of steel and concrete; Doboku bun`ya ni okeru fukugo kozo. Kozai to concrete no ittai keishiki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, T. [JR Railway Technical Research Inst. Tokyo (Japan)

1995-03-30

In connection with hybrid structures in civil engineering construction, classification and application of composite types of steel and concrete are discussed. H steel embedded beam is a composite beam in which the H shape steel of the main beam is connected to rolled or welded H shape steel using cross beams. Composite structure columns are grouped into the composite column and the steel pipe concrete column. SRC piers are often adopted from the viewpoints of constraints for execution of works and vibration proof. Steel and concrete hybrid structure is a kind of structural system in which various kinds of materials such as steel, RC, or PC members are connected. The cable stayed bridge utilizes characteristics of steel and concrete effectively. For the piers of municipal expressway viaducts, there are executed cases of mixed structures which have RC, SRC columns for T shape piers and S structure for the bridges. SRC structure and composite columns are adopted often for structures of subway stations. 7 refs., 7 figs.

Properties of Concrete Exposed to Running Fresh Water for 24 Years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Eigil V.

2008-01-01

A total of nine concretes, comprising three cement types, incorporation of fly ash, superplasticized high strength concrete and high performance concrete with microsilica, have been monitored during 24 years of exposure to running fresh water under Danish outdoor climatic conditions....... The compressive strength development has been measured, and durability aspects have been assessed after 6 and 21 years of exposure, with very positive results....

Duracrete: Service life design for concrete structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Siemes, A.J.M.; Edvardsen, C.

1999-01-01

In the past decades much effort has been put into the improvement of the durability of concrete structures. This has resulted in a reasonable understanding of the main degradation processes or in experience with measures to prevent degradation. The results of this effort can be found in the present

Study of the ruining behaviour of a structure with reinforced concrete carrying walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manas, B.

1998-06-01

Nuclear facility buildings must be constructed with the respect of para-seismic rules. These rules are defined according to the most probable seismic risk estimated for the sites. This study concerns the ruining behaviour of a structure made of reinforced concrete walls. In a first part, a preliminary study on reinforced concrete is performed with the Castem 2000 finite elements code. This study emphasizes the non-linear phenomena that take place inside the material, such as the cracking of concrete and the plasticization of steels. In a second part, predictive calculations were performed on a U-shape structure. This structure was submitted to earthquakes of various magnitudes and the response of the structure was analyzed and interpreted. (J.S.)

A method for the realization of complex concrete gridshell structures in pre-cast concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Niels Martin; Egholm Pedersen, Ole; Pigram, Dave

2012-01-01

concrete casting techniques, complex funicular structures can be constructed using prefabricated elements in a practical, affordable and materially efficient manner. A recent case study is examined, in which the methodology has been used to construct a pavilion. Custom written dynamic relaxation software...

Effect of mineral additives on structure and properties of concrete for pavements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sobol Khrystyna

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Concrete pavements is an attractive alternative to asphalt pavements because of its lower cost and higher durability. Major contribution to sustainable development can be made by partial replacement of cement in concrete pavement with supplementary cementitious materials of different nature and origin. In this paper, the effect of natural zeolite and perlite additives in complex with chemical admixtures on the structure and properties of concrete for pavement was studied. Compressive and flexural strength test was used to study the mechanical behavior of designed concrete under load. Generally, the compressive strength of both control concrete and concrete containing mineral additives levels at the later ages of hardening. The microstructure analysis of concrete with mineral additives of different nature activity showed the formation of additional amount of hydration products such as tobermorite type calcium hydrosilicate which provide self-reinforcement of hardening concrete system.

Usage of Crushed Concrete Fines in Decorative Concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Pilipenko, Anton; Bazhenova, Sofia

2017-10-01

The article is devoted to the questions of usage of crushed concrete fines from concrete scrap for the production of high-quality decorative composite materials based on mixed binder. The main problem in the application of crushed concrete in the manufacture of decorative concrete products is extremely low decorative properties of crushed concrete fines itself, as well as concrete products based on them. However, crushed concrete fines could have a positive impact on the structure of the concrete matrix and could improve the environmental and economic characteristics of the concrete products. Dust fraction of crushed concrete fines contains non-hydrated cement grains, which can be opened in screening process due to the low strength of the contact zone between the hydrated and non-hydrated cement. In addition, the screening process could increase activity of the crushed concrete fines, so it can be used as a fine aggregate and filler for concrete mixes. Previous studies have shown that the effect of the usage of the crushed concrete fines is small and does not allow to obtain concrete products with high strength. However, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the crushed concrete fines as a filler due to the complex of measures prior to mixing. Such measures may include a preliminary mechanochemical activation of the binder (cement binder, iron oxide pigment, silica fume and crushed concrete fines), as well as the usage of polycarboxylate superplasticizers. The development of specific surface area of activated crushed concrete fines ensures strong adhesion between grains of binder and filler during the formation of cement stone matrix. The particle size distribution of the crushed concrete fines could achieve the densest structure of cement stone matrix and improve its resistance to environmental effects. The authors examined the mechanisms of structure of concrete products with crushed concrete fines as a filler. The results of studies of the properties of

Ultimate internal pressure capacity of concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnaswamy, C.N.; Namperumal, R.; Al-Dabbagh, A.

1983-01-01

Lesson learned from the accident at Three-Mile Island nuclear plant has necessitated the computation of the ultimate internal pressure capacity of containment structures as a licensing requirement in the U.S. In general, a containment structure is designed to be essentially elastic under design accident pressure. However, as the containment pressure builds up beyond the design value due to a more severe postulated accident, the containment response turns nonlinear as it sequentially passes through cracking of concrete, yielding of linear plate, yielding of rebar, and yielding of post-tensioning tendon (if the containment concrete is prestressed). This paper reports on the determination of the ultimate internal pressure capacity and nonlinear behavior of typical reinforced and prestressed concrete BWR containments. The probable modes of failure, the criteria for ultimate pressure capacity, and the most critical sections are described. Simple equations to hand-calculate the ultimate pressure capacity and the nonlinear behavior at membrane sections of the containment shell are presented. A nonlinear finite element analysis performed to determine the nonlinear behavior of the entire shell including nonmembrane sections is briefly discribed. The analysis model consisted of laminated axisymmetric shell finite elements with nonlinear stress-strain properties for each material. Results presented for typical BWR concrete containments include nonlinear response plots of internal pressure versus containment deflection and strains in the liner, rebar, and post-tensioning tendons at the most stressed section in the shell. Leak-tightness of the containment liner and the effect of thermal loads on the ultimate capacity are discussed. (orig.)

Analysis of the connection of the timber-fiber concrete composite structure

Science.gov (United States)

Holý, Milan; Vráblík, Lukáš; Petřík, Vojtěch

2017-09-01

This paper deals with an implementation of the material parameters of the connection to complex models for analysis of the timber-fiber concrete composite structures. The aim of this article is to present a possible way of idealization of the continuous contact model that approximates the actual behavior of timber-fiber reinforced concrete structures. The presented model of the connection was derived from push-out shear tests. It was approved by use of the nonlinear numerical analysis, that it can be achieved a very good compliance between results of numerical simulations and results of the experiments by a suitable choice of the material parameters of the continuous contact. Finally, an application for an analytical calculation of timber-fiber concrete composite structures is developed for the practical use in engineering praxis. The input material parameters for the analytical model was received using data from experiments.

Nondestructive test for estimating strength of concrete in structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nozaki, Yoshitsugu; Soshiroda, Tomozo

1997-01-01

Evaluation of the quality of concrete in structures, especially strength estimation is said to be one of the most important problem and needed to establish test method especial tv for non-destructive method in situ. The paper describes the nondestructive test to estimate strength of concrete. From experimental study using full scale model wall, strength estimating equations are proposed by ultra-sonic pulse velocity, rebound hardness of Schmidt hammer and combined with two methods. From statistical study of the results of experiments, errors of estimated strength by the proposed equations are suggested. The validity of the equations are verified by investigation for existing reinforced concrete buildings aged 20 - 50 years. And it was found from the statistical study that the strength estimating equations need to be corrected in applying to tons aged concrete, and correction factor to those squat ions were suggested. Furthermore the corrected proposed equations were verified by applying to buildings investigated the other case.

Maintenance Planning for Chloride Initiated Corrosion in Concrete Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelund, S.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

1998-01-01

Corrosion of the reinforcement in concrete structures can be initiated when the chloride concentration around the reinforcement exceeds a threshold value. In order to prevent the corrosion from reaching a stage where the load-bearing capacity of a given structure suffers a substantial decrease...

Effect of elevated temperatures on heavy concrete structural strength in Qinshan phase 3 CANDU 6 reactor buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alikhan, S.; Khan, A.F.; Chen, S.

2005-01-01

Heavy concrete is commonly used inside the Qinshan Phase 3 CANDU 6 reactor buildings for radiation shielding functions in order to provide access to key areas during reactor operation. In some cases, the heavy concrete elements are also structural elements. Concerns have been raised about the functional performance of the heavy concrete structural elements, specifically the primary heat transport pump (PHTS) supporting slabs, surrounding the feeder cabinets when subjected to elevated temperatures between 42 degree C and 121 degree C and their corresponding temperature gradients on a long-term basis during the normal operation of the plant. This paper presents the results of a test investigation on the strength of heavy concrete under elevated temperature conditions being experienced by the heavy concrete structural elements around the feeder cabinet to confirm that these structural elements meet their functional requirements. The loading conditions consist subjecting the specimens to the elevated temperatures and temperature gradient noted during commissioning, including the effect of epoxy coating. The heavy concrete mix proportion and materials of the test samples (ilmenite aggregate and Portland cement) are identical to those used for heavy concrete structural elements surrounding the feeder cabinet. Subsequent to the confirmation of the functional requirements of the heavy concrete structural elements, alarm limits are recommended for these structural elements. (authors)

Failure/leakage predictions of concrete structures containing cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Y.C.; Marchertas, A.H.; Kennedy, J.M.

1984-06-01

An approach is presented for studying the cracking and radioactive release of a reactor containment during severe accidents and extreme environments. The cracking of concrete is modeled as the blunt crack. The initiation and propagation of a crack are determined by using the maximum strength and the J-integral criteria. Furthermore, the extent of cracking is related to the leakage calculation by using a model developed by Rizkalla, Lau and Simmonds. Numerical examples are given for a three-point bending problem and a hypothetical case of a concrete containment structure subjected to high internal pressure during an accident

Conceptual design of reinforced concrete structures using topology optimization with elastoplastic material modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bogomolny, Michael; Amir, Oded

2012-01-01

Design of reinforced concrete structures is governed by the nonlinear behavior of concrete and by its different strengths in tension and compression. The purpose of this article is to present a computational procedure for optimal conceptual design of reinforced concrete structures on the basis...... response must be considered. Optimized distribution of materials is achieved by introducing interpolation rules for both elastic and plastic material properties. Several numerical examples illustrate the capability and potential of the proposed procedure. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....

Studies on limestone concrete as a low-activation structural material for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uematsu, Mikio; Nagano, Hiroshi; Naito, Yasuhiro

2000-01-01

Because of low content of Li, Co and Eu, the target nuclides of activation reaction, limestone concrete is considered to be effective in reducing the decommissioning cost of nuclear plants. Induced activity calculation and structural strength test were performed for limestone concrete and the results were compared with the data obtained for sandstone concrete, which is generally used in nuclear plants. Minor elements, which are important from the viewpoint of activation, were measured with elementary analysis for limestone samples from three different quarries in Japan. Induced activity in biological shield walls (BSW) of Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) plants was calculated with the isotope generation code ORIGEN-79 using neutron flux data obtained with the one-dimensional Sn transport code ANISN and MGCL 137-group activation cross section library based on JENDL-3. Estimated total radioactivity accumulated in limestone concrete BSW was 5 times lower than that in the sandstone concrete BSW. Structural strength were compared between limestone concrete and sandstone concrete, and limestone concrete was found to have enough compressive strength and tensile strength. (author)

A survey of the mechanical properties of concrete for structural purposes prepared on construction sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. R. J. RIBEIRO

Full Text Available Abstract This paper aims to study the concrete dosage conditions for structural purposes in construction sitesl, and the impacts of non-compliance of structural concrete for structural safety, having as study case the city of Angicos / RN. Were analyzed the dynamic elasticity modulus, static elasticity modulus and the compressive strength of concrete samples. Was conducted to collect the survey data, a field research aiming to gather information about dosage of concrete used in the works, as well as the collection of cylindrical specimens of 150 mm diameter by 300 mm of height, prepared according to practice of those professionals. The study indicated a clear necessity to reflection on the subject, since there is no concern, or even, a lack of knowledge by the interviewed professionals regarding the care and procedures necessary for the production of concrete with satisfactory quality, once at least 50% of evaluated construction sites presented compressive strength lower than 20 MPa, minimal strength to structural concrete, as recommended by ABNT-NBR 6118:2014.

Upscaling the Use of Mixed Recycled Aggregates in Non-Structural Low Cement Concrete.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Uceda, Antonio; Ayuso, Jesús; Jiménez, José Ramón; Agrela, Francisco; Barbudo, Auxiliadora; De Brito, Jorge

2016-02-02

This research aims to produce non-structural concrete with mixed recycled aggregates (MRA) in upscaled applications with low-cement content. Four slabs were executed with concrete made with different ratios of coarse MRA (0%, 20%, 40% and 100%), using the mix design, the mixing procedures and the facilities from a nearby concrete production plant. The analysis of the long-term compressive and splitting tensile strengths in concrete cores, extracted from the slabs, allowed the highlighting of the long-term high strength development potential of MRA incorporation. The study of cast specimens produced in situ under the same conditions as the slabs showed, firstly, that the use of MRA has a great influence on the properties related to durability, secondly, that the loss of compressive strength for total MRA incorporation relative to control concrete increases proportionally with the class strength, and, thirdly, that the mechanical properties (including Schmidt hammer results) from the concrete slabs showed no significant differences relative to the control concrete for coarse aggregates replacements up to 40%. Therefore, this upscaled experimental study supports the application of concrete with 100% coarse MRA incorporation and low cement content in non-structural civil works such as bike lanes, gutters, ground slabs, leveling surfaces, and subgrades for foundations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there have not been any upscaled applications of concrete with MRA and low cement content.

Upscaling the Use of Mixed Recycled Aggregates in Non-Structural Low Cement Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio López-Uceda

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This research aims to produce non-structural concrete with mixed recycled aggregates (MRA in upscaled applications with low-cement content. Four slabs were executed with concrete made with different ratios of coarse MRA (0%, 20%, 40% and 100%, using the mix design, the mixing procedures and the facilities from a nearby concrete production plant. The analysis of the long-term compressive and splitting tensile strengths in concrete cores, extracted from the slabs, allowed the highlighting of the long-term high strength development potential of MRA incorporation. The study of cast specimens produced in situ under the same conditions as the slabs showed, firstly, that the use of MRA has a great influence on the properties related to durability, secondly, that the loss of compressive strength for total MRA incorporation relative to control concrete increases proportionally with the class strength, and, thirdly, that the mechanical properties (including Schmidt hammer results from the concrete slabs showed no significant differences relative to the control concrete for coarse aggregates replacements up to 40%. Therefore, this upscaled experimental study supports the application of concrete with 100% coarse MRA incorporation and low cement content in non-structural civil works such as bike lanes, gutters, ground slabs, leveling surfaces, and subgrades for foundations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there have not been any upscaled applications of concrete with MRA and low cement content.

Experimental Study on Temperature Behavior of SSC (Stiffened Steel Plate Concrete) Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, K. J.; Ham, K. W.; Park, D. S.; Kwon, K. J.

2008-01-01

SSC(Stiffened Steel plate Concrete) module method uses steel plate instead of reinforcing bar and mold in existing RC structure. Steel plate modules are fabricated in advance, installed and poured with concrete in construction field, so construction period is remarkably shortened by SC module technique. In case of existence of temperature gap between internal and external structure surface such as containment building, thermal stress is taken place and as a result of it, structural strength is deteriorated. In this study, we designed two test specimens and several tests with temperature heating were conducted to evaluate temperature behavior of SSC structures and RC structure

Influence of cellulose fibers on structure and properties of fiber reinforced foam concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fedorov Valeriy

2018-01-01

Full Text Available One of the promising means of foamed concrete quality improvement is micro-reinforcement by adding synthetic and mineral fibers to the base mix. This research is the first to investigate peculiarities of using recycled cellulose fiber extracted from waste paper for obtaining fiber reinforced foam concrete. The paper presents results of experimental research on the influence of cellulose fibers on structure and properties of fiber reinforced foam concrete by using methods of chemical analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The research determines peculiarities of new formations appearance and densification of binder hydration products in the contact zone between fiber and cement matrix, which boost mechanical strength of fiber reinforced foam concrete. Physico-mechanical properties of fiber reinforced foam concrete were defined depending on the amount of recycled cellulose fiber added to the base mix. It was found that the use of recycled cellulose fibers allows obtaining structural thermal insulating fiber reinforced foam concretes of non-autoclaved hardening of brand D600 with regard to mean density with the following improved properties: compressive strength increased by 35% compared to basic samples, higher stability of foamed concrete mix and decreased shrinkage deformation.

Nonlocal Peridynamic Modeling and Simulation on Crack Propagation in Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An extended peridynamic approach for crack propagation analysis in concrete structures was proposed. In the peridynamic constitutive model, concrete material was described as a series of interacting particles, and the short-range repulsive force and anisotropic behavior of concrete were taken into account in the expression of the interactive bonding force, which was given in terms of classical elastic constants and peridynamic horizon. The damage of material was defined locally at the level of pairwise bond, and the critical stretch of material bond was described as a function of fracture strength in the classical concrete failure theory. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed model and algorithms were validated by simulating the propagation of mode I and I-II mixed mode cracks in concrete slabs. Furthermore, crack propagation in a double-edge notched concrete beam subjected to four-point load was simulated, in which the experimental observations are captured naturally as a consequence of the solution.

Self-Compacting Concrete

OpenAIRE

Okamura, Hajime; Ouchi, Masahiro

2003-01-01

Self-compacting concrete was first developed in 1988 to achieve durable concrete structures. Since then, various investigations have been carried out and this type of concrete has been used in practical structures in Japan, mainly by large construction companies. Investigations for establishing a rational mix-design method and self-compactability testing methods have been carried out from the viewpoint of making self-compacting concrete a standard concrete.

Concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2015-01-01

Concrete is a component of coherent transition between a concrete base and a wooden construction. The structure is based on a quantity of investigations of the design possibilities that arise when combining digital fabrication tools and material capacities. Through tangible experiments the project...... specific for this to happen. And the knowledge and intention behind the drawing becomes specialised through the understanding of the fabrication processes and their affect on the materials.The structure Concrete is a result of a multi-angled kerf series in ash wood and a concrete base. The ash wood is cut...... using a 5-axis CNC router with a thin saw blade attached. The programming of the machining results in variations of kerfs that lets the ash wood twist into unique shapes.The shapes of the revolving ash ribbons continue into the concrete creating a cohesive shape. The form for the concrete itself is made...

Seismic Response Analysis of Concrete Lining Structure in Large Underground Powerhouse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaowei Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the dynamic damage constitutive model of concrete material and seismic rock-lining structure interaction analysis method, the seismic response of lining structure in large underground powerhouse is studied in this paper. In order to describe strain rate dependence and fatigue damage of concrete material under cyclic loading, a dynamic constitutive model for concrete lining considering tension and shear anisotropic damage is presented, and the evolution equations of damage variables are derived. The proposed model is of simple form and can be programmed into finite element procedure easily. In order to describe seismic interaction characteristics of the surrounding rock and lining, an explicit dynamic contact analysis method considering bond and damage characteristics of contact face between the surrounding rock and lining is proposed, and this method can integrate directly without iteration. The proposed method is applied to seismic stability calculation of Yingxiuwan Underground Powerhouse, results reveal that the amplitude and duration of input seismic wave determine the damage degree of lining structure, the damage zone of lining structure is mainly distributed in its arch, and the contact face damage has great influence on the stability of the lining structure.

Proceedings of the NEA workshop on development priorities for NDE of concrete structures in nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The first session's objectives of this conference were to identify the perspectives of national regulators and plant operators on what is required of NDE. The second session objectives were to provide opportunity for NDE practitioners to share experience and views on the status of development of key NDE techniques: tomographic imaging for investigation of concrete structures, four examples of modern NDE techniques applied to the investigation of nuclear and non-nuclear concrete structures and a vision of future improvements, investigating concrete structures by 3D Radar imaging and imaging using mechanical impact, synopsis NDT of concrete using ultrasonics and radar. The third session objectives were to prioritise development of NDE techniques for safety related concrete structures in nuclear installations: key conclusions from earlier sessions, proposed priorities and next steps

A new concept for the targeted cutting of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinhardt, Steffen; Gentes, Sascha; Weidemann, Roman; Geimer, Marcus

2011-01-01

The decontamination and crushing of reinforced concrete is a main part during deconstruction of nuclear facilities. The selective treatment of contaminated or activated material is of special interest, since the non-contaminated material can be transferred into the normal reprocessing cycle. In the frame of a project concerning the innovative cutting of massive reinforced concrete structures an all-purpose system for spatially restricted and defined cutting of strongly reinforced concrete including packaging suitable for final disposal was developed. Due to the remote handling of the machine the dose rate for personnel can be reduced significantly. Main part of the system is the tool that can cut highly reinforced concrete without system or component replacement. The authors describe preliminary tests of these tools, further experiments and process optimization are necessary before the tools can be integrated into the new system.

Structural behaviour of concrete poles used in electric's power distribution network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehran Zeynalian

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Based on a preliminary study on regional electric companies, it is shown that there is no precise structural design on the concrete poles. This leads to uneconomical and overestimated networks’ components. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the lateral performance of the concrete poles which are employed in electric’s power distribution network. This paper presents a numerical study on structural performance of 12 m concrete poles used in electric’s power distribution network using Abaqus software. A sensitivity study for mesh size is carried out and concrete damaged plasticity has been employed. The results show that relatively coarse mesh (average in damaged concrete method gives more reliable result. Some experimental tests based on the Iranian standards were performed in order to make a bench mark for numerical output. Comparison between numerical and experimental results indicates a good agreement between the results. The outcomes also suggest that while the applied lateral load is less than around 400 kg which is assumed as the nominal resistance of the pole, no transverse crack occurs. Based on both experimental and numerical results, one or two transverse cracks are reported when the applied force reaches up to 600 kg. The rate of cracks is amplified by increasing the applied force; and finally, the pole would lose its capacity when the load rises much more than 1200 kg. The study also shows that the poles are very weak when the load direction changes. Also, it can be concluded that the final strength of the pole is higher than what the standards recommend. Finally, seismic behavior factor of the poles around both main axes are evaluated. The estimated seismic resistance factor for the concrete poles indicates that the prescribed R factor for such structure is relatively low; and can be improved at least 20%.

Performance of concrete blended with pozzolanic materials in marine environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khan Asad-ur-Rehman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Reinforced concretes structures located at or near the coast line needs to be repaired more frequently when compared to structures located elsewhere. This study is continuation of previous studies carried out at the Department of Civil Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan to study the performance of concrete made up of cements blended by pozzolonic materials. Different pozzolanic materials (blast furnace slag, fly ash and silica fume were used in the study. Tests conducted during the study to compare the performance of samples cast from concrete of different mix designs were Compressive Strength Test (ASTM C 39, Flexural Strength Test (ASTM C 293, Rapid Migration Test (NT Build 492, Absorptivity of the oven-dried samples (ASTM C 642 and Half Cell Potential (ASTM C 876. Use of cements blended with pozzolanic materials, used during the study, proved to be effective in enhancing the performance of the concrete exposed to marine environment. Use of pozzolans in concrete not only provides a sustainable and feasible solution to the durability problems in coastal areas, it also helps in conservation of natural resources and reduction of pollution and energy leading to a green environment.

Tensile strength of structural concrete repaired with hi-bond polymer modified mortar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaskheli, G.B.

2009-01-01

Repair of cracks in concrete is often required to save the concrete structures. Appearance of crack in concrete is bound with the tensile strength of concrete. Recently a cement factory in Sindh has launched a HBPMM (Hi-Bond Polymer Modified Mortar) that can be used as a concrete repairing material instead of normal OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement). It is needed to investigate its performance compared to that of OPC. In total 144 concrete cylinders (150x300mm) having strength of 3000 and 5000 psi were manufactured. These cylinders were then splitted by using a UTM (Universal Testing Machine) and their actual tensile strength was obtained. The concrete cylinders were then repaired with different applications of HBPMM and arc. The repaired samples were again splitted at different curing ages (3, 7 and 28 days) and their tensile strength after repair was obtained. The results show that the concrete cylinders repaired with HBPMM could give better tensile strength than that repaired with arc, the tensile strength of concrete cylinders after repair could increase with increase in the application of repairing material i.e. HBPMM or OPC and with curing time, and HBPMM could remain more effective in case of rich mix concrete than that of normal mix concrete. (author)

Investigation of Mechanism of Action of Modifying Admixtures Based on Products of Petrochemical Synthesis on Concrete Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Tukhareli, V. D.; Tukhareli, A. V.; Cherednichenko, T. F.

2017-11-01

The creation of composite materials for generating structural elements with the desired properties has always been and still remains relevant. The basis of a modern concrete technology is the creation of a high-quality artificial stone characterized by low defectiveness and structure stability. Improving the quality of concrete compositions can be achieved by using chemical admixtures from local raw materials which is a very promising task of modern materials’ science for creation of a new generation of concretes. The new generation concretes are high-tech, high-quality, multicomponent concrete mixes and compositions with admixtures that preserve the required properties in service under all operating conditions. The growing complexity of concrete caused by systemic effects that allow you to control the structure formation at all stages of the technology ensures the obtaining of composites with "directional" quality, compositions, structure and properties. The possibility to use the organic fraction of oil refining as a multifunctional hydrophobic-plasticizing admixture in the effective cement concrete is examined.

LEO 1.0. An assistant software for maintenance of corroded reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerard, B.; Petre-Lazar, I.

1998-04-01

The reinforced concrete structures capacity to fulfill the users requirements decreases in time and a constant preoccupation for the maintenance is required at EDF. In order to ease up the site investigations, a computer program - LEO - is developed. Its general layout is proposed in this document. LEO 1.0 is developed to be applied to corroded reinforced concrete structures. A simplified model based on the main mechanisms of the steel corrosion in concrete has been developed. It can quantify the influence of the reinforcement corrosion on the structure performances. A probabilistic calculus which takes into account the variability of the input data (material properties, environment, etc.) was also performed using PROBAN computer code. This type of analysis quantifies the time evolution of the structure (incubation, initiation, propagation, collapse). (author)

New Surface-Treatment Technique of Concrete Structures Using Crack Repair Stick with Healing Ingredients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Tae-Ho; Kim, Hong-Gi; Ryou, Jae-Suk

2016-08-04

This study focused on the development of a crack repair stick as a new repair method along with self-healing materials that can be used to easily repair the cracks in a concrete structure at the construction site. In developing this new repair technique, the self-healing efficiency of various cementitious materials was considered. Likewise, a crack repair stick was developed to apply to concrete structures with 0.3 mm or lower crack widths. The crack repair stick was made with different materials, such as cement, an expansive material (C 12 A₇), a swelling material, and calcium carbonate, to endow it with a self-healing property. To verify the performance of the crack repair stick for concrete structures, two types of procedures (field experiment and field absorption test) were carried out. As a result of such procedures, it was concluded that the developed crack repair stick could be used on concrete structures to reduce repair expenses and for the improved workability, usability, and serviceability of such structures. On the other hand, to evaluate the self-healing performance of the crack repair stick, various tests were conducted, such as the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity test, the water tightness test, the water permeability test, observation via a microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. From the results, it is found that water leakage can be prevented and that the durability of a concrete structure can be improved through self-healing. Also, it was verified that the cracks were perfectly closed after 28 days due to application of the crack repair stick. These results indicate the usability of the crack repair stick for concrete structures, and its self-healing efficiency.

The Effect of Early Frost Damage on the Penetration Resistance of Chloride Ion of NPP Concrete

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koh, Kyung Teak; Park, Chun Jin; Kim, Si Hwan; Ryu, Gum Sung [Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

2012-05-15

The specification for the nuclear power plant (NPP) structure construction specifies the conformity of the regulation ACI-306R in constructing the cold-weather concrete. According to the regulation with regard to the curing condition for cold weather concrete, the insulation curing of cold weather concrete should be appropriately performed under the environment of 5 .deg. C or more until the strength of 500 psi is developed. In addition, according to the regulations regarding the cold weather concrete in the domestic concrete specifications, the insulation curing should be performed until the strength development of 715 psi considering the safety factor indicated to the ACI regulation under the temperature of 5 .deg. C or more. According to the above-mentioned regulations, the NPP structure is required to develop the minimum strength of 715 psi or more and to maintain the important quality including strength development, early anti-freezing and duality under the cold weather condition. However, even though the early strength of 715 psi or more is secured under cold weather condition, if the structure is exposed to the continuous cold weather condition after the protection equipment including curing coat are removed, the structure's durability can go down compared to the concrete cured under the standard curing temperature condition in spring and fall, but the studies on this status still remain poor. Accordingly, this study tried to verify the adequacy of the insulation curing management standard, which is currently presented, in time of constructing the cold weather concrete, through reviewing the penetration resistance of chloride ion with considering the local characteristics of domestic NPP located at coastal areas after curing until the point of 715 psi, then exposing it to a certain cycle of freeze-thaw environment under the continuous cold weather condition

Influence of the mix parameters and microstructure on the behaviour of concrete at high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanema, M.; Noumowe, A.; Gallias, J.-L.; Cabrillac, R.

2005-01-01

Concrete is used in structures likely to be exposed to high temperature. Data on the behaviour of concrete at high temperature are necessary to design buildings and other civil engineering structures in order to resist under accidental conditions (fire) or particular conditions of service (storage of radioactive waste). The present experimental study was carried out on the behaviour of five concretes containing the same nature and quantity of aggregates and presenting different water/cement ratios. Concrete specimens were submitted to heating-cooling cycles whose maximum temperatures were 150, 300, 450 and 600 degree C. Measurements of compressive and tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and permeability were carried out on cylindrical specimens before and after heating-cooling cycles. The results showed the influence of concrete mix parameters on the residual properties and the dehydration of the cement paste matrix, the evolution of the permeability and thermal stability of concrete when it is subjected to high temperature. (authors)

Experimental investigation on the threshold chloride concentration for corrosion initiation in reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byung Hwan Oh; Seung Yup Jang

2005-01-01

The corrosion of steel reinforcements in concrete is of great importance in the view of safety and durability of reinforced concrete structures. This study is focused on the corrosion behavior of steel bars induced by internal chlorides in concrete. The main objective of this study is to determine the threshold chloride concentration causing depassivation and active corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete. To examine the threshold concentration of chloride ion, the half-cell potential, the chemical composition of extracted pore solutions of concrete and the extent of corroded area of the specimens were measured. Major test variables include the added amount of chlorides in concrete, type of binder, and water-to-binder ratios. From the present comprehensive test results, the factors influencing threshold chloride concentration are investigated, and the rational ranges of threshold chloride concentration causing active corrosion of steels are proposed. The present study provides the realistic chloride limit for corrosion initiation of reinforced concrete structures, which can be used efficiently in the future technical specification. (authors)

Biaxial failure criteria and stress-strain response for concrete of containment structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S. K.; Woo, S. K.; Song, Y. C.; Kweon, Y. K.; Cho, C. H.

2001-01-01

Biaxial failure criteria and stress-strain response for plain concrete of containment structure on nuclear power plants are studied under uniaxial and biaxial stress(compression-compression, compression-tension, and tension-tension combined stress). The concrete specimens of a square plate type are used for uniaxial and biaxial loading. The experimental data indicate that the strength of concrete under biaxial compression, f 2 /f 1 =-1/-1, is 17 percent larger than under uniaxial compression and the poisson's ratio of concrete is 0.1745. On the base of the results, a biaxial failure envelope for plain concrete that the uniaxial strength is 5660 psi are provided, and the biaxial failure behaviors for three biaxial loading areas are plotted respectively. And, various analytical equations having the reliability are proposed for representations of the biaxial failure criteria and stress-strain response curves of concrete

CONCRETE STRUCTURES' QUALITY CONTROL IN PRACTICE

OpenAIRE

Dolaček-Alduk, Zlata; Blanda, Miroslav

2011-01-01

The Croatian civil engineering is characterized by a lack of systematic approach to planning, control and quality assurance in all phases of project realization. The results obtained in establishing the quality management system in some segments of civil engineering production represent initial trends in solving this problem. Benefits are of two types: the achievement of quality for the contractor and obtaining that quaity is being achieved for clients. Execution of concrete structures is a c...

Material model for non-linear finite element analyses of large concrete structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Engen, Morten; Hendriks, M.A.N.; Øverli, Jan Arve; Åldstedt, Erik; Beushausen, H.

2016-01-01

A fully triaxial material model for concrete was implemented in a commercial finite element code. The only required input parameter was the cylinder compressive strength. The material model was suitable for non-linear finite element analyses of large concrete structures. The importance of including

Application of the self-diagnosis composite into concrete structure

Science.gov (United States)

Matsubara, Hideaki; Shin, Soon-Gi; Okuhara, Yoshiki; Nomura, Hiroshi; Yanagida, Hiroaki

2001-04-01

The function and performance of the self-diagnosis composites embedded in mortar/concrete blocks and concrete piles were investigated by bending tests and electrical resistance measurements. Carbon powder (CP) and carbon fiber (CF) were introduced in glass fiber reinforced plastics composites to obtain electrical conductivity. The CP composite has commonly good performances in various bending tests of block and pile specimens, comparing to the CF composite. The electrical resistance of the CP composite increases in a small strain to response remarkably micro-crack formation at about 200 (mu) strain and to detect well to smaller deformations before the crack formation. The CP composite possesses a continuous resistance change up to a large strain level near the final fracture of concrete structures reinforced by steel bars. The cyclic bending tests showed that the micro crack closed at unloading state was able to be evaluated from the measurement of residual resistance. It has been concluded that the self- diagnosis composite is fairly useful for the measurement of damage and fracture in concrete blocks and piles.

Loading functions generated by solid explosive detonations inside concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freund, H.W.; Schumann, S.; Rischbieter, F.; Schmitz, C.

1989-01-01

Partial dismantling of concrete structures by controlled blasting is being considered for nuclear power reactor decommissioning /1,2/. Quantitative prediction of both the desired destructive effects and the side effects caused by the dynamic load is based on knowledge of the time dependent forces acting on the structure, availability of data abut the dynamic material properties, realistic structural models. This work describes investigations performed to obtain time dependent forces for the case where solid explosive charges embedded into concrete are being detonated. The resulting multi component loading function is shown to constitute a set of input data for pre-test safety calculations of the building vibrational response