Shrinkage and cracking studies of high performance concrete for bridge decks

Restrained shrinkage cracking is a critical issue that raises the concern of widespread use of high-performance concrete (HPC) in bridge deck. Present studies were undertaken to compare the different HPC and propose concept to use local field data to define a threshold for cracking potential. We developed 18 HPC mixtures, suitable for bridge decks in shrinkage-prone locations, using supplementary cementitious materials - fly ash, slag, silica fume, and metakaolin; and local aggregates with three different w/cm: 0.40, 0.35, and 0.30. Basic properties as well as shrinkage and cracking properties were evaluated. In addition to comparing among HPC performance, a correlation was made between commonly measured parameters such as strength, shrinkage, and modulus of elasticity with cracking onset obtained from ring tests. Finally, field data from no-crack and well performing bridges were used to define a threshold safe limit. This concept can be used for design of HPC mixtures to reduce cracking potential from materials point of view for any other locations.     

内养护对混凝土收缩开裂性能的影响

通过对使用高吸水材料的混凝土试件的早期自收缩、长期干燥收缩及椭圆环约束开裂试验,探讨混凝土内养护措施对改善混凝土收缩开裂性能的影响.同时考察了内养护对混凝土强度及抗冻性能的影响.试验结果表明,在有矿物外加剂的情况下,该内养护剂可有效地改善混凝土的自收缩和干燥收缩,混凝土的抗开裂性能得到提高,同时一定程度上改善了混凝土强度及抗冻性能.     

Minimum curing time for preventing frost damage of early-age concrete

When fresh concrete is exposed to extremely low temperatures, the free water in the concrete is cooled below its freezing point and transforms into ice, leading to a decrease in the compressive strength of concrete. When freezing takes place after an adequate curing time, the decrease in compressive strength does not occur. In other words, the concrete can resist the frost damage. Of the many influencing factors, the age of concrete at the beginning of freezing and curing temperatures is significantly important with regard to the loss of compressive strength. In this study, tests were performed to examine how these factors affect the compressive strength of concrete frozen at early-ages as well as to investigate the source of frost damage in fresh concrete. The results from the tests showed that the loss of compressive strength decreases when the onset of freezing was delayed and the curing temperature was high. Moreover, the results showed that the curing temperature after the freezing period does not affect the resistance against frost damage but it affects the strength development. Finally, we propose a new method to predict the minimum curing time based on the development theory of frost resistance with decrease of saturation degree of capillary pores and using the hydration degree curves at an early age.     

Wind tunnel test of an active mass damper for bridge decks

An active mass damper is implemented to a bridge section model test in a wind tunnel to enhance the flutter stability. Servo motors controlling the rotational motion of control masses serve as actuators. The torque generated by rotational acceleration is used to control the angular motion of the section model. The mechanical parameters of the uncontrolled and the controlled structures are identified by the modified Ibrahim time domain (MITD) method. The deterioration of the control performance through control loop time delay is determined. The critical wind speeds are determined experimentally by wind tunnel tests and numerically by flutter analysis. The experimental and numerical results are in good agreement. The experimental results underline the applicability of an active mass damper and can be seen as a first step towards an implementation in real bridges.     

Numerical modeling of the behavior of overlaid slab panels for reinforced concrete bridge decks

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive numerical investigation to assess the effect of some base parameters that govern the performance of overlaid slab panels for rehabilitated bridge decks under monotonic loading. A finite-element study was carried out to investigate the behavior of overlaid reinforced concrete panels and the evaluation of contact between the substrate and the repaired layers. The performance of different configurations of overlaid slabs was evaluated in terms of ultimate load capacity, debonding load, type, amount, and extension of debonding at the interface between the existing and the repaired layers. Based on the results of the investigation, it was found that the type of surface preparation, the mechanical properties of the repaired concrete (compressive and tensile strength), the location and the thickness of the repaired layer have an important influence on the performance of overlaid slab panels under monotonic loading. The results of this study can also be used as a basis for evaluating the performance of overlaid slabs under cyclic loading.     

某地下工程大体积混凝土衬砌裂缝控制措施研究

针对某地下工程大体积混凝土衬砌结构特点，在施工前从结构设计、材料及混凝土配合比等方面进行了裂缝预控制；施工中从机械配备及施工质量方面进行了裂缝控制。并对结构混凝土温度进行监测。及时采用保温效果好的材料进行养护。有效控制混凝土的开裂。     

Buckling restrained braces as structural fuses for the seismic retrofit of reinforced concrete bridge bents

A structural fuse concept is proposed in which easily replaceable ductile structural steel elements are added to an RC bridge bent to increase its strength and stiffness, and also designed to sustain the seismic demand and dissipate all the seismic energy through hysteretic behavior of the fuses, while keeping the RC bridge piers elastic. While this concept could be implemented in both new and existing bridges, the focus here is on the retrofit of non-ductile reinforced concrete bridge bents. Several types of structural fuses can be used and implemented in bridges; the focus in this paper is on using Buckling Restrained Braces (BRB) for the retrofit of RC bridge bents. The results of a parametric formulation conducted introducing key parameters for the design procedure of the fuse system, validated by nonlinear time history analyses are presented. A proposed design procedure, using BRBs as metallic structural fuses, is found to be sufficiently reliable to design structural fuse systems with satisfactory seismic performance. A graphical representation to help find admissible solutions is used, and shows that the region of admissible solution decreases when the frame strength ratio increases as a larger fuse element is required to achieve an effective structural fuse concept.     

Corrosion initiation time updating by epistemic uncertainty as an alternative to schedule the first inspection time of pre-stressed concrete vehicular bridge beams

As traffic demands grow constantly and some vehicle bridges deteriorate because of corrosion issues, bridge agencies require non-expensive procedures to support decisions about cost-effective maintenance schedules. In this article, a reliability-based formulation is proposed for the prediction of the optimal first inspection time including both the corrosion deterioration and the epistemic uncertainty on the corrosion initiation time. For the identification of the bridge integrity state, where little or no follow-up has been previously developed, the prediction of a damage state implies a great deal of epistemic uncertainty. The impact of this kind of uncertainty on the corrosion initiation time prediction is appraised in order to include the conservative estimations of such a time, according to the bridge revenues/cost ratio of further and more detailed studies. The time-varying bridge reliability is calculated in terms of the bridge corrosion deterioration, which induces a moment capacity reduction of the bridge beams. Epistemic uncertainty is introduced in the corrosion initiation time, and the optimal first inspection time is obtained as a probability distribution. Consequently, a procedure to calculate the first time for inspection on girder bridges has been proposed, based on updating a known distribution after considering the effect of epistemic uncertainty, using a lognormal distributed factor as ‘evidence’, by means of the Markov chain Monte Carlo technique.