In pretensioned concrete members, prestress is introduced by the bond mechanism between prestressing tendon and surrounding concrete. Therefore, to secure the intended level of effective prestress in the tendon, sufficient bond stresses between the prestressing tendon and the concrete should be developed at release, for which a certain length from the end of the pretensioned concrete member is required, and this required distance is defined as the transfer length of the prestressing tendon. In this study, the prestress introduction mechanism between concrete and prestressing tendon was mathematically formulated based on thick-walled cylinder theory (TWCT). On this basis, an analytical model for estimating the transfer length was presented. The proposed model was also verified through comparison with test results collected from the literature. It was confirmed that the proposed model can accurately evaluate the effects of influential factors - such as diameter of prestressing tendon, compressive strength of concrete, concrete cover thickness and magnitude of initial prestress - on the transfer lengths of prestressing tendons in various types of pretensioned concrete member.

In modern bridge construction, steel-concrete composite structures with composite dowels are being built more than ever, especially for small and medium spans. In contrast to headed studs, in which initial steel cracks occur after only a few load cycles [1], [2], the lifetime of composite dowels is characterized by the compression of the multi-axially stressed concrete in front of the composite dowel. Here, plastic compression strains occur in the concrete and accumulate over load cycles, leading to a cyclic increase in relative displacements in the connection. Certain proportions of these relative displacements, called inelastic slip, remain in the connection, even after the loading is relieved. The inelastic slip changes the characteristics of the static dowel curve. The initially rigid connection degrades over its lifetime, leading to redistributions of internal forces, which may be critical for fatigue design. In order to consider the degradation of the composite connection, a cyclic dowel curve can be used, which may be developed from the static dowel curve by introducing the inelastic slip. This paper presents the results of cyclic shear tests on different composite dowel geometries. The effect of load-dependent parameters (upper load level and load range) was investigated. Furthermore, an engineering model for determining the cyclic dowel curve is presented, which was developed based on the results of experimental and numerical investigations.

This paper investigates the degradation of the mechanical properties of concretes made with three types of aggregate affected by alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Three standard testing methods - ASTM C289, JASS 5N T-603 and ASTM C1260 - were used to identify the reactivity of ASR of the three aggregates selected. The test results show that all three aggregates are potentially deleterious. A new acceleration method based on JASS 5N T-603 and ASTM C1260 was proposed for concrete specimens. In the acceleration method, cylindrical concrete specimens were used, additional alkali material was added to the concrete mixture and the specimens were stored under conditions similar to ASTM C1260. The preconditioned concrete specimens were then used for evaluating the mechanical properties of the ASR-affected concrete in terms of strength and stiffness. The test results show that special attention must be paid to the effects of two opposing mechanisms on the strength and stiffness of concrete: hydration reactions and ASR. Hydration reactions enhance the mechanical properties, whereas ASR does the opposite. The changes in length of concrete specimens were also measured, which showed that the basic trends for change in length and mechanical properties may be different. It is better to examine the effect of ASR on both change in length and mechanical properties. The size and reactivity of the aggregate are very important factors for the mechanical properties of ASR-affected concretes. Within the two-month testing period, the reactive fine aggregate might cause ASR expansion and the reactive coarse aggregates might not.

“Greener” concrete using adequate industrial waste is a preferred option for sustainable construction. Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and sulphate attack (SA) on concrete can be minimized by the use of mineral additions, which are particularly interesting if derived from waste. Grits from the paper industry, waste glass and two types of biomass ash were used as 10 % cement replacement in mortar and tested for ASR and SA. Results and scanning electron microscopy observations were compared with plain mortar and mortar containing commercial silica fume. All waste materials mitigated ASR compared with the control mortar. Resistance to sulphates was increased for one of the biomass ashes used and especially for glass powder, which surpassed silica fume. Therefore, two of these waste materials seem to be promising as partial replacement materials for cement, leading to enhanced durability and thus contributing to sustainable construction.

Sulphate attack is a serious problem for concrete in marine environments. Sulphate attack can change the composition and microstructure of concrete and eventually influence the mechanical and durability performance. In this paper, the heterogeneity and mechanical properties of concrete exposed to sulphate is investigated from the microscopic to the mesoscopic scale. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and nano-indentation were adopted to define the defect zone and establish the relationship between interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and concrete matrix (mortar). The experiments were based on concrete and mortar specimens of different strengths. The results of XCT have nano-indentation indicate that the specimens had similar degrees of damage regionally and good correlation exists between the elastic moduli of the ITZ and the mortar. The concrete can be partitioned into three parts: the cracked zone with heavy damage, damaged zone and undamaged zone. The elastic modulus of the mortar phase and the ITZ has a linear relation.

Blended Portland cement-ceramic powder binder containing up to 60 % fine-ground waste ceramics from a brick factory is used in concrete mix design as an environmentally friendly alternative to the commonly used Portland cement. The experimental analysis of basic physical characteristics, mechanical and fracture-mechanical properties, durability properties and hygrothermal characteristics shows that the optimal amount of ceramic powder in the mix is 20 % of the mass of blended cement. The decisive parameters in that respect are compressive strength, liquid water transport parameters and resistance to de-icing salts, which are not satisfactory for higher ceramics dosage in the blends. In the case of other parameters studied, the limits for the effective use of ceramic powder are higher: 40 % for effective fracture toughness and specific fracture energy, 60 % for frost resistance and chemical resistance to MgCl2, NH4Cl, Na2SO4, HCl and CO2. The water vapour diffusion coefficient is found to increase with increasing ceramics content, which for wet envelopes can be considered as a positive feature, but may have a negative effect for dry envelopes. The thermal conductivity of all mixes increases fast with growing moisture content; differences of up to 50 % between the dry and water-saturated state values are observed. This has to be taken into account in energy-related calculations.

This paper presents the preliminary results of the effect of ultrafine fly ash (UFFA) on the properties of concretes containing recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) originating from construction and demolition (C&D) wastes. The effect of 10 % UFFA on the compressive strength, tensile strength, sorptivity and chloride ion permeability of concretes containing 25 and 50 % RCA is evaluated at 7, 28 and 56 days. The addition of UFFA increased the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concretes at all ages up to 56 days. However, a slight reduction in the tensile strength of recycled aggregate concretes was observed. Concrete containing 25 % RCA and 10 % UFFA achieved 94 % of the control concrete's compressive strength at 56 days. In both recycled aggregate concretes tested, the sorptivity and chloride ion permeability are much lower at all ages due to the addition of 10 % UFFA. This is because it serves to promote hydration and block the large capillary pores within the concrete.

The Bella Sky Hotel comprises two towers both leaning at an angle of 15 degrees. This inclination introduces enormous forces throughout the building which posed huge challenges for the design. Moreover, the building is made of precast concrete elements, which led to further major design hurdles. A full 3D linear elastic FE (finite element) model modified to approximate non-linear support conditions was used for the design of the hotel. Detailed design was carried out using specific post-design programs. These programs were developed for handling the design of lintels, in-plane forces, stability, horizontal joints, vertical joints and joint reinforcement. The large forces in the building require a substantial amount of reinforcement and thus several complex geometric design solutions. For Rambøll the design has been the start of a new era for building design employing in situ and precast concrete.

Birmingham New Street is the busiest UK rail station outside of London. Growing demand following upgrade works to the West Coast Main Line has seen passenger numbers exceed the design capacity of the current station, which was constructed in 1967. To meet projected increases in passenger numbers, a redevelopment of the historic station is currently underway. Retaining all major structural features, the redevelopment is being undertaken over a live railway in the heart of Birmingham while maintaining existing passenger capacity.This paper describes the structural assessment and strengthening design work undertaken to facilitate the regeneration of Birmingham New Street. The assessment methodologies used in examining this historic concrete structure are discussed before the design of subsequent strengthening works is presented.

This paper presents the results of an experimental test series carried out to investigate the soil-structure-pavement interaction in the vicinity of the transition slab at the end of an integral bridge. The main function of transition slabs is to ease the transition between the bridge deck and the embankment in the case of differential settlement. Additionally, in the case of integral bridges, transition slabs can solve the problem of moderate imposed longitudinal deformations at the bridge ends. In this case the displacements imposed on the transition slab can lead to vertical and longitudinal surface displacements and to cracking of the pavement. Based on the observed behaviour, some recommendations are proposed for the geometry and surface conditions in order to optimize the behaviour of transition slabs.

This paper presents the results of experimental investigations of high-strength concrete edge and corner columns intersected by concrete slabs. The effect of the intersection by weaker slab concrete on the load-carrying capacities of reinforced concrete columns is investigated. The only parameter considered was the location of the column with respect to the edge of the slab. It is stated that providing a small slab overhang beyond the column edge makes it possible to increase the actual strength of the joint concrete significantly. The results of the authors' research clearly demonstrate that providing a sufficiently large slab overhang allows the designer to treat edge and corner column-slab connection joints in the same way as internal joints. Existing code provisions concerning strength of concrete in edge and corner column-slab connection joints are in some cases too conservative and require clarification.

Lightweight foamed concrete (LWFC) is a concrete having structural strength with lightweight density and high flowability. High-performance lightweight foamed concrete (HPLWFC) is used in modern concrete technology and intensively in the construction of high-rise buildings, long-span concrete structures, road sub-bases and other applications. The present work deals with the fresh and hardened properties of LWFC. The fresh properties of LWFC are measured with the flow and fresh density tests. The hardened properties tests include compressive strength, flexural strength, flexural toughness, static modulus of elasticity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, water absorption and oven-dry density. In addition, the study focuses mainly on the effect of the fibres added to LWFC mixes. Two types of fibre have been used: glass fibres and polypropylene fibres, and the combination of glass fibres (GF) and polypropylene fibres (PPF) to obtain hybrid fibres (GF+PPF).This study also focuses on the effect of hybrid fibres on the flexural toughness of HPLWFC. Trial mixes have been used to choose the optimum mix. The definition for choosing the best mix depended on three parameters: oven-dry density, flowability and compressive strength. The volume fraction of glass and polypropylene fibres are 0.06, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 %, and 0.2, 0.6, 1 and 1.4 % respectively. The percentages of hybrid fibres “GF + PPF” are “0.2 + 0.6”, “0.4 + 0.6”, “0.2 + 1” and “0.4 + 1” %. The results show that the greatest increments in the compressive and flexural strengths of LWFC are 51 and 21 % respectively due to the use of 0.6 % glass fibres. On the other hand, LWFC reinforced with polypropylene fibres exhibits only a minor increase in compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strengths. The best percentage of hybrid fibres yielding the highest increment in LWFC is “0.4 % GF + 0.6 % PPF”. The results of flexural toughness tests indicate that the polypropylene fibres denote a higher efficiency in the flexural toughness than is the case with glass fibres. The flexural toughness results increase with the volume fraction of the fibres. The hybridization shows the best flexural toughness values due to the cooperative work of the glass and polypropylene fibres boost the performance of flexural toughness in pre-crack and post-crack zones. Therefore, the use of 0.4 %GF + 1 %PPF gives the best results in this regard.

This paper summarizes the results of the development of advanced fibre-reinforced concrete intended for explosion-resistant applications. Experimental research was carried out with the aim of contributing to understanding the effect of different types of reinforcement on the behaviour of high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete subjected to a blast load. The fine-grained concrete matrix was reinforced by various types of dispersed fibre - metallic, carbon, mineral and polymer - in different lengths (6-55 mm) and combinations, while the volume content (3 %) of fibres was kept constant. Physico-mechanical and explosion tests were performed on prismatic and slab-shaped specimens and the effect of different kinds of reinforcement on the blast resistance and mechanical performance of the concrete samples was evaluated. The accelerations of the specimens within the blast load were ascertained. The material characteristics and explosion test data obtained were used to create a finite element model in LS-DYNA. The numerical and experimental investigations resulted in the design of concrete elements for population protection which are able to resist an explosion defined by the weight and placement of the charge. The resistance of the newly designed concrete element was confirmed by a field blast test.

Fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) without any traditional reinforcement is used particularly extensively in structures such as pavements and tunnels. The fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010 introduced the possibility of using FRC for structural design and it is becoming a reference document for such structures. The application of fib Model Code 2010 suggestions for flexural and axial forces, once the constitutive relationships of the material are defined, allows for safe design. However, shear verification is often a cause of discussion in the design community. The aim of this paper is to clarify this aspect and provide a procedure that can be followed in the design process. A case study is also presented.

A method of analysis for predicting the shear strength and behaviour of shear-dominated reinforced concrete beams is presented in this paper. The proposed model is based on the softened membrane model that accounts for the Poisson's effect on the behaviour of reinforced concrete beams subjected to the combined effect of shear and flexure. The softened membrane model is appealing for modelling the shear behaviour of concrete elements as it is based on solid mechanics of materials fundamentals. The accuracy of the proposed mathematical model was validated against the experimental results of 66 reinforced concrete elements tested under pure shear as well as 167 shear-dominated RC beams available in the literature. Analysis results showed that the proposed model could satisfactorily predict the shear strength as well as the entire shear stress-shear strain behaviour of shear-dominated beams.

Strain penetration of the longitudinal reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC) members at the joints and/or footings results in fixed-end rotations at the member ends. Several experimental studies have shown that fixed-end rotations caused by strain penetration contribute significantly (up to 50 %) to the total displacement capacity of RC members. Hence, accurate determination of these fixed-end rotations at yielding and ultimate limit states is of primary importance when defining the structural response of RC members. The purpose of this study is to present the theoretical background to and the assumptions made for the most common relationships found in the literature for determining strain penetration-induced fixed-end rotations at yielding and ultimate. Furthermore, new simple relationships are proposed on the basis of realistic and mechanically based assumptions. Comparisons between the existing and proposed relationships demonstrate the limitations of the former. Finally, the proposed relationships are calibrated against experimental measurements of RC column specimens subjected to cyclic loading with recorded fixed-end rotations due to strain penetration in the adjacent joints and/or footings.

A reliability-based investigation into the ductility measures for reinforced concrete (RC) beams designed according to the current fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010 is presented in this paper. Based on the ductility ratio (= ratio of strain in tensile rebar to yield stress of steel), a limit state to ensure adequate ductility in RC beams is proposed. Results show that the ductility ratio generally follows a right-skewed distribution, and due to variability in the material properties and model error, there is high variability in the strain ductility. This high variability in the ductility ratio leads to a high probability of non-ductile behaviour for RC beam designs based on the code. This is more pronounced for normal-strength concrete and grade S500 steel. Based on a target probability taken from the literature, a modification to the allowable neutral axis depth advised by the code is proposed. The results presented in this paper indicate that more reliability-based studies of the safety factors provided by fib Model Code 2010 are needed in order to ensure adequate ductility in RC beams.

In engineering practice, the prevention of early-age cracking in massive concrete structures is of great importance to their serviceability during the whole life cycle. From the scientific viewpoint, this engineering concern requires the control of the early-age performance of concrete structures. Following earlier research projects against the background of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Link, the focus of this work is to obtain insights into the evolution of the early-age behaviour of precast concrete in an immersed tunnel. To this end, a full-scale test was performed, from which the behaviour of early-age concrete could be observed directly. After validating the constitutive model developed with the test results, the early-age performance during the entire fabrication process of the precast concrete immersed tunnel is evaluated numerically. It was also found that stress relaxation plays a major role in stress development in the immersed tunnel, although the thermal strain is the main source of early-age stresses. This in-depth investigation resulted in a comprehensive understanding of the early-age behaviour of an actual precast concrete immersed tunnel. What is more important, the early-age performance of concrete structures can be accurately evaluated and further adjusted or controlled with the help of the validated numerical modelling, which is no doubt beneficial for the control of early-age cracking in massive concrete structures in engineering.

The coupling of subsequent rings in the circumferential joints of tunnel lining systems is of particular interest in mechanized tunnelling and a controversial issue in discussions. On the one hand, interlocking systems such as “cam & pot” can be of use in limiting the lining's deformation. But on the other hand, unfavourable conditions often lead to repetitive and significant damage that decreases the tunnel's lifetime. This paper describes the experimental results of a three-part optimization concept (structural analysis, topological optimization and experimental verification) that was tested for concrete linings using the example of the shear coupling mechanism. First, geometrical dependencies are analysed which reveal predominantly stronger cams than corresponding pots. Hence, pot bearing capacities are increased, transferring topological optimization results to reinforcement concepts featuring micro-mesh reinforcement, steel fibre cocktails and rebars welded to anchor plates. The latter especially resulted in comparatively stronger pots along with considerably better ductility. Nevertheless, pots still represent the weaker part and are crucial for the design. Therefore, a concept with steel dowels and predefined static boundary conditions was tested. The results are characterized by a significantly lower scatter of bearing capacities accompanied by much better ductility.

In routine engineering practice, the risks associated with safety considerations addressed when designing new or assessing existing structures are not quantified and the corresponding acceptance criteria may diverge widely. Although the use of explicit risk analysis methods to quantify structural safety would therefore deliver significant benefits, the implementation of such methods is hindered by a series of technical and administrative obstacles.
The present study explores methods and tools for the practical application of explicit risk analysis methods. Structure-related risks to persons are established on the grounds of the probability of structural failure and its consequences in terms of loss of human life. The procedure adopted is applied to a representative set of building structures. Acceptance criteria for risks to persons associated with such structures are deduced from the findings. These criteria provide a rational basis for decision-making in structural engineering. They may be used in explicit risk analysis or as a basis for the consistent calibration of simplified models for determining partial factors in the design of new or assessment of existing structures.

Specifying the target reliability levels is one of the key issues in the assessment of existing structures. For a majority of existing buildings and infrastructures, the design life has been reached or will be reached in the near future. These structures need to be reassessed in order to verify their safety. Eurocodes provide a general basis primarily intended for the design of new structures, but the basic principles can be used for assessing existing buildings, too. Reliability levels are generally based on both economic optimization and criteria for human safety. In this study, both methods are elaborated for existing structures. It appears that the requirement for the same target reliability for existing and new structures is uneconomical. Further, cost optimization seems to yield rather low reliability levels and human safety criteria often become the critical factor. The study concludes with practical guidelines for establishing reliability indices for existing structures linked to Eurocode principles.

The probabilistic assessment of structures damaged by corrosion calls for deterministic models of the degradation of the structural performance and probabilistic models accounting for the uncertainties in material properties, geometry and models used in the reliability analysis. This paper describes the development of a probabilistic model of the uncertainties that arise from the prediction of the loadbearing capacity of reinforced concrete structures damaged by corrosion of the reinforcement. The investigation focuses on the flexural failure of simply supported beams suffering from chloride-induced corrosion. The loss of steel cross-sectional area, the reduction in strength and ductility of the corroded bars, the loss of bond between reinforcement and concrete and the cracking of the concrete cover are taken into account in a non-linear finite element analysis. The comparison between experimental results and numerical predictions of the failure load allows the quantification of the model uncertainty according to the framework proposed by the Joint Committee on Structural Safety. A Bayesian updating methodology is proposed to account for prior knowledge and experimental results.

For today's railways, the continuous welded rail, which enhances driving dynamics and comfort for passengers, is often the construction method of choice. However, bridges and viaducts, which can be seen as singularities in the railway substructure, still pose a few unsolved problems; the bridge structure deforms under the impacts of thermal variation, creep, shrinkage, train passage and braking. The track-bridge interaction is an important parameter in railway bridge design. Measurement campaigns and research projects have been performed to investigate the interaction process and learn how to predict longitudinal forces in the rail and the concrete slab track. For the construction of long bridges on high-speed railway lines, new computational tools, monitoring systems and enhanced verification methods for tolerable rail stresses on bridges had to be developed. In order to take the modified stiffness conditions and recent findings on rail resistance into account, the verification schemes and safety concepts based on monitoring data have to be revised and performance-based methods need to be developed. The target of this article is to present monitoring- and reliability-based assessment methods for the concrete structure-rail interaction using monitoring and non-linear analysis techniques.

Inspection and maintenance of concrete bridges is a major cost factor in transportation infrastructure, and there is significant potential for using information gained during inspection to update predictive models of the performance and reliability of such structures. In this context, this paper presents an approach for assessing and updating the reliability of prestressed concrete bridges subjected to chloride-induced reinforcement corrosion. The system deterioration state is determined based on a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) model that considers the spatial variability of the corrosion process. The overall system reliability is computed by means of a probabilistic structural model coupled with the deterioration model. Inspection data are included in the system reliability calculation through Bayesian updating on the basis of the DBN model. As proof of concept, a software prototype is developed to implement the method presented here. The software prototype is applied to a typical highway bridge and the influence of inspection information on the system deterioration state and the structural reliability is quantified taking into account the spatial correlation of the corrosion process. This work is a step towards developing a software tool that can be used by engineering practitioners to perform reliability assessments of ageing concrete bridges and update their reliability with inspection and monitoring data.

The fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010 introduced the concept of levels of approximation (LoA) as a strategy for simplifying the procedures involved in preliminary design stages or the design of non-critical structural elements while still providing the tools for engineers to use state-of-the-art techniques in the assessment of existing structures or in the advanced stages of design for critical structural elements. In this paper, this concept is applied to the determination of the punching shear resistance of reinforced concrete slabs. A procedure is validated for the highest LoA involving non-linear finite element analysis (NLFEA) with multi-layered shell elements and the critical shear crack theory (CSCT). The safety format proposed for use in the safety verification assisted by NLFEA is based on the definition of a global resistance safety factor. A semi-probabilistic approach is followed, based on the assumption of a lognormal distribution for the resistance and on an estimate of its coefficient of variation. This approach is validated by means of a comparison with the results from a probabilistic analysis.
The LoA approach is initially applied to the study of statically determinate slabs supported on one column to verify the effectiveness of the procedure presented here compared with other validated methods available in the literature. The paper concludes with a case study illustrating the application of the proposed procedure to a bridge deck slab and highlighting the benefits of using a higher LoA.