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Effective determination of long-term prestress losses is important in the design of prestressed concrete bridges. Over-predicting prestress losses results in an overly conservative design for service load stresses, and under-predicting prestress losses, can result in cracking at service loads. Creep and shrinkage produce the most significant time-dependent effect on prestress losses, and research has shown that high performance and high strength concretes (HPC and HSC) exhibit less creep and shrinkage than conventional concrete. For this reason, the majority of traditional creep and shrinkage models and methods for estimating prestress losses, over-predict the prestress losses of HPC and HSC girders. Nine HPC girders, with design compressive strengths ranging from 8,000 psi to 10,000 psi, and three 8,000 psi lightweight HPC (HPLWC) girders were instrumented to determine the changes in strain and prestress losses. Several creep and shrinkage models were used to model the instrumented girders. For the HPLWC, each model over-predicted the long-term strains, and the Shams and Kahn model was the best predictor of the measured strains. For the normal weight HPC, the models under-estimated the measured strains at early ages and over-estimated the measured strains at later ages, and the B3 model was the best-predictor of the measured strains. The PCI-BDM model was the most consistent model across all of the instrumented girders. Several methods for estimating prestress losses were also investigated. The methods correlated to high strength concrete, the PCI-BDM and NCHRP 496 methods, predicted the total losses more accurately than the methods provided in the AASHTO Specifications. The newer methods over-predicted the total losses of the HPLWC girders by no more than 8 ksi, and although they under-predicted the total losses of the normal weight HPC girders, they did so by less than 5 ksi. / Ph. D.

Concrete construction methods and practices influence the final in-place quality of concrete. A low permeability concrete mixture does not alone ensure quality in-place concrete. If the concrete mixture is not transported, placed and cured properly, it may not exhibit the desired durability and mechanical properties. This study investigates the in-place permeation properties of low permeability concrete bridge decks mixtures used in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Permeation properties were assessed in both the laboratory and in the field using 4-point Wenner array electrical resistivity, surface air flow (SAF), and chloride ion penetrability (ASTM C 1202-97). Laboratory test specimens consisted of two concrete slabs having dimensions of 280 x 280 x 102-mm (11 x 11 x 4-in) and twelve 102 x 204-mm (4 x 8-in) cylinders per concrete mixture. Specimens were tested at 7, 28 and 91-days. Thirteen cylinder specimens per concrete mixture underwent standard curing in a saturated limewater bath. The simulated field-curing regimes used wet burlap and plastic sheeting for 3 (3B) and 7 days (7B) respectively and was applied to both slabs and cylinder specimens. Slab specimen were tested on finished surface using the SAF at 28 and 91 days, and 4-point electrical resistivity measurements at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 91 days. Compressive strength (CS) tests were conducted at 7 and 28 days. Chloride ion penetrability tests were performed at 7, 28, and 91 days. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the significance of the relationships for the following: Total charge passed and initial current (ASTM C 1202-97); 3B resistivity and 7B resistivity; Slab and cylinder resistivity; Slab resistivity and ASTM C-1202-97 (Total Charge and Initial current); and Surface Air Flow and ASTM C-1202-97. Field cast specimens, test slabs and cylinders, were cast on-site during concrete bridge deck construction. The slab dimensions were 30.5 x 40.6 x 10.2-cm (12 x 16 x 4 in.), and the cylinders were 10.2 x 20.4-cm (4 x 8-in). In-situ SAF and resistivity measurements were taken on the bridge deck at 14, 42 and 91 days. In-place SAF and resistivity measurements on laboratory field cast slabs were taken at 7, 14 and 28-days. ASTM C 1202-97 specimens were prepared from field cast cylinders and tested at 7 and 28 and 42-days. The relationship between in-place permeation measures from field specimens was compared to laboratory data. Results indicated no difference in chloride ion penetrability (Figures 7.4 and 7.5) and 28-day compressive strength (Figure 7.2) with regard to differing simulated field curing regimes, for same age testing. There was no significant difference at the 95 % confidence level between 3B resistivity and 7B resistivity specimens tested at the same age (Figures 7.9 and 7.10). A well defined relationship was observed between total charge passed and initial current (Figure 7-6). An inverse power function was found to describe the relationship between charge passed/initial current and electrical resistivity for all laboratory mixtures used in this study (Figure 7.17 – 7.22). Field data was used to validate laboratory established models for charge passed/initial current and electrical resistivity. Laboratory established models were able to predict 30 to 50% of the field data (Figures 7.31 – 7.34). Results indicate that the SAF lacked the sensitivity to classify the range of concretes used in this study (Figure 7.24). / Ph. D.

This research develops and validates computational tools for the design and analysis of structural components and systems constructed with Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The modeling strategy utilizes the Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM) to represent UHPC material and structural member response, and extends a structural-level triaxial continuum constitutive law to account for the addition of discrete fibers. The approach is robust, general, and could be utilized by other researchers to expand the computational capability and simulate the behavior of different composite materials. The work described herein identifies the model material parameters by conducting a complete material characterization for UHPC, with and without fiber reinforcement, describing its behavior in unconfined compression, uniaxial tension, and fracture toughness. It characterizes the effect of fiber orientations, fiber-matrix interaction, and resolves the issue of multi-axial stress states on fiber pullout. The capabilities of the computational models are demonstrated by comparing the material test data that were not used in the parameter identification phase to numerical simulations to validate the models' predictive capabilities. These models offer a mechanics-based shortcut to UHPC analysis that can strategically support ongoing development of material and structural design codes and standards. / Ph. D.

Yes / Considering the continuous development of sustainable development, energy saving, and emission reduction concepts, it is very important to reduce concrete's cement content in order to improve its environmental impact. Using reactive admixture to replace part of the cement in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) can effectively improve the overall performance of the concrete and reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), which is an important aspect of environmental protection. Here, industrial waste residue (fly ash and slag), sea sand (SS), and manufactured sand (MS) were used to produce UHPC under standard curing condition, to reduce the material cost and make the it more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The effects of water-binder ratio, contents of cementitious materials, types of sands, and content of steel fibers on the mechanical performance of UHPC under standard curing were investigated experimentally. In addition, the effects of various factors on the depth under hydraulic pressure and electric flux of UHPC, mass loss, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, flexural, and compressive strengths of UHPC specimens after freeze-thaw cycles were conducted to evaluate the impermeability, chloride, and freeze-thaw resistance of various UHPCs produced. The obtained experimental results show that the SS-UHPC and MS-UHPC prepared by standard curing exhibit high strength, excellent impermeability, and chloride resistance. The frost resistant grade of all groups of UHPCs prepared by standard curing are greater than F500 and had excellent freeze-thaw resistance, including those produced with local tap water or artificial seawater. The investigation presented in this paper could contribute to the production of new UHPCs of low cost and environmental-friendly and accelerate the application of UHPC in engineering structures.

This thesis presents the results of an effort to quantify the implications of using ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) for shear walls in tall buildings considering structural efficiency and environmental sustainability. The Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM) was used to simulate the response to failure of concrete shear walls without web steel bar reinforcement under lateral loading and constant axial compressive loading. The structural efficiency of UHPC with simulated compressive strength of f'c = 231 MPa was compared to that of a high-performance concrete (HPC) with f'c = 51.7 MPa simulated compressive strength. UHPC shear walls were found to have equal uncracked stiffness and superior post-cracking capacity at a thickness 58% of the HPC shear wall thickness, and at 59% of the HPC shear wall weight. Next, the environmental sustainability of UHPC with compressive strength f'c = 220-240 MPa was compared to that of an HPC with compressive strength f'c = 49 MPa with a life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach, using SimaPro sustainability software. At a thickness 58% of the HPC shear wall thickness, UHPC shear walls with 0% fiber by volume were found to have an environmental impact 6% to 10% worse than that of HPC shear walls, and UHPC shear walls with 2% fiber by volume were found to have an environmental impact 47% to 58% worse than that of HPC shear walls. The results detailed herein will allow for design guidelines to be developed which take advantage of UHPC response in shear. Additionally, this work may be implemented into topology optimization frameworks that incorporate the potential improvements in structural efficiency and sustainability through using UHPC. / Master of Science

Diese Arbeit basiert auf der Untersuchung von hochfesten und ultrahochfesten Betonen mit und ohne Fasern unter zwei- und dreiaxialer Druckbeanspruchung. Die Auswirkung der unterschiedlichen Betonzusammensetzung ist für verschiedene Beanspruchungen nicht gleich ausgeprägt, dennoch konnten grundlegende Zusammenhänge herausgearbeitet werden. Anhand der Bruchbilder konnten die drei Versagensmechanismen Druck-, Spalt- und Schubbruch identifiziert werden, deren Charakteristik über die Kalibrierung an vier speziellen Versuchswerten direkt in das Bruchkriterium einfließen. Dieses stellt eine Erweiterung der Formulierung von OTTOSEN dar, so dass das spröde und z. T. anisotrope Verhalten von Hochleistungsbeton berücksichtigt wird. Die beobachteten Spannungs-Dehnungs-Verläufe korrelieren mit den Versagensformen. Deshalb wird ein Stoffgesetz getrennt für den Druck- und den Zugmeridian aufgestellt, dessen Parameter sich mit zunehmendem hydrostatischen Druck verändern. In die Anfangswerte fließen die Betonzusammensetzung und herstellungsbedingte Anisotropien ein. Die lastinduzierte Anisotropie infolge einer gerichteten Mikrorissbildung wird in dem vorgestellten Stoffgesetzt über richtungsabhängige Parameter ebenfalls berücksichtigt.

Diese Arbeit basiert auf der Untersuchung von hochfesten und ultrahochfesten Betonen mit und ohne Fasern unter zwei- und dreiaxialer Druckbeanspruchung. Die Auswirkung der unterschiedlichen Betonzusammensetzung ist für verschiedene Beanspruchungen nicht gleich ausgeprägt, dennoch konnten grundlegende Zusammenhänge herausgearbeitet werden. Anhand der Bruchbilder konnten die drei Versagensmechanismen Druck-, Spalt- und Schubbruch identifiziert werden, deren Charakteristik über die Kalibrierung an vier speziellen Versuchswerten direkt in das Bruchkriterium einfließen. Dieses stellt eine Erweiterung der Formulierung von OTTOSEN dar, so dass das spröde und z. T. anisotrope Verhalten von Hochleistungsbeton berücksichtigt wird. Die beobachteten Spannungs-Dehnungs-Verläufe korrelieren mit den Versagensformen. Deshalb wird ein Stoffgesetz getrennt für den Druck- und den Zugmeridian aufgestellt, dessen Parameter sich mit zunehmendem hydrostatischen Druck verändern. In die Anfangswerte fließen die Betonzusammensetzung und herstellungsbedingte Anisotropien ein. Die lastinduzierte Anisotropie infolge einer gerichteten Mikrorissbildung wird in dem vorgestellten Stoffgesetzt über richtungsabhängige Parameter ebenfalls berücksichtigt.

Neste trabalho estuda-se o comportamento de vigas de concreto armado reforçadas mediante duas técnicas distintas de reabilitação: adição de armadura longitudinal no bordo tracionado envolvida com argamassa de alto desempenho com ou sem fibras de aço, ou fixação de chapa de aço, também no bordo tracionado, por meio de argamassa de alto desempenho e conectores de aço. Inicialmente foi efetuado um levantamento dos principais materiais usados em reparo/reforço e dos procedimentos e recomendações indicados na literatura, para a reabilitação de elementos estruturais de concreto armado. Apresentou-se ainda uma síntese dos estudos mais recentes realizados nesta área de pesquisa e os resultados de alguns ensaios de vigas recuperadas realizados por outros pesquisadores. Na seqüência, foram realizados sete ensaios experimentais em vigas de concreto armado com seção transversal \"T\", de tamanho real, para avaliar a eficiência das duas técnicas de reabilitação propostas. De acordo com os resultados obtidos percebe-se que vigas reabilitadas através da adição de fibras de aço na argamassa que envolve a armadura complementar e de conectores metálicos soldados na chapa de aço são eficientes. Além disso, é imprescindível, nas vigas com chapas de aço, realizar uma boa ancoragem desses elementos para evitar a ruptura prematura da peça. Finalmente foi constatado que os resultados experimentais de outros pesquisadores indicam a viabilidade da reabilitação por meio de técnicas semelhantes as empregadas neste trabalho. / This work deals with the behaviour of reinforced concrete beams rehabilitated using two different techniques. One of these techniques consists of the addition of longitudinal reinforcement embedded in a plain or steel fiber reinforced high performance mortar at the tensioned face of the member. The second technique refers to the attachment of a steel plate to the bottom face of the beam, using a high performance mortar and steel connectors. Firstly, it was performed a research about the materials that are most commonly used on repair/strengthening and the recommendations prescribed in the available literature for reinforced concrete members. The work also presents a synthesis of the recent researches in this area, showing the results of some tests carried out by several authors. Next, seven experimental tests were carried out on reinforced concrete T-beams, in full-scale, in order to assess the efficiency of the two techniques mentioned. According to the results obtained on these tests, it can be concluded that beams rehabilitated through addition of steel fibers to the mortar used to cover the complementary reinforcement and metallic connectors welded to the steel plate are efficient. Also, when using steel plate, a good anchorage must be provided to prevent premature failure of the member. Finally, it can be stated that the results obtained by other researchers indicate that the rehabilitation of beams by means of the two techniques presented is feasible.

O Concreto de Alto Desempenho (CAD) tem sido extensivamente estudado em muitos centros de pesquisas porque seu uso tem aumentado de maneira significativa na construção civil. Mas a fragilidade deste material, quando a resistência à compressão é alta, tem levado os pesquisadores a estudar maneiras de diminuir esta característica, como por exemplo aumentando as taxas de armaduras transversal e/ou longitudinal dos elementos estruturais em concreto armado. Este trabalho trata do uso de fibras adicionadas ao concreto para uso em pilares submetidos à compressão, visando dar subsídios técnicos em outra maneira de se obter ductilidade em elementos de concreto de alta resistência, utilizando taxas usuais de armadura transversal. Apresenta-se um estudo experimental sobre pilares em concreto de alto desempenho com adição de fibras metálicas, com seção transversal de 200 mm x 200 mm e altura de 1200 mm, submetidos à compressão centrada, onde o concreto apresenta uma resistência média à compressão de 80 MPa. As taxas volumétricas de fibras foram de 0,25%; 0,50%, 0,75% e 1,00%, adotaram-se taxas volumétricas de estribos de 0,55%, 0,82% e 1,63% e a taxa geométrica de armadura longitudinal de 2,41% permaneceu a mesma para todos os pilares. Percebeu-se que a ruptura dos pilares foi mais dúctil quanto maior era a quantidade de fibras adicionadas ao concreto. Na análise teórica feita com os modelos, constatou-se que somente a seção transversal do núcleo, ou seja, aquela delimitada pelos eixos dos estribos, contribui para a resistência dos pilares, para pequenas taxas de fibras adicionadas ao concreto. / High Performance Concrete (HPC) has been studied extensively at many centres of research, because of its increasing use in reinforced concrete buildings. Since HPC is a brittle material, mainly when its strength is high (HSC), studies have been done to increase its ductility. Increases in longitudinal and/or transverse steel ratios can improve the ductility of HPC elements. This work shows a research about concrete with steel fibres for columns under compression load, in another way to obtain ductility in high strength concrete elements with usual stirrups ratio. It was made a experimental studied about columns in HSC with steel fibres addition, with 20 cm x 20 cm of cross section and 120 cm high, under compression load. The concrete strength was about 80 MPa, the volumetric fibres ratio were 0,25%, 0,50%, 0,75% and 1,00%, the stirrups ratio were 0,55%, 0,82% and 1,63% and the longitudinal bars ratio was constant for all columns. It was noted that the columns failure was more ductile when the fibres ratio was higher. It was verified on theoretical analyses made with the models that only the cross-sectional core, it means the section delimited by the stirrups, effectively contributed to the load capacity of the columns.