Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Robert J. Peterman / As of 2005, 23% of the bridges in the Kansas infrastructure are classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete according to the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card (ASCE, 2008). One alternative to replacing the entire bridge structure is replacing only the superstructure with lightweight concrete. This option is more economical for city, county, and state governments alike. Replacing the superstructure with lightweight concrete can oftentimes allow the bridge rating to be upgraded to higher load capacities or higher traffic volumes. Furthermore, lightweight concrete can be used initially in a bridge deck to provide reduced weight and a lower modulus of elasticity, therefore lower cracking potential. The Kansas Department of Transportation is interested in the potential benefits of using lightweight aggregate concrete in Kansas bridge decks and prestressed bridge girders. This research project used three types of lightweight aggregate to develop lightweight concrete mixtures for a bridge deck and for prestressed bridge girders. Two of the lightweight aggregates were expanded shale obtained locally from the Buildex Company. One deposit was located in Marquette, Kansas, and the other in New Market, Missouri. The third lightweight aggregate source was expanded slate obtained from the Stalite Company in North Carolina. Aggregate properties including absorption, gradation, and L.A. Abrasion were evaluated. Over 150 lightweight concrete mixtures were created and tested and several mix design variables such as water-to-cement ratio, cement content, and coarse-to-fine aggregate ratio were evaluated. From these results, optimized bridge deck and optimized prestressed concrete mixtures were developed for each type of lightweight aggregate. Special concerns for lightweight aggregate concrete are addressed. These optimized concrete mixtures were then tested for KDOT acceptability standards for the concrete properties of compressive strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, freeze-thaw resistance, permeability, alkali-silica reactivity, drying shrinkage, and autogenous shrinkage. All concrete mixtures performed satisfactorily according to KDOT standards. In addition, an internal curing effect due to the moisture content of the lightweight aggregate was observed during the autogenous shrinkage test.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2001)--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Civil Engineering / unrestricted

Thirty full scale prestressed concrete struts all having a slenderness ratio of L/D = 40 were tested with three different eccentricities. Stress-strain curves of the corresponding test cylinders were established and the Young's Moduli evaluated. The specimens were fabricated with different percentages of prestressing steel ranging from 0.23 to 1.20%. The initial prestressing forces were set to obtain a final prestress of 140,000 psi in all specimens. The dimensions of the struts, and the quality and manufacturing process of the concrete, were kept constant. Special adjustable supporting devices simulated ideal hinged conditions. The struts were tested to their ultimate capacity and their critical buckling loads were evaluated. The tests proved that, provided the column is made of high quality concrete, the critical load values can be obtained by using Euler's fundamental formula, and these values are independent of the amount of prestressing. For eccentrically loaded struts maximum stresses from a modified secant formula, incorporating effect of prestressing, were compared with those calculated on basis of observed deflections. According to the test results the secant modulus corresponding to the average compressive stress should be used in Euler's formula. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

During its service life, a structure may be subjected to various environmental and loading conditions. However, in general, the properties determined under one set of conditions may not be used to determine the behaviour of the material under a different set of conditions. For example, it is well known that concrete is a strain rate sensitive material; therefore, its properties determined under conventional static loading cannot be used to predict the performance of concrete subjected to high strain rates. The problem is serious because these high strain rate loadings are associated with large amounts of energy imparted to the structure in a very short period of time, and concrete is a brittle material. Since the strain rate sensitivity of concrete prohibits the use of its statically determined properties in assessing its behaviour under dynamic conditions, high strain rate tests are required. Impact tests were carried out on about 500 concrete beams. An instrumented drop weight impact machine was used. The instrumentation included strain gauges mounted in the striking end of the hammer (called 'the tup'), and also in one of the support anvils. In addition, three accelerometers were mounted along the length of the beam in order to obtain the beam response, and also to enable the inertial correction to the observed tup load to be made. Two different concrete mixes, normal strength with a compressive strength of 42 MPa, and high strength with a compressive strength of 82 MPa, were tested. The effect of two types of fibres, high modulus steel, and low modulus fibrillated polypropylene, in enhancing concrete properties was investigated. In addition, tests were also conducted on beams with conventional reinforcement. Hammer drop heights ranging from 0.15m to 2.30m were used. Static tests were conducted on companion specimens for a direct comparison with the dynamic results. In general, it was found that concrete is a very stain rate sensitive material. Both the peak bending loads and the fracture energies were higher under dynamic conditions than under static conditions. Fibres, particularly the steel fibres, were found to significantly increase the ductility and the impact resistance of the composite. High strength concrete made with microsilica, in certain circumstances, was found to behave in a far more brittle manner than normal strength concrete. High speed photography (at 10,000 frames per second) was used to study the propagation of cracks under impact loading. In general, the crack velocities were found to be far lower than the theoretical crack velocities. The presence of reinforcement, either in the form of fibres, or of continuous bars was found to reduce the crack velocity. A model was proposed based on a time step integration technique to evaluate the response of a beam subjected to an external impact pulse. The model was capable of predicting not only the experimentally observed non-linear behaviour of concrete under impact loading, but also the more pronounced brittle behaviour of high strength concrete. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

El Perú presenta diversas eventualidades como las lluvias, que retrasan distintas actividades que promueven el crecimiento económico del país. Las zonas urbanas necesitan una mejora continua del entorno con mejores infraestructuras para promover el crecimiento y reducir los accidentes. En la actualidad, se necesita fomentar por el medio local soluciones innovadoras para la evacuación de altas precipitaciones. El concreto permeable es un tipo de concreto cuya tecnología permite que el agua discurra a través de su estructura por la alta porosidad que posee a diferencia del concreto tradicional. Es fabricado de agregado grueso y material cementante, con un bajo porcentaje de finos de hasta el 10%. Esta investigación consiste en proponer un diseño de mezcla de concreto permeable de f’c=175kg/cm² aplicado en veredas que satisfaga distintos requerimientos establecidos por las normas CE010 de Pavimentos Urbanos, ACI 211.3R, ACI 522R-10 y los propios de la zona de aplicación. Para ello se realizó una batería de 12 diseños de mezcla con relaciones a/c 0.30, 0.35 y 0.38; agregados de HUSO 7 y 67; cementos portland tipo 1 Sol y Quisqueya; y aditivo Z fluidizante SR. Se realizaron ensayos en estado fresco: Slump, peso volumétrico y contenido de vacíos; y en estado endurecido: Resistencia a la compresión y flexión, y permeabilidad. Finalmente se realizó un prototipo con el diseño que presentó mejores características con el propósito de validar la investigación y se realizo un comparativo entre las veredas de concreto permeable y tradicional. / Peru presents various eventualities such as rainfall, which delay different activities that promote the country's economic growth. Urban areas need continuous improvement of the environment with better infrastructure to promote growth and reduce accidents. At present, innovative solutions for the evacuation of high rainfall need to be promoted through the local environment. Permeable concrete is a type of concrete whose technology allows water to flow through its structure due to the high porosity it possesses, unlike traditional concrete. It is made of coarse aggregate and cementitious material, with a low percentage of fines of up to 10%. This research consists in proposing a permeable concrete mix design of f'c = 175kg / cm² applied in sidewalks that satisfies different requirements established by the CE010 standards of Urban Pavements, ACI 211.3R, ACI 522R-10 and those of the area of application. For this, a battery of 12 mixing designs with a / c ratios of 0.30, 0.35 and 0.38; aggregates of HUSO 7 and 67; portland cements type 1 Sol and Quisqueya; and fluidizing Z additive SR. Fresh tests were performed: Slump, volumetric weight and void content; and in a hardened state: resistance to compression and flexion, and permeability. Finally, a prototype was made with the design that presented better characteristics with the purpose of validating the research and a comparison was made between the permeable and traditional concrete sidewalks. / Tesis

La finalidad de la investigación realizada en este documento es presentar el concreto reforzado con fibras de acero como alternativa de solución para la construcción de pavimento rígido. La necesidad de mejorar la calidad de los pavimentos rígidos frente a los problemas recurrentes de fisuración, optimizar costos, aumentar la calidad y optimizar los materiales para mejorar la sostenibilidad ambiental y social, impulsa el estudio e investigaciones sobre distintos aditivos que se agregan al concreto como también el tipo de refuerzo que lo complementa. Este documento se enfocará en realizar una propuesta de concretos reforzados con fibra de acero y cemento puzolánico para la construcción de pavimento rígido comparando las propiedades físicas y mecánicas de las mezclas y así obtener la mezcla más eficiente que cumpla las condiciones del expediente técnico para así realizar la aplicación en un tramo del proyecto de pavimentación en la provincia de Grau del departamento de Apurímac. / The purpose of the research carried out in this document is to present concrete reinforced with steel fibers as technical solution for the construction of concrete pavement an alternative solution for the construction of rigid pavement. In order to save costs per cubic meter per square meter of pavement and optimize raw material so increase quality and optimize materials to improve environmental and social sustainability, encourages the study and research on different chemical addition that are added to the concrete as well as the type of reinforcement that complements it. This document will focus on making a proposal of reinforced concrete with steel fiber and pozzolanic cement for the construction of rigid pavement by comparing the physical and mechanical properties of the mixtures and thus obtain the most efficient mixture that meets the conditions of the technical file in order to perform the application in a section of the paving project in the province of Grau of the department of Apurímac. / Tesis

Bibliography: pages 128-132. / A micro-computer based package for the analysis and design of prestressed flat slabs is presented. The constant strain triangle and the discreet Kirchhoff plate bending triangle are combined to provide an efficient "shell" element. These triangles are used for the finite element analysis of prestressed flat slabs. An efficient out-of-core solver for sets of linear simultaneous equations is presented. This solver was developed especially for micro-computers. Subroutines for the design of prestressed flat slabs include the principal stresses in the top and bottom fibres of the plate, Wood/Armer moments and untensioned steel areas calculated according to Clark's recommendations. Extensive pre- and post-processing facilities are presented. Several plotting routines were developed to aid the user in his understanding of the behaviour of the structure under load and prestressing.

Thesis: B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1909 / by G.M. Gilkison, R.W. Millard. / B.S. / B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Corrosion of steel reinforcements is the leading causes of malfunction or even failures of reinforced concrete (RC) structures nationwide and worldwide for many decades. This arises up to substantial economic burden on repairs and rehabilitations to maintain and extend their service life of those RC public projects. The inherent natures of glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRP) bars, from their superior corrosion resistance to high strength-to-weight ratio, have promoted their acceptance as a viable alternative for steel reinforcement in civil infrastructures. Comprehensive understanding of the bond between GFRP bars and concrete, in particular under in-service conditions or extremely severe events, enables scientists and engineers to provide their proper design, assessment and long-term predictions, and ultimately to implement them toward the corrosion-free concrete products. This research aims to develop a holistic framework through an experimental, analytical and numerical study to gain deep understanding of the bond mechanism, behavior, and its long-term durability under harsh environments. The bond behavior and failure modes of GFRP bar to concrete are investigated through the accelerated aging tests with various environmental conditions, including alkaline and/or saline solutions, freezing-thawing cycles. The damage evolution of the bond is formulated from Damage Mechanics, while detailed procedures using the Arrhenius law and time shift factor approach are developed to predict the long-term bond degradation over time. Besides, the machine learning techniques of the artificial neural network integrated with the genetic algorithm are used for bond strength prediction and anchorage reliability assessment. Clearly, test data allow further calibration and verification of the analytical models and the finite element simulation. Bond damage evolution using the secant modulus of the bond-slip curves could effectively evaluate the interface degradation against slip and further identify critical factors that affect the bond design and assessment under the limit states. Long-term prediction reveals that the moisture content and elevated temperature could impact the material degradation of GFRP bars, thereby affecting their service life. In addition, the new attempt of the Data-to-Information concept using the machine learning techniques could yield valuable insight into the bond strength prediction and anchorage reliability analysis for their applications in RC structures. / ND NASA EPCoR (FAR0023941) / ND NSF EPSCoR (FAR0022364) / US DOT (FAR0025913)

Thesis: M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering, 1978 / Bibliography: p. 195-199. / M.S. / M.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering