<p>Godkänd; 1985; 20080404 (ysko)</p>

Early-age (up to 24 hours after casting) cracking may become problematic in any concrete structure. It can damage the aesthetics of the concrete member and decrease the durability and serviceability by facilitating the ingress of harmful material. Moreover, these cracks may expand gradually during the member’s service-life due to long-term shrinkage and/or loading. Early-age cracking is caused by two driving forces: 1) plastic shrinkage cracking which is a physical phenomenon and occurs due to rapid and excessive loss of moisture, mainly in form of evaporation, 2) chemical reactions between cement and water which causes autogenous shrinkage. In this PhD project only the former is investigated. Rapid evaporation from the surface of fresh concrete causes negative pressure in the pore system. This pressure, known as capillary pressure, pulls the solid particles together and decreases the inter-particle distances, causing the whole concrete element to shrink. If this shrinkage is hindered in any way, cracking may commence. The phenomenon occurs shortly after casting the concrete, while it is still in the plastic stage (up to around 8 hours after placement), and is mainly observed in concrete elements with high surface to volume ratio such as slabs and pavements. Many parameters may affect the probability of plastic shrinkage cracking. Among others, effect of water/cement ratio, fines, admixtures, geometry of the element, ambient conditions (i.e. temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity and solar radiation), etc. has been investigated in previous studies. In this PhD project at Luleå University of Technology (LTU), in addition to studying the influence of various parameters, effort is made to reach a better and more comprehensive understanding about the cracking governing mechanism. Evaporation, capillary pressure development and hydration rate are particularly investigated in order to define their relationship. This project started with intensive literature study which is summarized in Papers I and II. Then, the main objective was set upon which series of experiments were defined. The utilized methods, material, investigated parameters and results are presented in Papers III and IV. It has been so far observed that evaporation is not the only driving force behind the plastic shrinkage cracking. Instead a correlation between evaporation, rate of capillary pressure development and the duration of dormant period governs the phenomenon. According to the results, if rapid evaporation is accompanied by faster capillary pressure development in the pore system and slower hydration, risk of plastic shrinkage cracking increases significantly.

There is a large need for strengthening of concrete structures all around the world. There can be many reasons for strengthening, increased loads, design and construction faults, change of structural system, and so on. The need exists for both strengthening in flexure as well as in shear. Plate bonding with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers, CFRPs has shown to be a competitive method for upgrading existing structures load bearing capacity. When applying composites for increased shear capacity, special concerns need to be taken for design with truss model. A limitation factor of approximately 0.6 must be used due to linear elastic behaviour. When limitation on maximum strain in concrete is applies, the allowable strain in the composite will be even lower due to anisotropy and divergence in fibre and principal strain direction. By bonding CFRP to a structure in sawn grooves some advantages compared to traditional plate bonding may be achieved. It is also found that a structure may be strengthened with live loads during strengthening process. CFRP plate bonding may further be used for strengthening for increased buckling load bearing capacity for steel members subjected to compression and a design proposal is presented. Suggestions for further research are identified and presented. / Godkänd; 2003; 20061106 (haneit)

A good deal of resources has been invested in building and maintaining existing infrastructure.Many structures are now becoming old and do not meet the requirements of an increasingtraffic load, or are reaching the end of their lifecycle. It is not possible or sustainable to replaceall those structures that have been judged to be obsolete or nearly obsolete. However, in manycases, their specified load carrying capacities are understated, so there is an urgent need toobtain more robust knowledge of their true status. In the design of new structures, a numberof assumptions relating to loading and structural behaviour have to be made, a number that canbe reduced by finding out more about the actual behaviour of the structure. This licentiate thesis describes the structural behaviour of existing unballasted open steel trussrailway bridges in general and methods for assessment in particular, with the aim of keepingthese structures in service for longer. An extensive program, divided into three phases of experimental studies, was carried out toincrease the understanding of existing unballasted steel truss railway bridges. Phase I consisted of instrumentation and monitoring of a 60 year-old railway bridge (ÅbyBridge) while it was still in service. A description of the object and the monitoring in thisphase of measurements is presented in Chapter 3 with some results and analysis in Chapter 4.Some of the findings from Phase I are described in Paper A, from which it was concluded thatthe stringer beams were subjected to large stresses originating from torsion and out-of-planebending. These effects are not normally considered yet may have significant consequences inrelation to fatigue. In Phase II, the former bridge over the Åby River was replaced and put beside the railwaytracks, where the instrumentation from Phase I was extended. The bridge was statically testedin 18 pre-defined load series before reaching failure. Phase II is described in Chapter 3 andsummarized in Paper B. It was found that the bridge could withstand loading corresponding tofour times the highest permitted axle-loading, or twice the design load for new bridges, beforeexhibiting an obvious non-linear behaviour with regard to vertical displacement in the midspan.The peak load was achieved at loading approximately 50% higher than the initial nonlinearbehaviour, where lateral buckling of the top chord limited the structure from carryingmore load. The failure can be concluded as being redundant without brittle failure of any ofthe connections. In Phase III, a different bridge was fitted with instrumentation and monitored while subjectedto live loading: the bridge over the river Rautasjokk. The Rautasjokk Bridge was constructedfive years later than the Åby Bridge, using the same drawings thus making it theoreticallyidentical in terms of geometry and material. It is situated along the “Ore line”, meaning that itis subjected to higher loads compared to the Åby Bridge which was located along the “Mainline”. The program for measurements originated from a code-based assessment which ruled thebridge unsafe to use with regard to fatigue of the stringers due to the gusset plates welded tothe top flange of the stringers. Paper C describes the measurement of local fatigue strains (hotspot)and comparison with nominal strains. In that paper, it was concluded that the hot-spotapproach was only favourable for one out of three studied positions, with regard to fatiguelifespan. This thesis ends with conclusions and suggestions for further research.

This thesis is concerned with several aspects of fracture of both brackish (low salinity) sea ice and freshwater ice. The tests and analyses are confined to tensile, or in fracture mechanics language, Mode I, fracture. A large part of this thesis is dedicated to demonstrate that Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) can be applicable on ice by laboratory and in-situ tests of defined specimens. All interpretations are made using the dicipline of LEFM.First, the development of a field test equipment called FIFT ( a Field Instrument for Fracture toughness Tests on ice) is described. The FIFT is used in both field and laboratory fracture toughness tests on brackish sea ice from the Gulf of Bothnia to describe porosity effects on the apparent fracture toughness, KQ, and estimate crack velocities. An appropriate speciment size, in terms of notch sensitivity, is then provided valid for grain sizes ranging from 1.6 to nearly 100 mm.An augmented use of the FIFT is then described where fracture toughness tests are performed on S1 type freshwater ice to investigate if similarities exist in the local KI fields for three different fracture geometries. The results indicate that, under comparable conditions, KQ is similar for all of the geometries. However, the type of specimen, has a marked influence on the character of the fracture surface.Then, the influence of structural anisotropy on the fracture toughness of S1 ice is investigated by fabricating and testing three different fracture geometries from a single ice core. This approach is suitable for both field and, as in this work, laboratory studies. There is a wide scatter in the KQ values. Possible explanations to the results are discussed in terms of the microstructural influences and specimen size effects.Finally, crack growth resistance measurements on large grained S1 ice is conducted. A new fracture geometry is used which is found to be extremely favorable of promoting stable, stick-slip, crack growth over a large portion of the uncracked ligament. Now a complete characterization of the fracture resistance curve is therefore possible, A negative fracture resistance KR-curve is evaluated for the S1 ice at -16°C. / Godkänd; 1993; 20070426 (ysko)

Rehabilitation and strengthening of concrete structures with externally bonded FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymers) has been a viable technique for at least a decade. The most common way to strengthen a structure is in flexure where thedesign normally follows traditional concrete design, with exceptions for control of bond and anchorage related to the FRP. The method is also used for strengthening in shear and torsion, as well as for strengthening of columns. An interesting and useful application is strengthening of slabs or walls without or with openings. In the latter situation, FRP sheets or plates are very suitable; not only because of their strength, but also due to the simplicity in theexecution in comparison to traditional steel girders or other lintel systems. Even though many benefits have been shown in the use of FRP strengthening of openings in practical applications, not much research have been presented in the scientific literature. In this licentiate thesis, the results from laboratory tests on strengthened slabs loaded with a uniformly distributed load are analyzed with analytical and numerical methods. The slabs with openings have been strengthened with CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers) sheets and are compared to traditionally steel reinforced slabs, both with and without openings. The results from the tests show that slabs with openings can be strengthened with externally bonded CFRP sheets. The performance is, in comparison, even better than for traditionally steel reinforced slabs if bond failure can be avoided. The numerical and analytical evaluations are in good agreement with the experimental results. The case study presented in chapter 5, shows a practical design application of a courtyard deck strengthened with CFRP using epoxy bonded plates. It also points out the difficulties in retrofitting of existing structures. Since the information was inadequate when the original design was performed, an active design approach was used i.e. the design was changed when the true site conditions was revealed during the reconstruction work. / <p>Godkänd; 2005; 20061213 (haneit)</p>

To meet the future traffic demands there is a constant need of making the infrastructure moreeffective. This can be achieved by increasing the capacity and/or life length of traffic lines. Apart of the efforts to do this is increasing the load carrying capacity of the railway bridges sothat it is possible to allow heavier freight trains to pass the bridges.In this thesis the assessment of the load carrying capacity of a strengthened concrete troughrailway bridge, The Övik Bridge, with two spans in Örnsköldsvik, in northern Sweden, istreated. To investigate the ultimate behavior of the bridge a full scale load test up to failure wasperformed in 2006.At the loading test in Örnsköldsvik a steel beam was placed in the mid of one of the spans ofthe bridge. The failure was caused by pulling the steel beam downwards with cables whichwere anchored with injection into the drilled holes in the bedrock beneath the bridge.While the mechanism of a bending failure is commonly considered to be well investigated, thestructural models for the shear failure are still the object of intense research. The bottom sidesof the edge beams of the Örnsköldsvik Bridge were strengthened with Near Surface Mountedreinforcement (NSM) consisting of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) to increase thebending capacity and in that way steer the bridge to failure in shear instead of bending.The material properties of the reinforcement were determined in tension tests. Concreteproperties were determined by testing drilled core samples. Displacements and deflections ofthe bridge, strains in concrete, steel and carbon fibre reinforcement were measured during thetest as a function of the increasing load.In this thesis the analysis of the failure of the bridge, structural models describing the behaviorand load carrying capacity are evaluated according to different design codes. Advanced finiteelement analysis is applied with both geometrical and material non-linearities included. Toverify the models used in codes and computer calculations the response of the bridge duringthe test is compared with the calculation results.The refined and calibrated FEM model is used to predict how high axle loads of a train theÖvik Bridge could have sustained. The Övik Bridge was designed in 1950’s for axle loads of20 ton. The calculations methods developed in this thesis show that the axle loads in the failurestate could have been increased at least up to 154 tons without strengthening and to 215 tonwith strengthening of the bridge slab with carbon fibre reinforcement bars with Af = 100 mm2c 150 mm using statistical mean values of loads and material properties in the calculations. / Bärförmågan hos en förstärkt betongbroIcke-linjär finit elementmodellering av en brottbelastningTillståndsbedömning av en järnvägstrågbro med två spann i Örnsköldsvik förstärkt med stänger av kolfiberarmerade polymerer (CFRP)För att möta de framtida krav som trafiksektorn står inför måste infrastrukturen effektiviseras. Detta kan bland annat uppnås genom att öka trafikledernas kapacitet och livslängd. En del av denna ambition består av att öka lastkapaciteten på järnvägsbroar så att man kan tillåta tyngre godståg att passera.I denna avhandling behandlas tillståndsbedömning av en förstärkt trågbro av armerad betong. Bron hade två spann och var belägen i Örnsköldsvik i Sverige. Ett fullskaleförsök utfördes år 2006 för att studera brons beteende under ökande last tills brott uppstod.Under testet i Örnsköldsvik placerades en stålbalk i mitten av brons ena spann. Brottet frambringades genom att stålbalken drogs neråt med kablar, som hade förankrats i berget med injektion under bron, så att lasten på bron ökade. Medan mekanismen för böjmoment allmänt anses vara väl utredd är olika modeller för bärförmågan för tvärkraft fortfarande föremål för intensiv forskning. För att undvika det icke-intressanta böjbrottet förstärktes kantbalkarna i underkanten med kolfiberarmering (CFRP) i form av stavar som limmades fast i utsågade slitsar (Near Surface Mounted reinforcement, NSM). På det viset styrdes bron till att få skjuvbrott istället för böjbrott.Materialegenskaper för betongen bestämdes med hjälp av utborrade cylindrar och för armeringen med dragprov. Förskjutningar och utböjningar av bron samt töjningar i betong, stål- och kolfiberarmering mättes under pågående test som funktion av den ökande lasten.Bron analyserades på flera sätt för att jämföra verklig bärförmåga med olika normer. Ickelinjära finita element har härvid använts för att utvärdera hur avancerade beräkningsverktyg kan beskriva det verkliga skeendet. Olinjäriteter har beaktats i såväl material som geometri. Den förfinade och kalibrerade FEM -modellen användes för att bedöma den maximala axellasten för tåg som Öviksbron skulle ha kunnat bära. Öviksbron dimensionerades på 1950- talet för axellaster på 20 ton. Beräkningsmodellerna utvecklade i avhandlingen visar att bron i brottstadiet hade kunnat klara axellaster på minst 154 ton utan den utförda förstärkningen och på 215 ton med förstärkningen av broplattan med kolfiberstänger med Af = 100 mm2 c 150 mm. Statistiska medelvärden av laster och materialparametrar har härvid använts i beräkningarna. / Godkänd; 2012; 20120425 (ysko); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Konstruktionsteknik/Structural Engineering Opponent: Docent Mario Plos, Institutionen för bygg- och miljöteknik, Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Göteborg Ordförande: Professor Mats Emborg, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Onsdag den 30 maj 2012, kl 10.15 Plats: F1031, Luleå tekniska universitet

Repeated cyclic loading of reinforced concrete (RC) structures such as bridges can cause reduced service life and structure failure due to fatigue even when the stress ranges applied to the structural components are very low. These problems can be mitigated by using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites to increase the structures’ load carrying capacity and fatigue life or service life. Strengthening of this sort may be a suitable way to prolong the service life of concrete structures. FRP strengthening involves externally bonding a plate, sheet or rod of the strengthening material to the surface of the concrete member or placing the strengthening element in grooves cut into the member’s surface. The bonding of plates or sheets to the surface is often referred to as EBR (externally bonded reinforcement) whereas the placement of strengthening bars in grooves carved into the member’s surface is referred to as NSM (Near Surface Mounted) reinforcement. When this research project was initiated, it was not clear whether EBR or NSM strengthening was more effective at alleviating the effects of fatigue loading, and there were many aspects of their use that warranted further investigation. The main objectives of the work presented in this thesis were to study the behaviour of materials and structures under fatigue loading, to assess the structural challenges presented by fatigue loading of members strengthened with EBR plates or NSM bars, and to identify analytical models suitable for the design and analysis of FRP-strengthening elements and strengthened concrete members. The scientific approach adopted in this work is based on experimental fatigue loading tests of RC beams strengthened with EBR plates and NSM bars together with the development and assessment of analytical methods for describing the fatigue behaviour of tested strengthened beams and numerical models for predicting the behaviour of bond joints under fatigue loading. The analytical models were then verified against experimental results. The theoretical and experimental studies were supported by a state-of-the-art literature review that was conducted to gather existing knowledge concerning FRP strengthening of RC members and their fatigue behaviour at the material and structural levels / Godkänd; 2015; 20150218 (mohsal); Nedanstående person kommer att disputera för avläggande av teknologie doktorsexamen. Namn: Mohammed Salih Mohammed Mahal Ämne: Konstruktionsteknik/Structural Engineering Avhandling: Fatigue Behaviour of RC Beams Strengthened with CFRP – Analytical and Experimental Investigations Opponent: Professor Pilate Moyo, Department of Civil Engineering, University of cape Town, South Africa Ordförande: Professor Björn Täljsten, Avd för byggkonstruktion och produktion, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Fredag den 27 mars 2015, kl 10.00 Plats: F1031, Luleå tekniska universitet

A great number of society's resources are invested in existing concrete structures, such as bridges, tunnels, different kind of buildings etc. All of these structures have both an expected function and an expected life span. However, both the function and the life span can be influenced by external factors, e.g. degradation and altered load situations. Further influencing aspects could be mistakes in design or during the construction phase. Repairing and/or strengthening these structures could maintain or increase the function as well as the life span.To strengthen concrete structures by using adhesively bonded fibres or fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) has been shown to be an excellent way of improving the load bearing capacity. The most common adhesive used for this type of strengthening is epoxies. Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks with the use of epoxy adhesives such as diffusion tightness, poor thermal compatibility with concrete and requirements for a safe working environment which might lead to allergic reactions if proper protective clothing is not used. A further limiting factor is the requirement on the surrounding temperature at application. A commonly recommended minimum temperature at the time for application is 10°C, which makes the preparations regarding application during colder seasons much more complicated. However, some of these drawbacks could be reduced by substituting the epoxy adhesive for a mineral-based bonding agent with similar material properties as concrete.The strengthening system and also the topic of this thesis is termed "mineral-based composites" (MBC). The MBC consists in this context of grids of carbon FRP with high tensile strength that are bonded to an existing concrete surface by the use of a cement based bonding agent.The scientific approach in this thesis includes analytical methods to describe load bearing capacity for the strengthened concrete structure in both flexure and shear. The analytical approaches are then verified against experimental results. Above the theoretical and experimental performance of the MBC system a review of state of the art research has been made in order to collate and map existing mineral-based strengthening systems other than the MBC system.To develop and verify the theoretical models and to compare the performance of the MBC system to other possible designs of mineral-based strengthening systems, six papers are appended in the thesis. - The first paper describes the performance of the MBC system when used in flexural strengthening. The experimental program in this paper consists of a concrete slab strengthened with both the MBC system and epoxy based system. In addition, a parametric study was made on small scale beam specimens to evaluate the performance of using different cement-based bonding agents.- The second paper describes the performance of the MBC system when used as shear strengthening. This study consists of experimental results of 23 reinforced concrete beams with different concrete qualities, internal shear reinforcement ratios together with different variations of the CFRP grid design and mineralbased bonding agents. In addition, a comparison is also made to traditional epoxy-based strengthening. This paper also has an analytical approach to estimate the shear resistance.- The third paper describes existing mineral-based strengthening systems and how these perform in comparison to the proposed MBC strengthening system in shear and flexure.- The fourth paper maps different possibilities to design and combine various materials in order to obtain a mineral-based strengthening system. This paper also consists of experimental research on the tensile behaviour of the MBC system when using high performance fibre reinforced cementitious bonding agents (engineered cementitious composites - ECC). In addition, these results and discussions are also coupled to the observations made in flexural and shear strengthening.- The fifth paper gives suggestions on how to estimate the shear bearing capacity of MBC strengthened concrete beams. The suggested shear design approaches are mainly based on traditional shear design models based on truss analogy, but one design presented is based on the compression field theory.- The sixth and last paper describes the strain development in a shear strengthened concrete beam both with and without the MBC system. All of the results from the investigations made in this thesis indicate that the MBC system contributes to increasing the load bearing capacity for strengthened concrete structures considerably. It is also shown that the MBC system can give competitive strengthening effects compared to existing epoxy bonded strengthening systems. From the experimental investigations on the shear strengthened beams it is shown that the strains in the shear span are lowered compared to a non strengthened specimen. This reduction of strains is also shown in the transition zone between the development of macro cracks from micro cracks. The suggested analytical approach in order to estimate the load bearing capacity of strengthened concrete structures in both flexure and shear indicates that realistic estimations can be made. The flexural design is straightforward while the shear design is more intricate. It is however concluded that a simple and safe design could be made based on the "additional" approach using a 45° truss. / En betydande del av samhällets tillgångar är investerade i vår existerande infrastruktur som t ex järnvägsbroar, vägbroar, tunnlar, dammar,, fastigheter etc. En majoritet av dessa konstruktioner är byggda av armerad betong. Samtliga av dessa betongkonstruktioner har både en förväntad funktion och en förväntad livslängd. Men både funktionen och livslängden kan komma att ändras på grund av yttre påverkande faktorer som till exempel nedbrytning och förändrade belastningsförhållanden. Ytterligare kan vara tidiga misstag i projekteringsfasen eller under själva uppförandet. Genom reparation och/eller förstärkning kan både funktion och livslängd hos dessa konstruktioner ofta återställas eller till och med uppgraderas. Förstärkning av betongkonstruktioner genom att limma fast kolfiberväv eller kolfiberkompositer har visat sig vara en bra och tillförlitlig metod för att öka bärförmågan hos befintliga konstruktioner. Det lim som till största delen används vid denna typ av förstärkning är epoxilim. Dessvärre har epoxilim vissa nackdelar, så som diffusionstäthet, dålig termisk kompabilitet med betong och krav på skyddad arbetsmiljö. Ytterligare en begränsande faktor är kravet på omgivande temperatur vid limning. Vissa av dessa nackdelar kan reduceras genom att byta ut epoxilimmet mot en mineralbaserad vidhäftningsprodukt med egenskaper liknande betongens.Förstärkningssystemet som omfattas av denna avhandling har benämningen "mineralbaserade kompositer" (MBC) och omfattar kolfibernät med hög draghållfasthet som fästs på befintlig betongkonstruktion med ett cementbaserat bruk.Det vetenskapliga förfarandet i denna avhandling omfattar analytiska metoder för att beskriva bärförmågan för den förstärkta betongkonstruktionen i både böjning och tvärkraft. De analytiska metoderna är sedan verifierade mot laboratorieförsök. Utöver de teoretiska och experimentella resultaten för MBC systemet så ingår även en aktuell granskning och kartläggning av existerande mineralbaserade förstärkningssystem och därmed möjliga materialkombinationer och utformningar, dvs. andra än MBC systemet.Avhandlingen består av en litteraturstudie och sex bifogade artiklar.Den första artikeln beskriver hur MBC system uppför sig vid förstärkning i böjning. I denna artikel ingår provning av en större betongplatta som förstärkts med MBC systemet och epoxibaserade system samt en parametersstudie på småskaliga provkroppar med MBC systemet och olika cementbaserade bruk.Den andra artikeln beskriver hur förstärkningssystemet presterar vid förstärkning i tvärkraft. Denna studie omfattar experimentella resultat på 23 balkar med olika betongkvalitéer, armeringsmängd samt olika variationer av MBC systemet och jämförelse mot traditionell epoxibaserad förstärkning. Dessutom innehåller denna artikel en analytisk uppskattning av tvärkraftskapaciteten.Den tredje artikeln beskriver olika existerande förstärkningssystem och hur dessa presterar i jämförelse med MBC systemet i böjning och tvärkraft.Den fjärde artikeln kartlägger olika möjligheter till att kombinera material i mineralbaserade förstärkningssystem för att optimera dessa system. Dessutom ingår även experimentella försök med ett högpresterande fiberförstärkt cementbruk (ECC). Denna artikel omfattar även resultat och diskussion om MBC systemets beteende i enaxligt drag, brottenergiupptagande förmåga samt hur dessa observationer kopplas till iakttagelser i böj- och tvärkraftsförstärkning.Den femte artikeln behandlar en rekommendation till dimensionering för tvärkraft av MBC systeme baserat på traditionella dimensioneringsmetoder med fackverksteori samt en ny tillämpning baserat på tryckfältsteori.Det sjätte bidraget beskriver hur töjningsutvecklingen sker i tvärkraft för betongbalkar med och utan MBC systemet.Resultaten från dessa undersökningar indikerar på att MBC systemet bidrar till att öka bärförmågan hos förstärkta betongelement och att denna ökning kan i vissa avseenden jämföras mot epoxibaserad förstärkning. Det är även visat att MBC systemet, i tvärkraftsförstärkning, bidrar till att minska töjningar i det armerade betongtvärsnittet i övergångszonen mellan tillväxten av mikrosprickor till makro sprickor samt att töjningarna reduceras även under öppningen av makrosprickor. Analytiska metoder för att uppskatta bärförmåga för förstärkning i böjning och tvärkraft är redovisade och dessa indikerar på att realistiska uppskattningar är möjliga. Dimensionering av bärförmågan i böjning är relativt enkel medan dimensionering i tvärkraft är lite mer komplicerad. En av slutsatserna gällande tvärkraftsdimensioneringen är att det är möjligt på ett enkelt sätt använda befintliga dimensionerings anvisningar grundade i "additions" principen för att uppnå en säker uppskattning av bärförmågan i tvärkraft. / Godkänd; 2009; 20090313 (thojoh); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Konstruktionsteknik Opponent: Professor Thanasis C Triantafillou, University of Patras, Grekland Ordförande: Professor Björn Täljsten, Technical University of Denmark och Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Fredag den 24 april 2009, kl 10.00 Plats: F 1031, Luleå tekniska universitet

It is well known for contractors that due to volume change during the hydration phase in concrete structures, large stresses can arise if the structures are restrained, stresses that may cause extensive cracking. Crack risk estimation of early age concrete structures can be based on five steps. Firstly, the type of structure, the material proportions and possible measures to avoid cracking have to be chosen. Secondly, the temperature development has to be determined, and thirdly the restraint situation. Fourthly, structural calculation of the stress or strain ratios follows, which in the fifth step are compared to stated partial coefficients that should not be exceeded. The restraint situation is one of the crucial factors in the crack risk analyses. A semi-analytical method has been derived for the determination of the restraint variation in early age concrete structures and especially for the case wall on slab. The method is derived using compensated line theory. The model depends on the geometry of the structure, the boundary restraint situation, and the location of the young parts on the old parts. The model is supplemented with the effects of high walls and the effects of short structures and/or possible slip failure in the ends of the joint between the young and the old concrete. The model is by regression technique compared to almost 3000 3D elastic FEM calculations of the restraint variation in walls on slabs with different dimensions and base restraint situations. The effective width of the slab is introduced as the only adjustment parameter to get the model to correspond with the FEM calculations. Partial coefficients for thermal cracking problems of young concrete have been calculated and compared with the values stated in the Swedish building code for bridges. The code values are only based on experiences and logical reasoning, whereas the calculated values form a more theoretical base for their determi-nation. The coefficients are calculated with a probabilistic method. Various possible variations of the used variables have been studied showing the wide range of possible results depending on the input. However, with use of material properties and reasonable assumptions related to thermal cracking problems, fairly good agreement has been found between the stated values in the Swedish code and the values obtained through the probabilistic method. / Godkänd; 2003; 20061106 (haneit)