In many tunnel designs, reinforced concrete tunnel lining design is selected based on construction requirements rather than design loads. A constant cross-section is typically used along a tunnel even if the design loads change from one location to another, especially for tunnels constructed by tunnel boring machines (TBM). Factor of safety against failure is not constant along the length of tunnel and is typically high at shallow depth regions. Factor of safety during a rare event is usually much less than the ones set for service load states. Rare events such as earthquake, train derailment, explosion and long duration fires do not happen daily and generally a minor reparable damage is targeted at the structure during those types of events. The focus of this study is to analytically investigate structural fire safety of reinforced concrete circular tunnel linings in terms of reduction in service load safety and to develop recommendations for preliminary assessment of structural fire endurance of circular tunnel linings. Analytical methods accounting for thermal non-linearity, material degradation, tunnel lining-ground interaction and fire time stages are available to assess the structural fire safety of the concrete tunnel linings. Analytical results are determined to be in good agreement with tunnel key segment hydrocarbon fire test.

The most important issue during a tunnel fire is safety of human life. The tunnel fire structural research and investigations have gained more importance in the last decade but studies show variable results depending on the concrete quality and tunnel design fire. For instance, a certain type of concrete with high moisture content can tend to explode in the first 10-15 minutes of fire with rapid increase of heat release rate. A sudden collapse of the tunnel roof during the fire is unacceptable. Especially in Netherlands, the possible sagging of cut and cover tunnel roof is undesired and prevention systems are applied. The main purpose of this research is to investigate fire response of the positive moment region of cut and cover tunnel roof through an experimental and analytical program without use of any protection. In this context a standard one cell rail road cut and cover tunnel has been designed for loads of backfill, lateral earth pressure and self weight. The typical concrete cover used in Turkish railroad tunnels is 6 centimeters. Four pairs of representative sample tunnel roof segments have been manufactured and only one segment out of each pair are tested under 2 hours extreme design tunnel fire in a furnace. Out of these four types, two types have been internally pre-stressed to simulate the internal loads at the positive moment region of the tunnel roof. Four pairs of sample segments are simply supported during the static load test and static load is applied at the mid-span to measure the difference in the post-fire structural performance. Compressive strength of concrete, tensile strength of reinforcing bars, electron microscope evaluation of concrete, moisture content of concrete are recorded during the test program. A finite element based solution is developed to simulate the results of static load tests. Post-fire structural performances of burnt segments are observed to be not much different than the unburnt segments.

When compared to traditional concrete, steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) shows several enhancements in performance, including improved tensile resistance, toughness and ductility. One potential application for SFRC is in columns where the provision of steel fibres can improve performance under axial and lateral loads. The use of SFRC can also allow for partial replacement of transverse reinforcement required by modern seismic codes. To improve workability, self-consolidating concrete (SCC) can be combined with steel fibres, leading to highly workable SFRC suitable for structural applications. Recent advances in material science have also led to the development of ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concretes (UHPFRC), a material which exhibits very high compressive strength, enhanced post-cracking resistance and high damage tolerance. In heavily loaded ground-story columns, the use of UHPFRC can allow for reduced column sections. This thesis presents the results from a comprehensive research program conducted to study the axial behaviour of columns constructed with highly workable SFRC and UHPFRC. As part of the experimental program, twenty-three full-scale columns were tested under pure axial compressive loading. In the case of the SFRC columns, columns having rectangular section and constructed with SCC and steel fibres were tested, with variables including fibre content and spacing of transverse reinforcement. The results confirm that use of fibres results in improved column behaviour due to enhancements in core confinement and cover behaviour. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the provision of steel fibres in columns can allow for partial replacement of transverse reinforcement required by modern codes. The analytical investigation indicates that confinement models proposed by other researchers for traditional RC and SFRC can predict the response of columns constructed with SCC and highly workable SFRC. In the case of the UHPFRC columns, variables included configuration and spacing of transverse reinforcement. The results demonstrate that the use of appropriate detailing in UHPFRC columns can result in suitable ductility. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the improved damage tolerance of UHPFRC when compared to traditional high-strength concrete. The analytical investigation demonstrates the need for development of confinement models specific for UHPFRC.

L'étude du comportement sous incendie des bétons a particulièrement pris son essor depuis des incendies répétés de tunnels comme celui sous la Manche ou du Mont-Blanc. La problématique de résistance au feu est essentielle puisque les éclatements qui peuvent accompagner la diminution de résistance du matériau sont de nature à fragiliser fortement les structures. Depuis plusieurs décennies, le domaine de la résistance au feu des bétons ordinaires et à hautes performances a été exploré tant expérimentalement que théoriquement. Cependant il existe des matériaux plus récents, que sont les bétons fibrés à ultra performances (BFUP), pour lesquels le phénomène d'instabilité thermique est accentué et dont le comportement mécanique à chaud n'a pas été beaucoup exploré. L'étude menée ici a pour vocation de s'intéresser à un BFUP particulier, le BCV®, fourni par l'entreprise Vicat. Les résultats exposés permettent de mieux comprendre l'efficacité des fibres de polypropylène face aux autres fibres synthétiques, grâce à une approche expérimentale originale complétée par une étude à l'échelle microscopique. Cette dernière est constituée de nombreuses analyses au microscope électronique à balayage ainsi que d'études de porosimétrie au mercure. Cette première phase est suivie d'un vaste programme de caractérisations mécaniques à chaud sur le BCV® à des températures variant de 20°C à 1100°C, essais peu courants pour ce genre de matériau. Ce travail contribue à la compréhension du comportement des BFUP à haute température, et montre que l'évolution avec la température de leurs caractéristiques mécaniques principales (résistance en flexion, résistance en compression et module d'élasticité) est assez semblable à celle des bétons ordinaires. Les résultats de cette étude contribuent à une meilleures connaissance du comportement à haute température des bétons fibrés à ultra performances. / Study of concrete behaviour under fire has really increased since the occurence of several fires in tunnels such as the Chunnel or the Mont-Blanc tunnel. Fire resistance of concrete is a very important subject because the possible spalling coupled with a decrease of the strength of the material can deeply weaken the structures. For decades the fire resistance field of ordinary concrete and high performance concrete was studied experimentally and theorically. However more recent materials such as ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), for which spalling phenomenon is emphasized and whose high temperature mechanical behaviour has not been studied so much. The present study is aimed to study a particular UHPFRC, the BCV®, supplied by Vicat. The results enable to better understand the effenciency of polypropylene fibres compared to other synthetic fibres, thanks to an original experimental approach coupled with a study at the microscopic scale. The latter consists in various scanning electron microscope analysis and mercury intrusion porosimetry. This first part is followed by a wide number of experimental results which characterize the mechanical behaviour of BCV® for a range of temperatures from 20°C to 1100°C. Experiments in such testing conditions are not common for this material. The work achieved contributes to a better understanding of the high performance behaviour of UHPFRC. It reveals also that the evolution with temperature of main mechanical characteristics (bending strength, compression strength and Young Modulus) is really close to those of ordinary concretes. The results of this study contributes to a better knowledge of ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete under high temperature.

There are 12 species of bats that occur in Illinois; 5 of these species can be found hibernating in abandoned mines and caves in southern Illinois. Due to the destruction of their natural hibernacula, caves, many species of bats have found abandoned mines to be suitable replacement habitat. A complex of abandoned underground microcrystalline silica mines in southern Illinois owned by Unimin Specialty Minerals Corporation now provides hibernacula for 5 species of cavernicolous bats: the federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), little brown bat (M. lucifugus), eastern pipistrelle (Perimyotis subflavus), big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), and the northern long-eared bat (M. septentrionalis). Within the last 10 years the number of bats using these mines has increased dramatically, especially the Indiana bat which has increased from just over 9,000 to 43,000 hibernating in Magazine Mine. One concern of having so many endangered bats hibernating in one mine is stability. Mines were created relatively recently and are still in the process of settling. Thus, these mines might act as a potential sink, drawing in hibernating bats but potentially collapsing and killing them. Thirteen mines were surveyed for bats and for the amount of spalling that occurred over the 16-month study period from September 2006 to December 2007. Factors that could increase the amount of spalling were quantified, including temperature, moisture, and moisture variability in the material of the walls in the mines, and temperature variability. Number of hibernating bats in the mines was also documented. Data were analyzed with logistic regression. Temperature was a significant predictor of spalling (W2 = 12.76, p = 0.0004) when considered as a univariate variable, as was temperature variation (W2 = 21.89, p = <0.0001). Considering multiple logistic regression analyses, moisture was the best predictor. For the 13 mines surveyed, number of hibernating bats ranged from 0 to 3,755. Whereas all three variables were important at predicting the presence of bats, temperature variation (W2 = 35.98, p =<0.0001) was a better predictor than temperature or moisture. In a multiple logistic regression, temperature (W2 = 46.75, p = < 0.0001) and temperature variation (W2 = 20.56, p = < 0.0001) were better at predicting presence of bats then was moisture. The less variation in temperature the more likely that bats will be present. Because bats prefer stable temperatures and spalling occurs more often at high variability of temperatures and very low temperatures, bats were usually in areas that exhibited little or no spalling.

When compared to traditional concrete, steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) shows several enhancements in performance, including improved tensile resistance, toughness and ductility. One potential application for SFRC is in columns where the provision of steel fibres can improve performance under axial and lateral loads. The use of SFRC can also allow for partial replacement of transverse reinforcement required by modern seismic codes. To improve workability, self-consolidating concrete (SCC) can be combined with steel fibres, leading to highly workable SFRC suitable for structural applications. Recent advances in material science have also led to the development of ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concretes (UHPFRC), a material which exhibits very high compressive strength, enhanced post-cracking resistance and high damage tolerance. In heavily loaded ground-story columns, the use of UHPFRC can allow for reduced column sections. This thesis presents the results from a comprehensive research program conducted to study the axial behaviour of columns constructed with highly workable SFRC and UHPFRC. As part of the experimental program, twenty-three full-scale columns were tested under pure axial compressive loading. In the case of the SFRC columns, columns having rectangular section and constructed with SCC and steel fibres were tested, with variables including fibre content and spacing of transverse reinforcement. The results confirm that use of fibres results in improved column behaviour due to enhancements in core confinement and cover behaviour. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the provision of steel fibres in columns can allow for partial replacement of transverse reinforcement required by modern codes. The analytical investigation indicates that confinement models proposed by other researchers for traditional RC and SFRC can predict the response of columns constructed with SCC and highly workable SFRC. In the case of the UHPFRC columns, variables included configuration and spacing of transverse reinforcement. The results demonstrate that the use of appropriate detailing in UHPFRC columns can result in suitable ductility. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the improved damage tolerance of UHPFRC when compared to traditional high-strength concrete. The analytical investigation demonstrates the need for development of confinement models specific for UHPFRC.

Numerous paleontologists have noted wear facets on tyrannosaurid lateral teeth over the past century. While several workers have proposed explanations for these features, there remains to this day no consensus concerning their etiology. Here we report on an examination of wear surfaces on these teeth from the Upper Cretaceous (mid-Campanian) Judith River Group of southern Alberta, Canada. This study reveals two distinct types of wear features on the labial and lingual sides of tyrannosaurid lateral teeth: irregular "spalled" surfaces and wear facets. The irregular spalled surfaces typically extend to the apex of the tooth, which evidently reflects flaking of enamel resulting from forces produced during contact between tooth and food. These surfaces are often rounded, presumably from antemortem wear following spalling. Wear striations on these surfaces are oriented heterogeneously. The wear facets, in contrast, occur on only one side of the tooth and are typically elliptical in outline and evince parallel wear striations. Similar patterns of parallel wear striations in extant mammals reflect tooth-tooth contact. We therefore propose that wear facets in tyrannosaurids were formed by repeated tooth-tooth contact between the lingual side of maxillary teeth and labial side of dentary teeth. It remains unclear whether this contact was serendipitous or adaptive, though it appears to be unusual for reptiles, as we have found no evidence for wear facets in extant varanids and crocodilians.

No description available.

No description available.

Within the EU's railway research program IN2TRACK3, a product known as the 3MB track system (Moulded Multi Modular Block slab track system) has been developed. The new innovative track system can be explained as a hybrid solution between traditional ballast tracks and slab track systems. The project has a primary objective for the 3MB system to reduce life cycle costs, improve reliability and punctuality, and increase capacity. The modular construction system allows for easier maintenance of railway tracks, as damaged parts can be replaced more quickly. In September 2022, a full-scale test was initiated on a 50-meter stretch in Gransjö, north of Boden, situated along the Iron Ore Line (Malmbana). Initially planned for a 2-year testing period, but the track system was dismantled and removed after approximately one year due to the emergence of a recurring severe crack pattern within the blocks. This degree project aims to conduct a thorough damage investigation, focusing on investigation the reasons behind the repeated crack patterns observed in the 3MB system. The analysis will particularly emphasise the design of the reinforcement and assesses whether the chosen concrete type is suitable for the specific conditions of the construction. Various laboratory tests, including compressive strength, tensile strength, and thin section analysis, are employed in this investigation. Additionally, a comprehensive literature study is conducted to ensure its credibility and quality. The results reveal that the aggregate in the sample is porous. This porosity increases the risk of frost damage and cracking in the concrete. The air content was measured at 7.1%, which is somewhat high, together with a high w/c equivalent between 0.50 and 0.55, which has a potentially negative impact on the strength. The study's in-depth analysis of the 3MB system blocks revealed two main problems: the choice of porous limestone as aggregate and insufficient coverage of the reinforcing steel. The porous nature of limestone led to water absorption and frost susceptibility, while inadequate coverage resulted in corrosion and frost cracking. Laboratory experiments also showed low tensile strength and uneven concrete quality. Calculations indicated the need for spalling reinforcement. Workmanship errors, including haphazard concrete pouring and suboptimal rail fastening solutions, exacerbated the situation. The study highlights the need for improvements in the concrete's waterproofing and fatigue strength to meet the system's requirements and avoid similar problems in the future. Despite the challenges, the project presents potential for success with the right adjustments and lessons learned from the initial testing phase. Despite challenges and identified obstacles in the project, the 3MB system can succeed. By fine-tuning the concrete recipe, and optimizing reinforcement and aggregate quality, the problems can be avoided. It is crucial to look beyond these obstacles and stick to the overall goal of the project: to establish the sustainable and efficient railways of the future. These challenges can be overcome through careful measures and ensure the project's positive contribution to the transport sector. / Inom EU:s järnvägsforskningsprogram IN2TRACK3 har en produkt känt som 3MB spårsystem (Moulded Multi Modular Block slab track system) utvecklats. Det nya innovativa spårsystemet kan förklaras som en hybridlösning mellan traditionella ballastbanor och ballastfria banor. Projektet har som primärt mål för 3MB-systemet att minska livscykelkostnaderna, förbättra tillförlitlighet och punktlighet, och öka kapaciteten. Det modulära byggsystemet möjliggör enklare underhåll av järnvägasspår, eftersom skadade delar kan bytas ut på ett snabbare sätt. I september 2022 inleddes ett fullskaleprov på en 50 meter lång sträcka i Gransjö, norr om Boden, belägen längs Malmbanan. Ursprungligen planerad för en 2-årig testperiod, men spårsystemet demonterades och togs bort efter cirka 1 år på grund av uppkomsten av ett återkommande allvarligt sprickmönster inom blocken. Målet med detta examensarbete är att genomföra en grundlig skadeutredning, med fokus på att undersöka orsakerna bakom de upprepade sprickmönster som observerats i 3MB-systemet. Analysen betonar särskilt dimensioneringen av armeringen och bedömning om den valda betongtypen är lämplig för konstruktionens specifika förutsättningar. Olika laboratorietester, inklusive tryckhållfasthet, draghållfasthet och tunnslipsanalys, används i undersökningen. Dessutom genomförs en omfattande litteraturstudie för att säkerställa studiens trovärdighet och kvalitet. Resultaten avslöjar att ballasten i provet är porös. Denna porositet ökar risken för frostskador och sprickbildning i betongen. Lufthalten uppmättes till 7,1%, Vilket är något högt, och tillsammans med ett högt vatten-cement-tal mellan 0,50 och 0,55, ger de en potentiellt negativ påverkan på hållfastheten. Studiens djupgående analys av 3MB-systemet block avslöjade två huvudproblem: valet av porös kalksten som aggregat och otillräcklig täckning av armeringsstålet. Kalkstenens porösa natur ledde till vattenabsorption och frostkänslighet, medan otillräcklig täckning resulterade i korrosion och frostsprickor. Laboratorieexperiment visade också på låg draghållfasthet och ojämn betongkvalitet. Beräkningar indikerade behovet av spjälkningsarmering. Utförandefel, inklusive ej fullgod betonggjutning och suboptimala rälbefästnings-lösningar, förvärrade situationen. Studien framhåller behovet av förbättringar i betongens vattentäthet och utmattninghållfasthet för att möta systemets krav och undvika liknande problem i framtiden. Trots dessa utmaningar har projektet en potential att bli framgångsrikt med rätt justeringar och lärdomar från den initiala testfasen. Trots utmaningar och identifierade hinder i projektet kan 3MB-systemet lyckas. Genom att finjustera betongreceptet, optimera armeringen och ballastkvaliteten bör uppkomna problemen undvikas. Det är avgörande att se bortom dessa hinder och hålla fast vid projektets övergripande mål: att etablera framtidens hållbara och effektiva järnvägar. Genom noggranna åtgärder kan dessa utmaningar övervinnas och säkerställa projektets positiva bidrag till transportsektorn.