This thesis present novel non-destructive laboratory test methods to characterize asphalt concrete. The testing is based on frequency response measurements of specimens where resonance frequencies play a key role to derive material properties such as the complex modulus and complex Poisson’s ratio. These material properties are directly related to pavement quality and used in thickness design of pavements. Since conventional cyclic loading is expensive, time consuming and complicated to perform, there has been a growing interest to apply resonance and ultrasonic testing to estimate the material properties of asphalt concrete. Most of these applications have been based on analytical approximations which are limited to characterizing the complex modulus at one frequency per temperature. This is a significant limitation due to the strong frequency dependency of asphalt concrete. In this thesis, numerical methods are applied to develop a methodology based on modal testing of laboratory samples to characterize material properties over a wide frequency and temperature range (i.e. a master curve). The resonance frequency measurements are performed by exciting the specimens using an impact hammer and through a non-contact approach using a speaker. An accelerometer is used to measure the resulting vibration of the specimen. The material properties can be derived from these measurements since resonance frequencies of a solid are a function of the stiffness, mass, dimensions and boundary conditions. The methodology based on modal testing to characterize the material properties has been developed through the work presented in paper I and II, compared to conventional cyclic loading in paper III and IV and used to observe deviations from isotropic linear viscoelastic behavior in paper V. In paper VI, detailed measurements of resonance frequencies have been performed to study the possibility to detect damage and potential healing of asphalt concrete.  The resonance testing are performed at low strain levels (~10^-7) which gives a direct link to surface wave testing of pavements in the field. This enables non-destructive quality control of pavements, since the field measurements are performed at approximately the same frequency range and strain level. / <p>QC 20141117</p>

[Truncated abstract] The demand for offshore wind turbines is increasing in densely populated areas, such as Europe. These constructions are typically founded on a gravity foundation or a large 'mono pile'. Gravity foundations can only be used at locations where strong soils exist and water depths are limited. Costs associated with a 'mono pile' type foundation contribute to a very large percentage of the total investment costs. This research, therefore, focuses upon a different foundation for offshore wind turbines, namely suction caissons beneath a tripod. This foundation can be used in all kinds of soil types and is cheaper than the 'mono pile' foundation, both in the amount of steel used and installation costs. Cheaper foundations can contribute to a more competitive price for offshore wind energy in comparison with other energy resources. To date, there have been relatively few studies to investigate the behaviour of this type of foundation during the installation process and during operational and ultimate loading for seabed conditions comprising dense sand. Two types of investigations were performed during this research to determine the behaviour of suction caissons beneath a tripod. Firstly, an existing computer program was extended to predict the typical loading conditions for a tripod foundation. Secondly, centrifuge tests on small scale suction caissons were performed to investigate the behaviour during the installation and loading phases. The computer program developed helped to quantify the likely ranges of environmental loading on an offshore wind turbine. For a typical 3 MW wind turbine of 90 m height, the vertical load is low at around 7 MN. During storm conditions the horizontal hydrodynamic load can be in the order of 4 MN. During normal working conditions the horizontal aerodynamic loads can reach 0.4 MN, but can increase to 1.2 MN when the pitch system malfunctions and gusts reach 30 m/s. This aerodynamic load will result in a very large contribution to the overturning moment, due to the high action point of this load. When the wind turbine is placed on top of a tripod, these large moments are counteracted by a push-pull system. ... The development of differential pressure was found to depend on the soil permeability, the extraction speed and a consolidation effect. During cyclic loading no obvious signs of a decrease in resistance were observed. During very fast cyclic loading differential pressures developed, which could increase the drained frictional resistance by approximately 40%. All centrifuge tests results were used to develop methods to predict or back calculate the installation process of suction caissons in sand and layered soil, and the behaviour during tensile and cyclic loading. These methods all use the cone resistance as the main input parameter and predict the force (or required suction) as a function of time, for a given rate of pumping or uplift displacement, in addition to the variation of suction with penetration (or force with uplift displacement). These new methods provide a useful tool in designing a reliable foundation for offshore wind turbines consisting of a tripod arrangement of suction caissons embedded in dense sand.

Au cours des 50 dernières années, l’étude du phénomène de liquéfaction de sols sableux saturés ont fait l'objet de nombreuses recherches en laboratoire. La plupart de ces recherches antérieures se sont concentrées sur la liquéfaction de sables propres, en supposant que la présence de fines limite le développement de la surpression interstitielle et donc le risque de liquéfaction. Cependant, les sables sableux naturels se trouvent généralement dans la nature sous la forme d'un mélange de sable et de fines et, l’influence de ces fines sur le risque de liquéfaction de ce type de matériau n'est toujours pas claire. En effet, on trouve des résultats contradictoires, dans la littérature, sur l'effet des particules fines sur le phénomène de liquéfaction des sables. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif principal de ce travail expérimental est de clarifier et de quantifier l’influence des particules fines présentes au sein d’une matrice sableuse sur l’initiation et le développement du phénomène de liquéfaction. On s’est intéressé, en particulier, à la nature des particules fines (plastique/non-plastique), à leur proportion au sein de la matrice, à l’état de compacité de la matrice et à l’état de contrainte initial (état de consolidation). A cet effet, à l'aide d'un nouveau dispositif triaxial servo-hydraulique, une série d'essais monotones et cycliques ont été effectués afin de clarifier cet effet. Les résultats expérimentaux montrent que l'augmentation de la proportion de fines non plastiques augmente la résistance à la liquéfaction du mélange sous chargements monotone et cyclique. Par contre, cette tendance est inversée pour les mélanges qui contiennent des fines plastiques. Enfin, une comparaison a été établie entre le comportement de ces sols sous cisaillement monotone et cyclique non drainé en termes d'évaluation du déclenchement du phénomène d'instabilité et d'autres paramètres mécaniques / Since the last 50 years, the study of the phenomenon of liquefaction of saturated sandy soils has been a topic of extensive laboratory research. Most of the earlier research has focused on the liquefaction of clean sands assuming that the presence of fines resists the development of pore water pressure as well as the risk of liquefaction. However, natural sand is found in nature under the form of a mixture of sand and fines and, the influence of these fines on the liquefaction risk of this type of material is still unclear. In fact, we could find contradictory results in the literature review of the effect of fine particles on the sand liquefaction phenomenon. In this context, the main objective of this study is to clarify and quantify the influence of fine particles (plastic and non-plastic) present in a sandy matrix on the initiation and development of the liquefaction phenomenon .We’ve focused, in particular, on the nature of fine particles (plastic/non-plastic), their proportion in the matrix, the matrix compactness condition and initial stress state (state consolidation). For this purpose, with the aid of a new triaxial servo-hydraulic device, a series of monotonic and cyclic tests were done in order to clarify this effect. Experimental results show that the increase in non-plastic fines increases the resistance to liquefaction of the mixture under both monotonic and cyclic loading. However, this trend is reversed for the mixtures containing plastic fines. Finally a comparison has been established between the behavior of these soils under undrained monotonic and cyclic shearing in terms of evaluation of the initiation of instability phenomenon and other mechanical parameters

As propriedades do solo cotidianamente podem não ser adequadas às características e às necessidades de projeto. É apresentada, como alternativa, a técnica de reforço com inclusão de elementos fibrosos à matriz de solo cimentado e não cimentado. Ainda, embora comuns, o comportamento do solo frente a solicitações cíclicas não é completamente conhecido. Nesse sentido, o estudo do comportamento de hidratação e da resposta cisalhante cíclica de um resíduo de mineração cimentado reforçado com fibras é objetivado. Para tanto, medidas de retração química, medidas de rigidez ao longo da hidratação e ensaios simple shear monotônicos e cíclicos foram realizados com resíduo de mineração cimentado e não cimentado, reforçado com fibras e não reforçado. O resíduo, oriundo da mineração de ouro, um silte arenoso com traços de argila, foi cimentado com diferentes teores de cimento Portland, entre 0% e 10% em relação à massa de solo seco, e reforçado com 0% e 0,5%, em relação à massa de sólidos secos, de fibras de polipropileno de 50mm de comprimento e 0,1mm de espessura, equivalentes a um índice aspecto de 500. Os resultados demonstraram que as fibras não afetaram o processo de hidratação das misturas de resíduo de mineração cimentadas, que apresentam tendência de atenuação logarítmica da retração química com o tempo. Quanto maiores as relações água/cimento, maior o nível de retração química. A inclusão de fibras a misturas de resíduo de mineração cimentadas, da mesma forma, não afetou a evolução dos valores de rigidez inicial, que crescem com tendência logarítmica em função do tempo e aumentam com o acréscimo do nível de cimentação. Sob condições monotônicas de cisalhamento, a adição de fibras conferiu ao material cimentado e não cimentado comportamento de endurecimento. Sob condições cíclicas de deformação cisalhante controlada, as fibras não afetaram a resposta cisalhante das amostras não cimentadas e provocaram aumento dos valores da tensão cisalhante das amostras cimentadas após sucessivos ciclos de esforços. Sob condições cíclicas de tensão cisalhante controlada, a adição de fibras às misturas não cimentadas proporcionou o aumento da resistência aos ciclos de esforços e às misturas cimentadas provocou aumento dos níveis de deformação cisalhante. A concordância das mesmas envoltórias de resistência tanto às trajetórias de tensões dos ensaios monotonônicos quanto às trajetórias dos ensaios cíclicos sob diferentes condições de carregamento possibilitou a obtenção dos mesmos parâmetros de resistência das misturas analisadas sob diferentes condições de carregamento. / The soil properties commonly may not suit the project characteristics and requirements. It is presented, as alternative, the improvement technique of fibrous elements inclusion to the cemented and uncemented soil matrix. Moreover, although common, the behaviour of soil under cyclic loads is not completely known. In this sense, the study of the hydration behaviour and the cyclic shear response of fibre reinforced cemented mine tailings is the main objective of this research. Therefore, chemical shrinkage measurements, stiffness measurements during hydration and monotonic and cyclic simple shear tests were conducted on fibre reinforced and unreinforced cemented and uncemented mine tailings. The tailings, produced from gold mining, are classified as a sandy silt with traces of clay and were cemented with different amounts of Portland cement, ranging from 0% to 10% by dry weigh of soil, and reinforced with 0% and 0.5% by dry weigh of solids of polypropylene fibers 50mm long and 0.1mm thick, equivalent to an aspect ratio of 500. The results showed fibres did not affect the hydration process of cemented mine tailings mixtures, which presents logarithmic attenuation of chemical shrinkage over time. The greater the water / cement ratio, the higher the level of chemical shrinkage. The inclusion of fibers to cemented mine tailings, likewise, did not affect the evolution of initial stiffness values, that raise logarithmic over time and increase with the increase of the cementation level. Under monotonic shear conditions, the addition of fibers confers hardening behaviour to the uncemented and cemented materials. Under shear strain controlled cyclic conditions, fibres did not affect the shear response of uncemented samples and increased shear stress values of cemented samples after successive load cycles. Under shear stress controlled cyclic conditions, the fibres addition to the uncemented mixtures increased the resistance to load cycles and to the cemented mixtures increased levels of shearing strain. The agreement of the same strength envelopes to both monotonic and cyclic stress paths, under different cyclic loading conditions, allows the use of the same strength parameters of mixtures analyzed under different loading conditions.

As propriedades do solo cotidianamente podem não ser adequadas às características e às necessidades de projeto. É apresentada, como alternativa, a técnica de reforço com inclusão de elementos fibrosos à matriz de solo cimentado e não cimentado. Ainda, embora comuns, o comportamento do solo frente a solicitações cíclicas não é completamente conhecido. Nesse sentido, o estudo do comportamento de hidratação e da resposta cisalhante cíclica de um resíduo de mineração cimentado reforçado com fibras é objetivado. Para tanto, medidas de retração química, medidas de rigidez ao longo da hidratação e ensaios simple shear monotônicos e cíclicos foram realizados com resíduo de mineração cimentado e não cimentado, reforçado com fibras e não reforçado. O resíduo, oriundo da mineração de ouro, um silte arenoso com traços de argila, foi cimentado com diferentes teores de cimento Portland, entre 0% e 10% em relação à massa de solo seco, e reforçado com 0% e 0,5%, em relação à massa de sólidos secos, de fibras de polipropileno de 50mm de comprimento e 0,1mm de espessura, equivalentes a um índice aspecto de 500. Os resultados demonstraram que as fibras não afetaram o processo de hidratação das misturas de resíduo de mineração cimentadas, que apresentam tendência de atenuação logarítmica da retração química com o tempo. Quanto maiores as relações água/cimento, maior o nível de retração química. A inclusão de fibras a misturas de resíduo de mineração cimentadas, da mesma forma, não afetou a evolução dos valores de rigidez inicial, que crescem com tendência logarítmica em função do tempo e aumentam com o acréscimo do nível de cimentação. Sob condições monotônicas de cisalhamento, a adição de fibras conferiu ao material cimentado e não cimentado comportamento de endurecimento. Sob condições cíclicas de deformação cisalhante controlada, as fibras não afetaram a resposta cisalhante das amostras não cimentadas e provocaram aumento dos valores da tensão cisalhante das amostras cimentadas após sucessivos ciclos de esforços. Sob condições cíclicas de tensão cisalhante controlada, a adição de fibras às misturas não cimentadas proporcionou o aumento da resistência aos ciclos de esforços e às misturas cimentadas provocou aumento dos níveis de deformação cisalhante. A concordância das mesmas envoltórias de resistência tanto às trajetórias de tensões dos ensaios monotonônicos quanto às trajetórias dos ensaios cíclicos sob diferentes condições de carregamento possibilitou a obtenção dos mesmos parâmetros de resistência das misturas analisadas sob diferentes condições de carregamento. / The soil properties commonly may not suit the project characteristics and requirements. It is presented, as alternative, the improvement technique of fibrous elements inclusion to the cemented and uncemented soil matrix. Moreover, although common, the behaviour of soil under cyclic loads is not completely known. In this sense, the study of the hydration behaviour and the cyclic shear response of fibre reinforced cemented mine tailings is the main objective of this research. Therefore, chemical shrinkage measurements, stiffness measurements during hydration and monotonic and cyclic simple shear tests were conducted on fibre reinforced and unreinforced cemented and uncemented mine tailings. The tailings, produced from gold mining, are classified as a sandy silt with traces of clay and were cemented with different amounts of Portland cement, ranging from 0% to 10% by dry weigh of soil, and reinforced with 0% and 0.5% by dry weigh of solids of polypropylene fibers 50mm long and 0.1mm thick, equivalent to an aspect ratio of 500. The results showed fibres did not affect the hydration process of cemented mine tailings mixtures, which presents logarithmic attenuation of chemical shrinkage over time. The greater the water / cement ratio, the higher the level of chemical shrinkage. The inclusion of fibers to cemented mine tailings, likewise, did not affect the evolution of initial stiffness values, that raise logarithmic over time and increase with the increase of the cementation level. Under monotonic shear conditions, the addition of fibers confers hardening behaviour to the uncemented and cemented materials. Under shear strain controlled cyclic conditions, fibres did not affect the shear response of uncemented samples and increased shear stress values of cemented samples after successive load cycles. Under shear stress controlled cyclic conditions, the fibres addition to the uncemented mixtures increased the resistance to load cycles and to the cemented mixtures increased levels of shearing strain. The agreement of the same strength envelopes to both monotonic and cyclic stress paths, under different cyclic loading conditions, allows the use of the same strength parameters of mixtures analyzed under different loading conditions.

As propriedades do solo cotidianamente podem não ser adequadas às características e às necessidades de projeto. É apresentada, como alternativa, a técnica de reforço com inclusão de elementos fibrosos à matriz de solo cimentado e não cimentado. Ainda, embora comuns, o comportamento do solo frente a solicitações cíclicas não é completamente conhecido. Nesse sentido, o estudo do comportamento de hidratação e da resposta cisalhante cíclica de um resíduo de mineração cimentado reforçado com fibras é objetivado. Para tanto, medidas de retração química, medidas de rigidez ao longo da hidratação e ensaios simple shear monotônicos e cíclicos foram realizados com resíduo de mineração cimentado e não cimentado, reforçado com fibras e não reforçado. O resíduo, oriundo da mineração de ouro, um silte arenoso com traços de argila, foi cimentado com diferentes teores de cimento Portland, entre 0% e 10% em relação à massa de solo seco, e reforçado com 0% e 0,5%, em relação à massa de sólidos secos, de fibras de polipropileno de 50mm de comprimento e 0,1mm de espessura, equivalentes a um índice aspecto de 500. Os resultados demonstraram que as fibras não afetaram o processo de hidratação das misturas de resíduo de mineração cimentadas, que apresentam tendência de atenuação logarítmica da retração química com o tempo. Quanto maiores as relações água/cimento, maior o nível de retração química. A inclusão de fibras a misturas de resíduo de mineração cimentadas, da mesma forma, não afetou a evolução dos valores de rigidez inicial, que crescem com tendência logarítmica em função do tempo e aumentam com o acréscimo do nível de cimentação. Sob condições monotônicas de cisalhamento, a adição de fibras conferiu ao material cimentado e não cimentado comportamento de endurecimento. Sob condições cíclicas de deformação cisalhante controlada, as fibras não afetaram a resposta cisalhante das amostras não cimentadas e provocaram aumento dos valores da tensão cisalhante das amostras cimentadas após sucessivos ciclos de esforços. Sob condições cíclicas de tensão cisalhante controlada, a adição de fibras às misturas não cimentadas proporcionou o aumento da resistência aos ciclos de esforços e às misturas cimentadas provocou aumento dos níveis de deformação cisalhante. A concordância das mesmas envoltórias de resistência tanto às trajetórias de tensões dos ensaios monotonônicos quanto às trajetórias dos ensaios cíclicos sob diferentes condições de carregamento possibilitou a obtenção dos mesmos parâmetros de resistência das misturas analisadas sob diferentes condições de carregamento. / The soil properties commonly may not suit the project characteristics and requirements. It is presented, as alternative, the improvement technique of fibrous elements inclusion to the cemented and uncemented soil matrix. Moreover, although common, the behaviour of soil under cyclic loads is not completely known. In this sense, the study of the hydration behaviour and the cyclic shear response of fibre reinforced cemented mine tailings is the main objective of this research. Therefore, chemical shrinkage measurements, stiffness measurements during hydration and monotonic and cyclic simple shear tests were conducted on fibre reinforced and unreinforced cemented and uncemented mine tailings. The tailings, produced from gold mining, are classified as a sandy silt with traces of clay and were cemented with different amounts of Portland cement, ranging from 0% to 10% by dry weigh of soil, and reinforced with 0% and 0.5% by dry weigh of solids of polypropylene fibers 50mm long and 0.1mm thick, equivalent to an aspect ratio of 500. The results showed fibres did not affect the hydration process of cemented mine tailings mixtures, which presents logarithmic attenuation of chemical shrinkage over time. The greater the water / cement ratio, the higher the level of chemical shrinkage. The inclusion of fibers to cemented mine tailings, likewise, did not affect the evolution of initial stiffness values, that raise logarithmic over time and increase with the increase of the cementation level. Under monotonic shear conditions, the addition of fibers confers hardening behaviour to the uncemented and cemented materials. Under shear strain controlled cyclic conditions, fibres did not affect the shear response of uncemented samples and increased shear stress values of cemented samples after successive load cycles. Under shear stress controlled cyclic conditions, the fibres addition to the uncemented mixtures increased the resistance to load cycles and to the cemented mixtures increased levels of shearing strain. The agreement of the same strength envelopes to both monotonic and cyclic stress paths, under different cyclic loading conditions, allows the use of the same strength parameters of mixtures analyzed under different loading conditions.

Abstract : The construction industry is expressing great demand for innovative and durable structural members such as bridge decks and piers, piling, and poles. Many steel-reinforced concrete structures subjected to de-icing salts and marine environments require extensive and expensive maintenance. Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) have recently gained wide acceptance as a viable construction material for repair, rehabilitation, or new construction of the aging infrastructures particularly those exposed to harsh environment conditions. The promising concept of concrete-filled FRP tube (CFFT) system, that may be further reinforced with steel or FRP bars, has raised great interest amongst researchers in the last decade. The CFFT technique has been used successfully in different concrete structure elements such as pier column and girder for bridges and also as fender piles in marine structures. The FRP tube acts as a stay-in-place structural formwork, a noncorrosive reinforcement for the concrete for flexure and shear, provides confinement to the concrete in compression, and the contained concrete is protected from intrusion of moisture with corrosive agents that could otherwise deteriorate the concrete core. Using FRP bars instead of conventional steel bars in the CFFT columns can provide a step forward to develop a promising totally corrosion-free new structural system. Nonetheless, the axial behaviour of FRP bars as longitudinal reinforcement in compression members has yet to be explored, especially for the CFFT columns. To date, most of the experimental investigations performed on FRP confined concrete columns have considered short, unreinforced, small-scale concrete cylinders, tested under concentric, monotonic, and axial load. The slenderness ratio, internal longitudinal reinforcement type (steel or FRP bars), and axial cyclic loading effects on the behaviour of FRP confined concrete long columns, however, have received only limited research attention. To address such knowledge gaps, this study aimed at investigating the behaviour of the CFFT long columns internally reinforced with steel or FRP bars tested under monotonic and cyclic axial loading. A total of ten reinforced concrete (RC) and CFFT columns were constructed and tested until failure. All columns had 1900-mm in height and 213-mm in diameter. The investigated parameters were: i) the effect of internal reinforcement type (steel, glass FRP (GFRP), or carbon FRP (CFRP)) and amount, ii) GFRP tube thicknesses, and iii) nature of loading (i.e. monotonic and cyclic). The effect of the different parameters on the axial behaviour of the tested columns is presented and discussed. The research work presented in this dissertation has resulted in one paper submitted to the Elsevier Journal of Engineering Structures (manuscript ID: ENGSTRUCT-D-15-01381) and one accepted conference paper submitted to the 5 th International Structural Specialty Conference (CSCE 2016), London, Ontario, June 1st - 4th, 2016. The experimental test results showed that the CFFT columns reinforced with GFRP bars exhibited similar responses compared to their counterparts reinforced with steel bars with no significant difference in terms of ultimate axial strength and strain capacities. The GFRP tubes provided significant confinement of the tested specimens attributing to shift the mode of failure from axially dominated material failure to flexural-dominated instability failure. The results also indicated that the plastic strains of the FRP-reinforced CFFT columns was linearly proportional to the envelop unloading strains (εun,env). The relationship depended little on level of confinement, but strongly on the longitudinal reinforcement amount and type, particularly when εun,env > 0.0035. On the other hand, an analytical investigation was conducted to examine the validity of the available design provisions for predicting the ultimate load capacity of tested columns. The results of the analysis were compared with the experimental values. It was found that the ACI 440.R1 (2015), CSA S806 (2012), and CSA S6-06 (2010) design provisions provided higher conservative results for the GFRP-reinforced control specimens than that of steel-reinforced specimen. This might be due to neglecting the contribution of the compressive resistance of the GFRP bars to the axial carrying capacity. Furthermore, for FRP-reinforced CFFT columns, the ACI 440.2R (2008), CSA S806 (2012), and CSA S6-06 (2010) provisions results over the experimental results were an average of 1.68±0.31, 1.57±0.18, and 1.72±0.35 with a COV of 18.4%, 11.3%, and 20.5%, respectively. By considering the confinement codes limits, the CSA S806 (2012) showed better correlation for the ultimate carrying capacity based on the average than the CSA S6-06 (2010) and ACI 440.2R (2008), particularly for specimens cast with tube Type B. / Résumé : L'industrie de la construction exprime une grande demande pour les structures innovantes et durables tels que les tabliers de ponts et les quais, les pieux et les poteaux. Plusieurs structures en béton armé sont soumises à des sels de déglaçage et à des environnements marins qui exigent un entretien coûteux. Les polymères renforcés de fibres (PRF) ont récemment été reconnus en tant que matériau de construction viable pour la réparation, la réhabilitation ou la construction de nouvelles infrastructures vieillissantes en particulier celles exposées à des conditions d'environnement sévères. Le concept prometteur du système de tube rempli de béton PRF (CFFT), qui peut être encore renforcé avec de l'acier ou des barres en PRF, a amorcé un grand intérêt parmi les chercheurs durant la dernière décennie. La technique CFFT a été utilisée avec succès dans les différents éléments de structure en béton tels que les colonnes et les poutres de ponts et aussi comme des pieux pour les structures marines. Le tube en PRF agit comme un coffrage structural sur place, un renforcement non corrosif pour le béton en flexion et au cisaillement en utilisant l'orientation des fibres multidirectionnelle, fournit un confinement au béton en compression, et le béton est protégé de toute intrusion d'humidité des agents corrosifs qui, autrement, pourraient détériorer le noyau de béton (ACI 440. R-07 (2007)). L’utilisation des barres de PRF au lieu de barres d'acier conventionnelles dans les colonnes CFFT peut fournir un pas en avant pour développer un nouveau système structurel. Néanmoins, le comportement axial des barres en PRF comme armatures longitudinales dans les membrures en compression n'a pas encore été exploré, en particulier pour les colonnes CFFT. À ce jour, la plupart des études expérimentales effectuées sur les colonnes en béton confinés de PRF, ont considéré des cylindres en béton, courts, à petite échelle non armés, et testés sous un charge concentrique, monotone, et axiale. Le rapport d'élancement, le renfort longitudinal interne (acier ou barres en PRF), et les effets du chargement axial cyclique sur le comportement des colonnes élancées de béton confinés et en PRF, ont connu une recherche limitée. Pour combler ce manque de connaissance, cette étude vise à étudier le comportement des colonnes élancées CFFT armé en acier ou en barres de PRF testées sous charges axiales monotones et cycliques. Un total de dix colonnes en béton armé (RC) et CFFT été fabriquées et testées jusqu'à la rupture. Toutes les colonnes ont 1900 mm de hauteur et 213 mm de diamètre. Les paramètres étudiés sont les suivants: i) l'effet de type de renforcement interne et la quantité de renforcement, ii) les épaisseurs de tubes PRV, et iii) le type de chargement (monotone et cyclique). L'effet des variables considérées sur le comportement axial des colonnes testées dans le travail expérimental est présenté et discuté. Le travail de recherche présenté dans cette analyse a fait l’objet d’un article scientifique soumis à Elsevier Journal of Engineering Structures (manuscrit ID: ENGSTRUCT-D-15-01381) et un article lors d’une conférence acceptée soumis à la 5ième International Structural Specialty Conference (CSCE 2016), London, Ontario, Juin 1er - 4ième, 2016. Les résultats des essais expérimentaux ont montré que les colonnes CFFT renforcées de barres en PRFV présentaient des réponses similaires par rapport à leurs homologues renforcées avec des barres d'acier sans différence significative en termes de capacité ultime de résistance axiale et de déformation. Les tubes en PRFV fournissent un confinement significatif des échantillons testés attribuant à changer le mode de rupture, c’est-à-dire d’une rupture des matériaux axialement à une rupture d’instabilité en flexion. En outre, l'augmentation de l'épaisseur du tube en PRFV de 2,9 à 6,4 mm améliore les rapports de résistance et de déformation de 25 % et 12 %, respectivement. Les résultats indiquent également que les déformations plastiques des colonnes renforcées de PRF sont linéairement proportionnelles aux enveloppes de tension de déchargement (εde,env). La relation dépend un peu du niveau de confinement, mais fortement de la quantité et du type de renfort longitudinal, en particulier lorsque εde,env > 0,0035. D'autre part, une investigation a été menée pour examiner la validité des dispositions de conception disponibles pour prédire la capacité de la charge ultime des colonnes testées. Les résultats de l'analyse ont été comparés avec les valeurs expérimentales. Il a été constaté que les prévisions de l'ACI 440.R1 (2015), CSA S806 (2012), et CSA S6-06 (2010) ont fourni des résultats conservateurs plus élevés pour les échantillons de contrôle en PRFV que celui de l'échantillon d'acier. Cela peut être dû à la négligence de la contribution de la résistance à la compression des barres de PRFV à la capacité de charge axiale. En outre, pour les colonnes de CFFT renforcées de PRF, les prévisions de l'ACI 440.2R (2008), du CSA S806 (2012), et du CSA S6-06 (2010) étaient de 1,68 ± 0,31, 1,57 ± 0,18 et 1,72 ± 0,35 avec un COV de 18,4 %, 11,3%, et 20,5%, respectivement. En considérant les limites des codes de confinement, le code CSA S806 (2012) a révélé les meilleures prévisions pour la capacité de charge ultime basée sur la moyenne que celui du code CSA S6-06 (2010) et de l’ACI 440.2R (2008), en particulier pour les échantillons réalisés avec des tubes de Type B.

Les ouvrages de génie civil, imposants et uniques, sont majoritairement construits en béton armé ou précontraint. La durabilité, l'étanchéité et la sûreté sont primordiales lorsqu'il s'agit d'évaluer la performance d'un ouvrage. La fissuration est un phénomène majeur qui influence le comportement des ouvrages sous diverses sollicitations en terme de durabilité et de tenue structurale. Le développement de lois de comportement capables de décrire de manière robuste et efficace la réponse des matériaux quasi-fragiles sous sollicitations complexes représente encore aujourd'hui un paradigme qui suscite de nombreux travaux au sein de la communauté scientifique. L'objectif principal de ces travaux est le développement d'un modèle numérique capable de représenter explicitement la fissuration des éléments de structure en béton armé. La dégradation des structures en béton armé, caractérisée par un réseau de fissures anisotrope, est décrite par un modèle d'endommagement anisotrope fondé sur des fissures orientées. La cinématique du modèle est enrichie par un saut de déplacement de manière à représenter explicitement le développement de fissures dans le matériau. Ce saut de déplacement est identifié comme l'ouverture de fissure. Le modèle développé est validé sur des structures en béton présentant des mécanismes de ruine en mode I et mode mixte. Les performances du modèle sont illustrées via la simulation de structures en béton armé comme un voile en cisaillement soumis a un chargement cyclique. / Civil engineering buildings, massive and unique, are mostly made of reinforced or prestressed concrete. Sustainability, tightness and safety are the major pillars of a building's performance. Cracking is a major phenomenon which impacts the buildings' behaviour under different loadings in terms of sustainability and structural capacity. Development of numerical models which describe accurately the response of quasi-brittle materials under complex loading remains an important research topic for the scientific community. The objective of this work is the development of a numerical model which represents explicitly cracking of reinforced concrete structures. Concrete and reinforced concrete degradation process, characterised by the appearance of several anisotropic crack families, is described by means of an anisotropic damage model accounting for oriented crack families. The kinematics of this model is enriched with a displacement jump in order to reproduce the development of cracks in the material during loading. This displacement jump is identified as the crack opening. The developed model is validated on simulations of plain concrete structures exhibiting mode I as well as mixed-mode failure. The performances of the enriched model are shown by the simulation of reinforced concrete structures such as a shear wall submitted to cyclic loading.

This diploma thesis studies the structure of selected austenitic stainless steels which were fatigued at room and depressed temperatures. The theoretical part is divided into three parts. The first one defines the austenitic stainless steels with accent to their chemical composition and microstructure. Second part is dedicated to deformation-induced martensite formation. The third part shows the mechanisms and stages of damage due to cyclic straining. The experimental part is focused especially on the observing of microstructural changes by methods of colour metallography and their relation to stress-strain response of material under selected conditions of fatigue loading. Series of samples of 304 and 316L steels were prepared by colour etching and their microstructures were documented using optical microscopy. Then the semi-quantitative measurements of presence and morphology of deformation-induced martensite were done and the results were discussed and correlated with fatigue damage level.

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