Analysis Of Reinforced Concrete Transportation Structures

As the human body ages, it becomes more fragile. America’s infrastructure is nearly the same. With the everyday use of many large structures, such as bridges, buildings, and other large structures made of concrete and/or steel, many are beginning to wither away while the average American is unaware of these changes. In many projects around the world, there is a material that is being commonly used to strengthen structures known as Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP). The types of structures that this material can help to strengthen includes, but is not limited to, reinforced concrete columns, bridge girders, steel structures, and cable

An example of this is shrinkage cracks. As concrete cures and hardens, it loses water and shrinks. During this shrinkage, the concrete steadily gets more rigid which in turn resists the shrinkage. At some point the concrete's rigidity resists any further shrinkage. By this time however, a great deal of built-up internal stress causes the concrete to develop small cracks. These are usually hairline or less than 1/8 inch in width and tend to wander about. Sometimes they will stop at one spot and then start up again a short distance away. They often radiate out from the corners of rectangular holes in the concrete and from embedded objects such as pipes and drains. Weathering will also cause non-structural cracks on the concrete's

Protective coatings on the concrete could be used, “corrosion inhibitors” such as calcium nitrate which can be applied now, to treat any chloride ingress, these work by penetrating the concrete also and preventing the de-passivation of the steel from the chloride attack. Protective coatings such as “epoxy” can be used on the steel, it’s a physical barrier from corrosion as long as it isn’t damaged and it can also be used on the

Weathered Look: As pavement or concrete ages, it tends to get a worn out look and will require resurfacing, waterproofing and sealcoating. C M C Concrete Construction recommends getting a repair before the weather makes it any worse.

Now say you are going to build a home, what do you think is the most important part? THE FOUNDATION! If the structural integrity isn’t taken into account, or the foundation was built poorly, then the house cannot last. The foundation carries the entire weight of the entire house on its shoulders, so as one part begins to crumble, so does the

In architecture, natural building materials continue to deteriorate and change every second by environment, as I observed the wave changing with sunlight and dynamic movement. The rate of deterioration is decided by the material characteristics, the regional environment and the division of building materials. Firstly, the rate of deterioration is mostly decided by the material characteristics, especially organic natural material. Secondly, the materials were influenced by the regional climate such as, oxidation, fading and corruption. Thirdly, the division of building materials affects the deterioration rate in the architecture by more contact area reacting with oxygen and moisture.

On comparing to a reinforced concrete component, an element made of high strength concrete will have minor deflection, slighter camber change, lower pre-stress loss and longer life relatively. Additionally, it gives heightened shear capacity of columns and stronger beam-column joints. The other characteristics of high strength concrete are higher compressive strength, better tensile strength and improved

In the current economic environment where interest rates are low and unemployment remains elevated, a logical solution to stimulate growth would be to build, modernize, or replace our infrastructure. Every 4 years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) releases a Report Card for America’s Infrastructure that represents the condition and performance of the nation’s infrastructure. In 2013, the United States’ infrastructure grade was a D+. Although we recognize the report is a little self-serving, the statistics behind their research is compelling. According to the report: the average age of the 84,000 dams in the country is 52 years old, one in nine of the nation’s bridges are rated

Concrete is a vital construction material having high compressive strength and comparatively low tensile strength. Based on fracture toughness values, steel is at least 100 times more resistant to crack growth than concrete. Concrete in service thus cracks easily, and this cracking creates easy access routes for deleterious agents resulting in early saturation, freeze-thaw damage, scaling, discoloration and steel corrosion.

Existing structures; vibrations and excavation from construction will have an effect on existing structures, as they are sensitive. Therefore damage to the structures can occur if proper measures and ground investigations are not carried out. If the soil is compressible it can cause subsidence to adjacent surface structures. Physical conditions of existing structures should be obtained and laboratory tests taken to provide information, which is clear about the behaviour of the surrounding structures. (Geotechnical site investigations 1986)

The evolution of concrete has allowed us to create more workable concrete and as a result allows better bonding due to the chemical reaction at a molecular level between the water and cement. This reaction bonds the aggregate and acts much like a “bridging” compound which binds the aggregate together.

Concrete is a vital construction material and establishing the compressive strength is key as the ability to maximise the compressive strength will enhance a structures lifespan. Mortar is formed through the mixing of cement and water before being cast to harden. When the cement and water is mixed the process of hydration occurs forming a paste which then hardens. Once concrete is cast and dries the presence of curing time is important. Not all chemical reactions occur quickly, therefore by curing concrete in water for several days it allows all reactions to complete. Therefore allowing concrete to cure for up to 28 days should ensure that the compressive strength is maximised and it should meet industry standards.

Concrete is an artificial stone-like material used for various structural purposes. It is made by mixing a binding material (as cement) and various aggregates (inert materials), such as sand, stone chips, brick chips, brick chips, pebbles, gravel, shale, etc with water and allowing the mixture to harden by hydration. There are many types of concrete available, created by varying the proportions of the main ingredients below. In this way or by substitution for the cementations and aggregate phases, the finished product can be tailored to its application with varying strength, density, or chemical and thermal resistance properties, Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general usage. It is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar and plaster. Importance of Concrete some important of concrete are given below. Concrete is economical when ingredients are readily available. Concrete is a non-combustible material which makes it fire-safe and able to withstand high temperatures. It is resistant to wind, water, rodents, and insects. Hence, concrete is often used for storm shelters. Concrete could be requested in a variety of ways. It could be requested with a considerable measure of "fly ash" in the mix. Fly ash is a substitute for cement.

Lightweight concrete mixes can be designed to have strengths that comparable to those of normal weight concrete (NWC), as shown in table (2.2). As the strength of lightweight concrete increases, there is a structural purpose to use material which can lessen the dead load of concrete structures and increase span lengths. (Martinez, 1984)

This chapter reviews the literatures of the available previous studies related to several techniques of strengthening reinforced concrete columns with attention on strengthening reinforced concrete column using concrete jacket. Also this chapter provides a literature review relevant to the history, properties and field application of the ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). The chapter also reviews several techniques of enhancing the bond at the interface between two concrete layers of different ages.