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Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 22074

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Diego Gino

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Guest Editor

Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering (DISEG), Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: non-linear numerical analysis; structural reliability; existing structures; reinforced concrete; prestressed concrete; bridges; composite structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bertagnoli

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Guest Editor

Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering (DISEG), Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: Non-linear finite element analysis; structural health monitoring; young hardening concrete; massive casting; composite steel-concrete structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last several decades, assessment and rehabilitation of the existing built environment constitute one of the major challenges for engineers, practitioners, and code-makers all over the world.

Aging, deterioration processes, lack of or improper maintenance, and increasing occurrence of extreme events have led to the need of more efficient methods for the safety assessment and retrofitting/rehabilitation of existing concrete structures.

New approaches deriving from research should be able to provide solutions devoted to reducing and/or avoiding the necessity of interventions, verifying the safety conditions for human life and performances for serviceability on aged infrastructures. On the other hand, in case interventions are needed, the research should provide both the tools to determine the priority of the intervention and the techniques able to reduce costs and environmental impact.

The Special Issue dedicated to the “Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques, and New Frontiers” is glad to welcome novel contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

Existing r.c. and p.c. buildings and infrastructures (i.e., bridges, tunnels, dams, etc.)
Reliability-based and semi-probabilistic methods for safety assessment
Monitoring and testing
Maintenance and LCA issues (i.e., predictive, proactive, etc.)
Strengthening and retrofitting techniques
Durability and sustainability of intervention on existing concrete structures

Dr. Diego Gino
Dr. Gabriele Bertagnoli
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

existing structures and infrastructures
reinforced concrete
prestressed concrete
monitoring
structural reliability
assessment
retrofitting and rehabilitation

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 172 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue: “Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers”

by Diego Gino and Gabriele Bertagnoli

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(20), 10628; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122010628 - 20 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1005

Abstract

In the last several decades, assessment and rehabilitation of the existing built environment constitute two of the major challenges for engineers, practitioners, and code-makers all over the world [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

20 pages, 8305 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fly Ash from the Thermal Transformation of Sewage Sludge as an Additive to Concrete Resistant to Environmental Influences in Communication Tunnels

by Gabriela Rutkowska, Paweł Ogrodnik, Mariusz Żółtowski, Aleksandra Powęzka, Michał Kucharski and Martin Krejsa

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 1802; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12041802 - 9 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1929

Abstract

Concrete is an ecological material with a high potential to adapt to specific operating conditions, and the lowest carbon footprint as it is made from local raw materials—aggregate, cement, water, admixtures, and mineral additives. It is the most widely used composite material among those that are man-made and second only to water in the entire range of materials used. The aim of this research was to assess the possibility of using fly ash from the thermal treatment of sewage sludge as an alternative additive to concretes resistant to environmental influences occurring in communication tunnels. A concrete mix based on CEM I 42.5R Portland cement with various ash content of 0–20% of the cement mass was designed for the experimental work. In the course of the experimental work, the compressive strength was measured after three maturing periods, and the influence of both high temperature and the material modification on the course of carbonation were determined. The test results confirm the possibility of producing plain concrete, modified with fly ash obtained from the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. The highest average compressive strength of 43.6 MPa, 45.6 MPa, and 51.2 MPa after 28, 56 and 720 days of maturation, respectively, was for concrete containing 10% ash. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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16 pages, 1764 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation: A Romanian Case Study

by Costel Pleșcan, Melinda Barta, Sebastian George Maxineasa and Elena-Loredana Pleșcan

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 1769; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12041769 - 9 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2258

Abstract

The most well-known and used evaluation system to determine the life cycle of a product, is the life cycle assessment (LCA). In Europe, the use of the life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental performance of products is becoming commonplace, which is why substantial efforts have been made in the last two decades to develop new life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and software. This paper evaluates the life cycle assessment (LCA) for the rehabilitation of a national road sector in Romania. The biggest ecological problem facing mankind is the effect of global warming and climate change associated with this phenomenon, due to the increase of the concentration of pollutants to the atmosphere, and this paper presents the results of the life cycle assessment (LCA) based on a cradle-to-gate approach. For this case study, were used three rehabilitation alternatives. These alternatives and the existing pavement structure were analysed using the GaBi software, Ganzheitlichen Bilanzierung (German for holistic balancing), to assess the environmental impact of global warming, the stratospheric impact of ozone, and the impact on human health. The results obtained in this study illustrate the importance of a life cycle assessment approach for evaluating the sustainability for different designs and for the construction of road rehabilitation options. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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19 pages, 6744 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lessons Learned from the Construction, Inspection, and Defect Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Foundations for Wind Turbines

by Alexandre Mathern and Jonas Magnusson

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1443; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031443 - 28 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3643

Abstract

Foundations of wind turbines are subject to challenging conditions during their service life as they support ever larger wind turbines under complex loading situations. There have been numerous reports of cracked concrete foundations of wind turbines. Cracking can impair the durability and serviceability of the foundations, thereby leading to very expensive repairs or even to premature failure of the structure. To avoid cracking-related problems and improve the quality of concrete foundations, it is important to gather information and experience from the production stage and its outcome. However, although problems and defects in the construction of wind turbine foundations are widespread, they have very seldom been documented and reported, in particular from a contractor’s perspective. This article analyses and critically reviews data collected during the production, inspection, diagnosis, and repair activities conducted in relation to the construction of foundations for a wind farm project in Sweden. The extent of defects observed on individual foundations is assessed and used to investigate the eventual relation between the observed deviations and different production aspects. Investigation methods to determine the importance of these defects and their consequences and possible remediation measures are also discussed. Finally, recommendations are proposed to improve the quality control of wind turbine foundations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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21 pages, 3706 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Method to Determine the Steel Fibre Content of Existing Structures—Test Setup and Numerical Simulation

by Simon Cleven, Michael Raupach and Thomas Matschei

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020561 - 6 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1304

Abstract

The diagnostics of constructions built with steel fibre reinforced concrete are extremely difficult to conduct because, typically, no information on the actual amount and orientation of the fibres is available. Therefore, it is of great interest to engineers to have the possibility to determine the steel fibre content and, at best, also the orientation of the fibres in existing structures. For this purpose, an easy-to-use test setup was developed and tested, in the course of laboratory investigations. This method can be used for cylinders, for example drilling cores, that can later be taken of existing structures, to determine both the fibre content and orientation. Based on these results, a model for cylindrical specimens was derived, which can be used for varying concrete compositions with steel fibre contents of up to 80 kg/m³. In the case of missing information concerning the concrete composition, it allows an initial estimation for the fibre content. In case additional information about the concrete composition is available, a much higher accuracy of the projected steel fibre content and therefore, an assessment of the building’s condition is possible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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20 pages, 3653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Method to Determine the Steel Fibre Content of Existing Structures—Evaluation and Validation

by Simon Cleven, Michael Raupach and Thomas Matschei

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010454 - 4 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1563

Abstract

The in-situ measurement of the content and orientation of steel fibres in concrete structures is of great importance for the assessment of their specific mechanical properties, especially in the case of repair. For existing structures, the actual fibre content as well as the orientation of the fibres, which is based on many factors such as casting or compacting direction, is typically unknown. For structural maintenance or rehabilitation, those factors have to be determined in order to apply meaningful structural design calculations and plan necessary strengthening methods. For this reason, a new method based on the analysis of drilling cores of concrete structures has been established. The newly developed non-destructive test setup used in this research consists of a framework for cylindrical specimens in combination with an LCR meter to determine the electrical resistance of the fibre reinforced concrete. In combination with a suitable FEM model, concretes with fibre contents up 80 kg/m³ were analysed to derive a first model to assess the actual fibre content of steel fibre reinforced concretes. After a calibration of the literature’s equation by use of an adjusted aspect ratio for the analysis of drilling cores, the estimation of the fibre content is possible with high accuracy for the tested material combination. The results show that the newly developed test method is suitable for the rapid and non-destructive structural diagnosis of the fibre content of steel fibre reinforced concrete based on drilling cores using electrical resistivity measurements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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16 pages, 6314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Stirrup on Bond Strength Degradation in Concrete Cracked by Expansion Agent Filled Pipes

by Amadou Sakhir Syll, Hiroki Shimokobe and Toshiyuki Kanakubo

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 8874; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11198874 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2179

Abstract

The corrosion of rebars in reinforced concrete structures cracks the concrete, which leads to the degradation of the bond strength between the rebar and concrete. Since bond deterioration can menace structural safety, bond strength evaluation is essential for proper maintenance. In this study, the authors investigated bond strength degradation by conducting pull-out tests on concrete specimens, with induced crack width and stirrups ratio being the principal parameters. An expansion agent-filled pipe (EAFP) simulates cracks due to the volumetric expansion of the corroded rebar. One advantage of this method is that it allows one to focus on the single effect of an induced crack. The pull-out tests on 36 specimens show that stirrups’ confinement significantly influences the bond degradation due to induced cracks. The authors proposed an empirical model for the degradation of bond strength, considering the impact of induced crack width. The result shows that the induced crack by EAFP can quantify the exclusive consequence of corrosion on bonds. Furthermore, the coefficient of variation is 12% for specimens without stirrup from Law et al. For specimen without and with stirrup from Lin et al., the coefficients of variation are 14% and 17%. The proposed model can predict the corroded specimen from the literature with reasonable accuracy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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14 pages, 3925 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Sustained Loading Bond Response and Post-Sustained Loading Behaviour of NSM CFRP-Concrete Elements under Different Service Temperatures

by Javier Gómez, Cristina Barris, Marta Baena, Ricardo Perera and Lluís Torres

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8542; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188542 - 14 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1651

Abstract

Nowadays, one of the foremost procedures for strengthening concrete structures is the Near-Surface Mounted (NSM) technique. This paper presents an experimental study on the effect sustained loading and different service temperatures (steady and cyclic) have on NSM Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)-concrete bonded joints and their post-sustained loading load-slip behaviour. Four experimental campaigns using eight NSM CFRP-concrete specimens were performed by employing two different service load levels (15% and 30% of the ultimate load) and combining two groove thicknesses (7.5 and 10 mm) and two bonded lengths (150 and 225 mm). Two steady state temperatures (20 and 40 °C) and two cyclic service temperatures (ranging between 20 and 40 °C) were programmed. The slip obtained was proportional to the sustained load level. Furthermore, higher slips were registered for specimens under higher mean temperatures in the cycle. After 1000 h of sustained load testing, the specimens were tested under monotonic loading until failure (post-sustained loading tests). In general, the ratio between the post-sustained loading ultimate load and the instantaneous ultimate load was close to the unity, although some differences were perceived in series S2 (steady 37.7 °C) with a mean increase of 6.3%, and series S3-B (cyclic temperature ranging between 24.6 and 39.2 °C) with a mean reduction of 9%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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20 pages, 11090 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Verification of Actual Prestressing in Existing Pre-Tensioned Members

by Jakub Kraľovanec, František Bahleda, Jozef Prokop, Martin Moravčík and Miroslav Neslušan

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5971; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135971 - 27 Jun 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2915

Abstract

In the case of prestressed concrete structures, information about the actual state of prestressing is an important basis for determining their load-carrying capacity as well as remaining service life. During the service life of the prestressed concrete structure, the initial level of prestressing is inevitably reduced as a result of the actions of various factors. These reductions of prestressing force are considered as prestress losses, which are influenced by construction stages, used materials, prestressing technology, or required length of service life. Available standards enable the determination of the expected values of prestress losses. Ultimately, their calculation is part of the design procedure of every prestressed concrete structure. However, aging and often neglected infrastructure in Europe is also exposed to factors, such as environmental distress, that are not considered in standard calculations. Therefore, verified and reliable methods for determining the actual state of prestressing are needed. This paper presents an experimental program of an indirect method for the evaluation of the value of prestressing force in seven prestressed concrete sleepers. Particularly, the non-destructive saw-cut method as a pivotal object of this study is performed and assessed. Furthermore, the Barkhausen noise technique is used as a comparative method. Subsequently, the experimental campaign is supported by the numerical analysis performed in the ATENA 3D software. Finally, the experimentally determined values of residual prestressing force are compared to the expected level of prestressing according to Eurocodes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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24 pages, 23767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

VoI-Based Optimization of Structural Assessment for Spatially Degrading RC Structures

by Eline Vereecken, Wouter Botte, Geert Lombaert and Robby Caspeele

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4994; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114994 - 28 May 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1673

Abstract

Before implementing a bridge monitoring strategy, a bridge manager would like to know the return on investment. Moreover, in order to spend the available budget as efficiently as possible, the monitoring strategy should be optimized, i.e., the type of measurements but also the time and locations at which these are performed. For this purpose, the Value of Information (VoI) can be used. The VoI represents an estimate of the benefit that can be gained from a monitoring strategy before it is actually implemented. By comparing the VoI of different alternative strategies, the one with the highest VoI can be selected. As such, the VoI is a tool for objective decision-making. The calculation of the VoI is based on pre-posterior analyses, including Bayesian updating of model parameters based on yet unknown monitoring outcomes. When calculating the VoI for an actual case, some challenges arise. First, the calculation of the VoI requires a number of assumptions on different input parameters. Second, the VoI is computed by evaluating life-cycle costs for different possible outcomes of the monitoring strategy, leading to a high computational cost. However, for practical implementations, results are preferably available within an acceptable time span and are robust with respect to the chosen input parameters. In this work, the implementation of the VoI approach for optimization of monitoring strategies is investigated by a problem statement in a case study where a reinforced concrete girder bridge is considered. To perform this optimization, the VoI for different monitoring strategies is compared. The calculation time required for the Bayesian updating of the model parameters based on the available data is limited by using Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) estimates to approximate the posterior distribution. The VoI can be used both to optimize a monitoring strategy or for comparison of different strategies. To limit the number of required (computationally expensive) evaluations of the VoI, optimization of the monitoring strategy itself can be simplified by determining the optimal sensor locations beforehand, based on a different metric than the VoI. For this purpose, the information entropy is used, which expresses the difference between the prior and posterior uncertainty of the model parameters. Finally, the sensitivity of the VoI to different input parameters is investigated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures and Infrastructures: Methods, Techniques and New Frontiers)

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