Identification of internal damages in reinforced concrete slabs using probability density field of acoustic emission events

To assess the structural capacity of reinforced concrete structures, identifying the internal cracks is important. Acoustic emission (AE) is promising to estimate the location of internal cracks. However, the localization is influenced by many factors like arrival time picking error, presence of crack, etc., resulting in localization error. The...

Multi-region lifetime assessment of reinforced concrete structures subjected to carbonation and climate change

The built environment is already facing severe consequences related to climate change. Considering the durability of structures, the increase of carbon-dioxide (CO₂) concentration and changes on temperature and relative humidity may accelerate carbonation-induced corrosion, thus affecting the service life of reinforced concrete...

Optimization-based strut-and-tie model generation for reinforced concrete structures under multiple load conditions

Strut-and-Tie modelling (STM) has been widely applied to design D-regions of reinforced concrete structures. For economic and environmental reasons there is a need for optimized Strut-and-Tie models. How to optimize Strut-and-Tie models considering multiple load combinations has not been investigated extensively in the literature. In order to...

Durability-based design: the European perspective

In Europe, design for the durability of new reinforced concrete structures is currently based on a prescriptive approach. The design, execution (construction) and planned maintenance of a concrete structure have to lead to the intended level of safety and serviceability throughout its entire service life. This requires numeric models based on...

Impressed current cathodic protection of chloride-contaminated RC structures with cracking: A numerical study

Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is an effective and direct method for controlling the corrosion of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, few investigations related to ICCP in cracked RC structures have been reported. In this study, the effect of cracks in concrete cover on ICCP of chloride-contaminated RC structures was...

Automated optimization-based generation and quantitative evaluation of Strut-and-Tie models

Strut-and-Tie modelling (STM) is a well-known approach to design D-regions in reinforced concrete structures. Because the STM method is based on lower-bound analysis, finding a suitable truss-analogy model is the most important aspect to guarantee good structural and economic performance of a resulting design. Continuum topology optimization ...

Model Uncertainty of Non-Linear Finite Element Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Beams without Shear Reinforcement: Examining the Effect of Modelling Strategies and Modes of Failure

The aim of this thesis project is to investigate the model uncertainty of non-linear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures at ultimate limit state by focusing on concrete cracking model, concrete-reinforcement interaction model and mesh size. Following this, eight finite element modelling strategies are developed and 67...

Application of Evolutionary Structural Optimization to Reinforced Concrete Structures

The present thesis has the objective to create a procedure for the automatic preliminary design of reinforced concrete structures, based on the Evolutionary Structural Optimization method (ESO). The developed algorithm performs heuristic topology optimization based on multiple criteria, in subsequent optimization cycles executed in series. In...

Investigation on the attenuation trend of Acoustic Emission in reinforced concrete structures

Considered as an effective real-time monitoring tool, Acoustic Emission (AE) measurements is a promising technology for reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, its application on real RC structures is still limited. Due to the lack of knowledge on the crack induced acoustic emission in large scale structures.<br/><br/>The aim of this study...

Crack pattern observations to finite element simulation: An exploratory study for detailed assessment of reinforced concrete structures

Uncertainties regarding structural safety of reinforced concrete structures may warrant a need for a detailed assessment. A detailed assessment using nonlinear finite element analysis is one of the alternatives which could help in decision-making about maintaining, upgrading or even demolishing and rebuilding of the structure. A reliable...

The capabilities of the Plaxis Shotcrete material model for designing laterally loaded reinforced concrete structures in the subsurface

A hot topic in the Netherlands is the safety reassessment of dikes. Currently several (river)dikes are being reinforced to withstand a given normative high water level. The environment of those dikes is often characterised by small floodplains and urban areas right next to the dike, wherefore standard geo-technical measures cannot be applied....

Shear beams in finite element modelling: Software implementation and validation

Fiber models for beam and shell elements allow for relatively rapid finite element analysis of concrete structures and structural elements. This project aims at the development of the formulation of such elements and a pilot implementation. The reduction of calculation time and degrees of freedom and the few required input variables are...

Calculation of benchmarks with a shear beam model

Fiber models for beam and shell elements allow for relatively rapid finite element analysis of concrete structures and structural elements. This project aims at the development of the formulation of such elements and a pilot implementation. Standard nonlinear fiber beam formulations do not account for shear effects and cannot capture all failure...