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....

Diaphragm Wall Panels: Non-Linear FEM Analysis Of Forces In Construction Joints

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the behavioral differences of walls that have different load transfer mechanisms and identify a simple engi- neering model for a construction joint that connects these two different wall types.<br/>Within the text; First, the problem description is provided among with a simple yet reliable soil modeling...

Evaluation of Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Existing Concrete Structures

An increasing number of existing structures are approaching the end of their technical service life. Therefore, monitoring these structures to get the information of their health condition, which is called structural health monitoring (SHM), is becoming more significant. In SHM, acoustic emission (AE) technique shows promising features in...

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 conceptual design of a Tidal Power Plant in the Brouwersdam

Zeeland, located in the south west of The Netherlands, has suffered major casualties and damage due to the flood in 1953. After the disaster, the Dutch Government appointed the so-called Deltacomittee, provided with the task of advising on the execution of the Deltaplan. As part of the Deltaplan, North Sea estuaries has been closed off from the...

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...

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...

Shear and torsion in a prestressed through railway bridge: A comparison between the analytical solution and SCIA

With the arrival of the Eurocode, the calculations regarding shear resistance, have become increasingly conservative compared to former concrete standards. For example in Voorschriften Beton 1974 (VB 74), a former concrete standard, a shear resistance combination of concrete, stirrups and prestress was allowed. Whereas the Eurocode assumes the...

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...

StructuralComponents 6: An early-stage design tool for flexible topologies of mid-rise concrete buildings

The development of computational tools to aid with early-stage design of buildings is an emerging topic of great value. Developing a good conceptual design for a building is important because it can save a great amount of time and resources over the entire building process. This report discusses the project StructuralComponents 6, a continuation...

Interfacial behavior of hybrid SHCC-Concrete beams with a joint at midspan

Strain Hardening Cementitious Composite (SHCC) is a new type of concrete that is able to control the crack-width in concrete structures. The application of this material in the tension zone of hybrid concrete structures is thus of interest in practice. The interfacial behavior for these hybrid structures is something that is of importance for...

3D Concrete Printing: The influence of printing process parameters on the mechanical properties, numerical modelling, and the exploration of sustainable printable solutions for humanitarian problems

Concrete is one of the most widely applied construction materials worldwide. Although traditional construction processes are optimized in terms of efficiency, costs and material use, the main disadvantages are still related to the use of formwork, labour and limited freedom of shapes in architectural design. The future of concrete structures...

Automated Structural Assessment of existing reinforced concrete underpasses

Much of the Dutch infrastructure was built in the 1960s and 1970s and includes an estimated 55.000 bridges and viaducts. These aging structures have reached the end of their designed service life or will reach it in the short term. It is estimated that 15% of these structures have a box-shaped cross-section as being reinforced concrete...

Study of structural behaviour of geopolymer concrete to check the applicability of Eurocode 2

Global climate change has been a huge matter of concern today. While there are several factors that contribute to greenhouse gases, adversely affecting the planet, CO2 emission is one of them. It is said that 8% of total carbon dioxide emission is caused due to the production of Ordinary portland cement used for concrete in...

Brutally Honest, on why should we save ugly buildings: Research and Design Project of adaptive reuse and socio-architectural rehabilitation of Atlas Tower in Liège, Belgium

Unappreciated by the public, and ambiguous with its history, Brutalism has its followers, among designers and architects yet it is still a stylistic outcast. La tour de Droixhe, the high-rise at hand, thus, is seen not only as heritage but also as a lonely giant towering over the city of Liège, Belgium. This brutalist social housing development...

Marine Pumped Hydro Energy Storage: Shape design of the reservoir

The offshore renewable energy market is rapidly growing, particularly in wind and solar sectors. The intermittent nature of these energy sources underscores the necessity for offshore energy storage solutions. Among the techniques being explored, Marine Pumped Hydro-Energy Storage (MPHES) emerges as a promising option. This innovative concept...

Sustainable Design Development of a Concrete Lock Chamber: Reaching a Sustainable and Durable Design of a Ship Lock Concrete Hard Structure, Enabling Navigation Through the Haringvliet Storm Surge Barrier as Part of the Delta21 Project

Concrete is the second most used material in the world after water and recent trends show no slowing down of the concrete use around the world. Concrete is also a huge contributor to CO2 emissions as it makes up 8% of emissions. This study investigates the optimization of concrete structures to reduce environmental impact while maintaining...