Title:
Structural Assessment of Cracked Concrete Members by Digital Image Random Nonlinear Finite Element
Author(s):
Abdalla Elhadi Alhashmi and Fadi Oudah
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
122
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
57-69
Keywords:
digital image processing (DIP); random finite element (RFE) method; reinforced concrete (RC); structural assessment; structural degradation
DOI:
10.14359/51746792
Date:
9/1/2025
Abstract:
This paper presents a novel framework of analysis to assess the resistance of existing reinforced concrete (RC) members experiencing spatial variability of crack patterns and spatial variability of concrete mechanical properties. The spatial variabilities are considered by using digital image processing (DIP) to map crack patterns onto three-dimensional (3-D) nonlinear finite element (NFE) models, where the concrete mechanical properties (compressive strength, tensile strength, damage, and modulus of elasticity) are spatially varied using random fields (RFs) to form random NFE (RNFE) models. The framework was developed and applied to assess a corroded RC beam (to determine the distribution of the resistance) and column (to determine the reliability of the column at the ultimate limit state [ULS]). Research findings indicate improved accuracy in assessing the resistance of the corroded members up to 20%, and the adaptivity of the developed framework for performing reliability analysis of existing RC structures.
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