International Concrete Abstracts Portal

Fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites are promising structural materials representing the extension of textile reinforced concrete (TRC) technology to repairing applications. Recent experiences have proven the ability of FRCMs to increase the mechanical performances of existing elements, ensuring economic and environmental sustainability. Since FRCM composites are generally employed in the form of thin externally bonded layers, one of the main advantages is the ability to improve the overall energy absorption capacity, weakly impacting the structural dead weights and the structural stiffness and, as a direct consequence, the inertial force distributions activated by seismic events. In the framework of new regulatory initiatives, the paper aims at proposing simplified numerical approaches for the structural design of retrofitting interventions on existing reinforced concrete structures. To this purpose, the research is addressed at two main levels: i) the material level is investigated on the uniaxial tensile response of FRCM composites, modeled by means of well-established numerical approaches; and ii) the macro-scale level is evaluated and modeled on a double edge wedge splitting (DEWS) specimen, consisting of an under-reinforced concrete substrate retrofitted with two outer FRCM composites. This novel experimental technique, originally introduced to investigate the fracture behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete, allows transferring substrate tensile stresses to the retrofitting layers by means of the sole chemo-mechanical adhesion, allowing to investigate the FRCM delamination and cracking phenomena occurring in the notched ligament zone. It is believed that the analysis of the experimental results, assisted by simplified and advanced non-linear numerical approaches, may represent an effective starting point for the derivation of robust design-oriented models.

The design of building structures and infrastructures is mainly based on four concepts: safety, serviceability, durability and sustainability. The latter is becoming increasingly relevant in the field of civil engineering. Reinforced concrete structures are subjected to conditions that produce cracks which, if not repaired, can lead to a rapid deterioration and would result in increasing maintenance costs to guarantee the anticipated level of performance. Therefore, self-healing concrete can be very useful in any type of structure, as it allows to control and repair cracks as soon as they to occur. As a matter of fact, the synergy between fibre-reinforced cementitious composites and selfhealing techniques may result in promising solutions. Fibres improve the self-healing process due to their capacity to restrict crack widths and enable multiple crack formation. In particular, cracks smaller than 30-50 μm are able to heal completely. Moreover, in the case of High Performance Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCC), high content of cementitious/pozzolanic materials and low water-binder ratios are likely to make the composites naturally conducive to self-healing. In this framework the main goal of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, a state-of-the-art survey on self-healing of fibre-reinforced cementitious composites will be provided. This will be analysed with the goal of providing a “healable crack opening based” design concept which could pave the way for the incorporation of healing concepts into design approaches for FRC and also conventional R/C structures. On the other hand, the same state-of-the-art will be instrumental in identifying research needs, which still have to be addressed for the proper use of self-healing fibre-reinforced cementitious composites in the construction field.

The new Terminal 2 at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama, currently essentially completed, will increase the airport’s capacity to 25 million passengers per year. It has a doubly curved steel roof supported on reinforced concrete columns. The gravity force-resisting systems in the superstructure include long span precast and prestressed double tee decks, topped with cast-in-place concrete diaphragms and supported on a combination of unbonded post-tensioned girders and special reinforced concrete moment frame beams. The seismic force-resisting system includes special reinforced concrete moment frames and perimeter columns, special reinforced concrete shear walls and diaphragms, all detailed in accordance with ACI 318. Located in a region of moderately high seismic hazard, the building is classified as an essential facility and requires a non-conventional seismic design approach to maintain operational continuity and to protect life. Adopting the performance-based seismic design methodology and the capacity design principle, the structural engineering team designed an innovative reinforcement detail for developing ductile hinges at the top of the reinforced concrete columns to protect the structural steel roof which is designed to remain essentially elastic under MCE shaking. The structural engineering team’s design has been reviewed by internationally recognized experts and three independent peer review teams.

In most of the European countries, a significant share of the built stock consists of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings designed and realized between the ‘50s and the ‘70s of the past century. As a matter of fact, those buildings do not generally meet the performance objectives requested by the modern codes and standards in terms of both structural safety and energy efficiency.

Therefore, the aforementioned buildings are generally in need for retrofitting with the aim to fill the safety and efficiency gap with newly designed constructions. However, retrofitting requires huge costs, which, especially in the case of private buildings, can be seldom sustained by owners.

This paper presents the first results of a study aimed at investigating the advantages of combined intervention techniques and an integrated retrofitting approach for both seismic and energy retrofitting of existing RC frame buildings. On the one hand, the analysis explores the definition of techniques potentially characterized by the capability of contributing to both the aforementioned objectives. On the other hand, and more realistically for the type of structures under consideration, it aims at quantifying the technical and economical convenience of approaching the retrofitting issue of existing buildings in an integrated way.

The paper considers a structural concept for multistorey buildings with free floor plan and the new type of large-size load-bearing structures. The characteristic of the structural concept is that the main spatial reinforcing member for adjacent storeys in building is a steel truss.

Such approach makes it possible to organize large-span space through the floor and it can be used for different purposes, for example, for shopping area, ice or roller-skating rinks, open space offices.

The authors designed structural node connections including resting of floor slab on truss chords, as well as joining of steel truss to shotcrete filled rectangular tubes.

Parameters of the most cost-efficient cast-in-place floor slab by corrugated deck have been determined.