ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CONCRETE ABSTRACTS PORTAL

  • The International Concrete Abstracts Portal is an ACI led collaboration with leading technical organizations from within the international concrete industry and offers the most comprehensive collection of published concrete abstracts.

International Concrete Abstracts Portal

  


Title: Finite Element Analysis of Thermal Effects and Stresses in the Ann St Ramp

Author(s):

Publication: CIA

Volume:

Issue:

Appears on pages(s):

Keywords:

DOI:

Date: 2/14/2011

Abstract:
This paper summarises the results of thermal and thermo-structural fi nite element analyses of the Ann St ramp on Brisbane’s Riverside Expressway. The analyses were undertaken as part of the investigation into the twisting of the ramp that led to its temporary closure. The aim of the work was to establish if the large rotations at the ends of the curved ramp that were observed after a resurfacing operation could be entirely explained by the resurfacing and the environmental conditions at the time. The paper describes the methods and boundary conditions used in the 2D and 3D thermal modelling the ramp. The model was verified by comparing results with measured temperatures and movements collected during the monitoring period while the ramp was closed. After verification it was used to model the resurfacing event. The results of this analysis showed that the observed movements could be completely explained by the thermal effects of the resurfacing and environmental conditions. Further, the stresses that occurred during the resurfacing operation had no lasting effect on the stress distribution in the structure or its capacity.