Title: Innovative Precast Design Concept for Basins and Tanks Using Ultra High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete with Enhanced Durability

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Publication: Web Session

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Date: 4/1/2021

Abstract:
The structure this paper deals with is used as reservoir for collecting water coming from the cooling tower of a geothermal plant, and is primarily designed to compare the performance of different materials (traditional reinforced concrete and ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete UHPFRC) as well to assess the performance of different structural solutions (wall with constant thickness versus wall consisting of precast slabs provided with stiffening buttresses). In the absence of specific code provisions, given the novelty of the UHPFRC used, the main properties used for the design were determined through laboratory testing (short-term mechanical properties and shrinkage). The main focus of the design was on the Serviceability Limit States, more specifically the requirements as regards water tightness: given the rather simple structural layout, especially in the compartments where no stiffening buttresses are present, linear elastic analysis was used to determine the internal actions. The nonlinear behavior ensuing from the peculiar tensile behavior of the material was taken into account locally, in order to determine the stress level, the depth of the compression zone and the crack width. The performance will be later compared with the reference compartment (made with ordinary reinforced concrete), through on-site observations and measurements.