Engineering Commons^™

Curved, Precast, Pretensioned Concrete I-Girder Bridges, Wilast Amorn, Christopher Y. Tuan, Maher K. Tadros

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Modern highway construction frequently requires bridges with horizontally curved alignments. Such bridges can be created by superimposing a curved deck slab onto straight girders or by splicing segmental straight girders on the chords of a curved roadway. Of these two methods, a curved superstructure usually results in simpler construction and better appearance.

Flexural Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened With Cfrp Sheets And Epoxy Mortar, Byong Y. Bahn, Ronald S. Harichandran

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of using epoxy mortar patch end anchorages on the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. More specifically, the effect of the end anchorage on strength, deflection, flexural strain, and interfacial shear stress was examined. The test results show that premature debonding failure of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with CFRP sheet can be delayed or prevented by using epoxy mortar patch end anchorages. A modified analytical procedure for evaluating the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with CFRP sheets and epoxy mortar end anchorage is developed …

Freeze-Thaw Durability Of Pervious Concrete, Carson B. Demille

Theses and Dissertations

Although the use of pervious concrete is expanding, only a limited number of scholarly papers have been published on the resistance of pervious concrete to deterioration under frost action. Based on this need for additional research on the durability of pervious concrete in cold regions, the objective of this research was to evaluate the resistance of pervious concrete to degradation during freeze-thaw cycling under different soil clogging and water saturation conditions. The laboratory research associated with this project involved three primary measures of pervious concrete performance, including freeze-thaw durability, compressive strength, and permeability. Testing associated with freeze-thaw durability involved two …

Qc/Qa: Evaluation Of Effectiveness In Kentucky, Kamyar C. Mahboub, Paul M. Goodrum, Andy Glasglow, Jason Enlow, Nick Hendrix, Moin Uddin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Quality control and quality assurance in the highway industry is going through a cultural shift. There is a growing trend toward using the contractor data for acceptance and payment purposes. This has led to serious concerns about conflicts of interests. The question remains: are there adequate safeguards in place? To address these concerns, a number of asphalt and concrete QC/QA projects in Kentucky were examined and statistical analyses were conducted. This report presents a summary of findings and recommendations. Generally speaking, the Kentucky experience revealed that the QC/QA system is working well, and the agency’s random inspection data when compared …

Experimental Concrete Coating Application On The Median Barrier Of I-65 In Louisville, Rick Younce, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the experimental protective coating that was applied to approximately 1,200 linear feet of concrete median barrier along the paving project on a section of I 65 between mile points 131.289 and 136.421 in downtown Louisville.

The project was completed generally in accordance with the specifications and special notes. This experimental project is the first trial of concrete coatings identified under KYSPR 05-271 Coatings, Sealants and Fillers to Address Bridge Concrete Deterioration and Aesthetics-Phase 1. The coatings systems identified under that study were intended to provide improved protection and aesthetics for reinforced concrete. …

Sources Of End Zone Cracking Of Pretensioned Concrete Girders, Christie J. Hasenkamp, Sameh S. Badie, Christopher Y. Tuan, Maher K. Tadros

Civil Engineering Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Recent developments of high performance concrete, increasing amounts of prestressing, and increasing use of deep girders have resulted in increasing popularity of precast pretensioned concrete girders in bridge construction. These developments have increasingly contributed to end zone cracking. This paper summarizes the interim results of an ongoing research sponsored by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 18-14. The objectives of the research are: (1) to establish procedures for the acceptance, repair, or rejection of precast/prestressed concrete girders with longitudinal web cracking, and (2) to prepare a user's manual for the application of these procedures. The results from a …

A Collection Of New Studies Using Existing And Proposed Techniques And Instrumentation For Nondestructive Testing And Analysis Of Concrete Materials And Structures, Shane D. Boone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A variety of studies were performed using existing and newly proposed techniques and instrumentation to further the understanding of nondestructive testing of concrete. A new combined stress wave propagation method was developed that combined the existing methods of the spectral analysis of surface waves, impact echo, and free-free resonant column experimental and analysis techniques. The method was used to determine the stiffness profile and location of embedded voids in a concrete tunnel lining modeled as a three layer concrete slab. A new equation was proposed that predicted the level of damage of concrete samples based on the functions of the …

Quality Evaluation Of Portland Cement Concrete At Early Age With Free-Free Resonant Column, Gilberto Wenglas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

At early age, the behavior and mechanical properties of portland cement concrete changes rapidly with time due to hydration. The hydration process consists of a series of chemical reactions that accelerate nonlinearly with the rise in temperature. The hydration process consists of three stages: the dormant period, the setting time, and the hardening time. Timely opening of roads and resumption of constructions depend of the knowledge of these stages. The initial and final setting times are arbitrarily determined by a standard test (ASTM C 403). Although the setting time has been studied for many decades, the new technologies allow making …

A Pilot Study On The Effects Of Temperature On The Material Properties Of Prestressed Concrete And The Use Of Thermogravimetric Analysis In The Assessment Of Heat-Affected Concrete, Kacie Caple

All Theses

An understanding of the material property changes in building materials due to exposure to a fire is needed for accurate damage assessment of a structure. Discussion pertaining to material property changes and the bond between concrete and prestressing steel following elevated temperature exposures is presented. Evaluation of the use of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) as a post-fire analysis tool to determine the maximum temperature exposure of concrete is also included.
Heated concrete cylinders were tested to determine the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity changes of concrete. Heated steel prestressing strands were tested in tension to determine changes in the ultimate …

Sensitivity Of Half-Cell Potential Measurements To Properties Of Concrete Bridge Decks, Thad Marshall Pinkerton

Theses and Dissertations

Half-cell potential testing has been recommended as a non-destructive method for assessing the corrosion potential of reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks. The technique is particularly useful because it can be utilized to evaluate the probability of corrosion before damage is evident at the surface of a bridge deck. The specific objective of this research was to quantify the effects of age, chloride concentration, concrete cover thickness, spatial position, temperature, and presence or condition of epoxy coating on half-cell potential measurements of concrete bridge decks typical of those in Utah. The laboratory testing associated with this research followed a full-factorial …

Biomass And Coal Fly Ash In Concrete: Strength, Durability, Microstructure, Quantitative Kinetics Of Pozzolanic Reaction And Alkali Silica Reaction Investigations., Shuangzhen Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Biomass represents an important sustainable energy resource, with biomass-coal cofiring representing among the most effective and cost efficient CO2 reduction strategies. Fly ash generated during coal combustion represents a technically advantageous, inexpensive, and environmentally beneficial admixture in concrete production, partially replacing cement. However, strict interpretation of American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) and American Concrete Institute (ACI) standards prohibits use of fly ashes from any source other than coal in concrete production; therefore, fly ash from biomass coal cofiring is excluded from use in concrete. This dissertation discusses biomass impacts on concrete properties through experiments conducted on several combinations …

Rectification Of 2-D To 3-D Finite Element Analysis In Buried Concrete Arches Under Discrete Loading, Adam D. Aagard

Theses and Dissertations

Construction of tunnels and small- to medium-span bridges is a $12 billion per year industry in the United States, with a significant portion going into buried arch structures. Notwithstanding such expenditure, modern arch design and construction, in many cases, is highly conservative. This is because the closed-form solutions used by most designers today do not correctly account for soil-structure interaction. In fact, soil-structure interaction makes a closed form solution impossible. With the advent of high power computers in recent years, some designers have turned to finite element (FE)modeling as the main vehicle of analysis. Such numerical procedures provide an accurate …

Evaluation Of Time Independent Rheological Models Applicable To Fresh Self-Compacting Concrete, Dimitri Feys, Ronny Verhoeven, Geert De Schutter

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Self-Compacting Concrete is a New Type of Concrete Which is More Liquid Compared to Traditional Concrete and Which Does Not Need Any Form of External Compaction. as a Result, This Type of Concrete is Suitable for a New Placing Technique: Pumping SCC from the Bottom in the Formwork and Letting It Rise in the Formwork Due to the Applied Pressure. in Order to Understand the Phenomena Occurring during Pumping Operations, the Rheological Properties of SCC Must Be Investigated and Controlled. Tests Have Been Performed with Two Different Rheometers, Which Are Described in This Paper. for the Tattersall MIk-II Rheometer, a …

Use Of Recycled Tire Rubber In Concrete, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

More than 250 million scrap tires weighing more than 3 million tons are generated each year in the United States. This is considered as one of the major environmental challenges facing municipalities around the world because waste rubber is not easily biodegradable even after a long period of landfill treatment. One of the solutions suggested is the use of tire rubber particles as additives in cement-based materials. Experiments under the laboratory environments commonly presented that the use of rubber in the concrete cement mix reduced drying shrinkage, brittleness, and elastic modulus, which might improve the overall durability and serviceability of …

Long-Term Effects Of Super Heavy-Weight Vehicles On Bridges, Scott M. Wood, Necip Onder Akinci, Judy Liu, Mark D. Bowman

JTRP Technical Reports

A permit truck which exceeds the predefined limit of 108 kips is defined as a superload in Indiana. This study was conducted to examine the long-term effects of superload trucks on the performance of typical slab-on-girder bridges and to assess the likelihood of causing immediate damage. Typical steel and prestressed concrete slab-on-girder type bridges were analyzed using both beam line analysis and detailed finite element models. Furthermore, one prestressed concrete bridge and one steel bridge were instrumented using more than 50 sensors each. Strains and deflections were measured during a live load test, and each bridge was monitored for more …

Using Coupled Eulerian And Lagrangian Grids To Model Explosive Interactions With Buildings, Braden Lusk, William P. Schonberg, Jason Baird, Robert S. Woodley, Warren Noll

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the development of a computational model that can be used to study the interactions between structures and detonating explosives contained within them. This model was developed as part of an effort to develop a rubble characterization model for use in AmmoSIM, an agent based urban tactical decision aid (UTDA) software for weapon-target pairing. The rubble pile created following the collapse of a building in a combat situation can significantly impact mission accomplishment, particularly in the area of movement and maneuver. The information provided by AmmoSIM will enable both platoon level and command center staff to make informed …

Hydrologic Properties Of Pervious Concrete, Joe D. Luck, Stephen R. Workman, Stephen F. Higgins, Mark S. Coyne

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Pervious concrete is concrete made by eliminating most or all of the fine aggregate (sand) in the concrete mix, which allows interconnected void spaces to be formed in the hardened product. These interconnected void spaces allow the concrete to transmit water at relatively high rates. The main objective of this project was to conduct research on the potential application of pervious concrete in agricultural settings, specifically for use in animal feed lots, manure storage pads, animal manure and bedding compost facilities, or floor systems in animal buildings. Laboratory tests were conducted on replicated samples of pervious concrete formed from two …

Coatings, Sealants, And Fillers To Address Bridge Concrete Deterioration And Aesthetics-Phase 1, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study addresses experimental evaluation and testing of concrete coatings for maintenance purposes on structural (steel reinforced) concrete. The test methods employed are intended to identify coatings and sealers for eventual incorporation into a qualified products list for structural concrete coatings. Some of the methods/procedures used in this study will be used in the future to evaluate additional coatings and sealers. Developmental work focused on identifying relevant coatings systems and laboratory tests. The objectives of experimental project monitoring were to: 1) identify existing viable concrete coatings along with their properties/ characteristics/surface preparation requirements and determine effective acceptance/evaluation tests for those …

Effect Of Cracks On Corrosion Of Rebar In Concrete Studied By Wire Beam Electrode, Guo-Xi Li, Xian-Lu Hou, Ri-Long Zhu, Jin-Feng Hu, Yan-Na Du

Journal of Electrochemistry

The effects of crack and ethanolamine on corrosion of rebar in concrete were studied by measuring the distribution of corrosion potential and polarization resistance of iron wires in 10% NaCl solution.The results showed that the diffusion of water,oxygen and chloric ion toward concrete was accelerated by the crack which intensified the nonuniform corrosion of iron wire with the regions near to crack as anode and the uncracked regions as cathode.Ethanolamine could diffuse into the body of concrete and absorb on the surface of iron wire,which reduced iron corrosion evidently and successfully inhibited the nonuniform corrosion caused by crack without changing …

In-Situ Testing Of A Carbon/Epoxy Isotruss Reinforced Concrete Foundation Pile, Sarah Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the field performance of IsoTruss®-reinforced concrete beam columns for use in driven piles. Experimental investigation included one instrumented carbon/epoxy IsoTruss®-reinforced concrete pile (IRC pile) and one instrumented steel-reinforced concrete pile (SRC pile) which were driven into a clay profile at a test site. These two piles, each 30 ft (9 m) in length and 14 in (36 cm) in diameter, were quasi-statically loaded laterally until failure. Behavior was predicted using three different methods: 1) a commercial finite difference-based computer program called Lpile; 2) a Winkler foundation model; and, 3) a simple analysis based on fundamental mechanics …

Semiempirical Electromagnetic Modeling Of Crack Detection And Sizing In Cement-Based Materials Using Near-Field Microwave Methods, Jagadish Nadakuduti, Genda Chen, R. Zoughi

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Detection and characterization of cracks in cement-based materials is an integral part of damage evaluation for health monitoring of civil structures. Microwave signals are able to penetrate inside of dielectric materials (e.g., cement-based materials) and are sensitive to local, physical, geometrical, and dielectric variations in a structure. This makes microwave nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) techniques suitable for inspection and health monitoring of civil structures. Near-field microwave NDT&E techniques offer the added advantage of providing high spatial resolution, requiring simple hardware that may be portable, low power, fast, real time, and robust. Additionally, these techniques are noncontact and one-sided. Besides …

Modeling Of Fiber Reinforced Polymer Confined Concrete Cylinders, Indrani V. Volety

LSU Master's Theses

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) confined concrete columns have been developed for new construction and rebuilding of concrete piers/piles in engineering structures. Design of these FRP confined concrete columns requires an accurate estimate of the performance enhancement due to the confinement mechanism. Therefore, the key is to develop a confinement model, a model that relates the confined concrete strength with the unconfined concrete strength and the confining pressure provided by the FRP. Due to its closed-form expression and ease of application, design-oriented confinement models predominate in designing FRP confined concrete columns. Design oriented models are directly based on the interpretation of …

Evaluation Of Rapid Setting Cement-Based Materials For Patching And Repair, Amit D. Barde, Swathi Parameswaran, Todd Chariton, W. Jason Weiss, Menashi D. Cohen, Scott Andrew Newbolds

JTRP Technical Reports

The efficient repair and replacement of concrete pavements and bridge decks often requires a rapid setting material that can be placed, cured, and opened to traffic in a relatively short period of time. Frequently, temporary repairs are made using materials that are later found to be incompatible with the existing pavement, structures, and environment. This practice causes these materials to fail prematurely, frequently requiring re-repair. Research is needed to determine which rapid setting repair materials demonstrate the best behavior with rapid strength gain, low potential for cracking, and excellent durability. The objective of this research is to evaluate the performance …

Implementation Of A Non-Metallic Reinforced Bridge Deck, Volume 2: Thayer Road Bridge, Robert J. Frosch, Ali Cihan Pay

JTRP Technical Reports

The primary maintenance problem with bridges in Indiana has been deterioration of the concrete deck which is often related to corrosion of the reinforcing steel. While a corrosion protection system consisting of epoxy-coated reinforcement in combination with 2-1/2 in. of Class C concrete cover has been used in Indiana, research and experience have demonstrated that this system can be compromised. As an alternative solution to the corrosion problem in reinforced concrete, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars which are corrosion resistant can be provided as reinforcement. This research was divided into two phases directed towards the implementation of a nonmetallic reinforced …

Analysis Of Bioengineered Concrete For Use In A Submerged Reef Type Breakwater, Tyler Ray Ortego

LSU Master's Theses

The oysterbreak is a method of growing an oyster reef into a wave attenuating device. A study was conducted to determine an optimal material for the oysterbreak. As oysters grow on the oysterbreak, wave energy in the lee of the structure is reduced. It was predicted that more rapid oyster growth would lead to a more rapid reduction of wave energy. Louisiana is losing coastal marshes at an alarming rate. Wave action from storms erodes sediments from Louisiana's shorelines and barrier islands. Structures such as the oysterbreak may be used to protect Louisiana’s fragile shorelines. A material for the oysterbreak …

Design Methods For The Control Of Restrained Shrinkage Cracking, Robert J. Frosch, Jacob Kenyon Bice, Jared Bruce Erickson

JTRP Technical Reports

Cracking in concrete bridge decks can result in increased susceptibility to deterioration. As cracks provide direct routes for the ingress of deleterious elements to the reinforcement and superstructure, cracking can lead to reduced service lives for bridge structures. Several factors affect the extent of cracks which develop in bridge decks; however, relatively few are within the control of the designer. The objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of design parameters on the performance of bridge decks with respect to cracking and to develop simple design tools that are appropriate for both steel and nonmetallic reinforcement. This research …

Bond Strength And Transfer Length Of Pre-Tensioned Bridge Girders Cast With Self-Consolidating Concrete, Amgad F. Morgan Girgis, Christopher Y. Tuan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is becoming increasingly popular in the precast/prestressed concrete industry in the United States. However, there have been concerns regarding the bond strength, transfer length, and development length of prestressing strands and mild steel reinforcement with SCC. Further, there are no design guidelines for using SCC. In this study, a literature survey on the bond strength of SCC was conducted. Moustafa pullout tests were performed to determine the bond strength of 0.6 in. (15.2 mm) pretensioning strands with sec. The transfer lengths of three pretensioned concrete bridge girders were measured using Demec points. Pullout tests were also performed …

Evaluation Of Microwave Reflection Properties Of Cyclically Soaked Mortar Based On A Semiempirical Electromagnetic Model, Shanup Peer, K. E. Kurtis, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Detection of chloride ingress and evaluation of its distribution and temporal movement in reinforced concrete structures is an important practical issue. Steel reinforcing bars embedded in good quality concrete are normally protected from corrosion. However, the presence of a sufficient concentration of free chloride ions in the region of the reinforcing steel can initiate the process of corrosion. Therefore, it is important to be able to detect ingress of chloride ions and their distribution in cement-based materials. Moreover, it is important to obtain this information nondestructively. In recent years, near-field microwave nondestructive evaluation methods, using open-ended rectangular waveguide probes, have …

Evaluation Of The Use Of Lithium Compounds In Controlling Alkali-Silica Reactivity In Concrete Pavement, Christopher Y. Tuan, Michael T. Kelly, Mark E. Buss

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Properties Of Concrete Mixtures Incorporating Magnetized Water, Mohamed Abdel Raouf Metwally

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Water is a vital constituent that controls much of concrete properties such as strength and workability. Water is added to concrete in the form of a liquid at ambient temperature. However, it is occasionally added in the form of hot water in freezing conditions or in the form of ice/chilled water in hot weathering conditions. Recently, work has been conducted to magnetize water to adequate level before being incorporated in concrete. Indications show that some improvements can occur to concrete made with magnetized water. However, there is scarcity of data as to how such magnetized water can influence the properties …