Sustainable design and integral life-cycle analysis of bridges

Tese de doutoramento em Engenharia Civil, apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbr

Estudo comparativo da capacidade resistente de vigas de alma cheia sujeitas a esforço transverso

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Civil, especialização em Estruturas, apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbr

Estudo comparativo da capacidade resistente de vigas de alma cheia sujeitas a esforço transverso

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Civil, especialização em Estruturas, apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbr

Consideration of climate change-induced corrosion by structural codes

The impact of climate change on ambient temperature and relative humidity along with the present CO2 levels are speeding the corrosion process of reinforced concrete structures. The alarming cost of the associated reduction of the service life of structures, which is estimated to cost 3% to 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of industrialized countries, has put the spotlight on the importance of introducing the issue of climate change on the new generation of Eurocodes. Amongst the strategies to tackle the problem, design-phase measures seem not to be always cost- effective, nevertheless, measures during service-life are generally the most expensive. This paper discusses the potential strategies to be addressed by structural codes to tackle the problem of climate change-induced corrosion, considering aspects such as the cost-benefit analysis, viability, and the large uncertainty involved in climate change evolution

Consideration of climate change-induced corrosion by structural codes

The impact of climate change on ambient temperature and relative humidity along with the present CO2 levels are speeding the corrosion process of reinforced concrete structures. The alarming cost of the associated reduction of the service life of structures, which is estimated to cost 3% to 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of industrialized countries, has put the spotlight on the importance of introducing the issue of climate change on the new generation of Eurocodes. Amongst the strategies to tackle the problem, design-phase measures seem not to be always cost- effective, nevertheless, measures during service-life are generally the most expensive. This paper discusses the potential strategies to be addressed by structural codes to tackle the problem of climate change-induced corrosion, considering aspects such as the cost-benefit analysis, viability, and the large uncertainty involved in climate change evolution.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Integral Design and Managemen

Fatigue Strength Evaluation of Resin-Injected Bolted Connections Using Statistical Analysis

Different strategies can be used to perform reparations and reinforcements of ancient bolted and riveted metallic bridges. As the riveting process is not currently a common practice, it requires proper equipment and skilled workers. Another solution is the use of welding. However, the weldability of old steels is poor. Bolts are very attractive alternative solutions, and are most commonly used to repair old metallic bridges. Fitted bolts are expensive solutions; the alternative is the use of resin-injected bolts. The behavior of bolted joints with preloaded resin-injected bolts has been studied using quasi-static and creep tests; however, few studies on the slip and fatigue behavior of these joints can be found in the literature. This paper presents an overview of a few experimental programs that were carried out by several authors aiming at evaluating the fatigue behavior of single and double shear resin-injected bolted connections. A comparison between the experimental data of joints with preloaded standard bolts and preloaded resin-injected bolts shows a fatigue strength reduction in the latter. Since Eurocode 3 (EC3) suggests the same fatigue strength curve for joints made of resin-injected bolts and standard bolts, this may raise some concerns. Furthermore, research on the feasibility of using both bonded and bolted connections is shown. This last study was performed with high-strength low-alloy structural steel plates and an acrylic structural adhesive for metal bonding. For both case studies, a statistical analysis is performed on fatigue experimental data using linearized boundaries and the Castillo and Fernández-Canteli model. Fatigue design curves are proposed and compared with the design suggestions of several European and North American standards. Keywords: Fatigue, Connections, Structural reinforcements, Structural adhesives, S-N curves, Resin-injected bolt