Internal Swelling Reactions In Concrete

This book offers a complete diagnosis of concrete samples collected from a pile cap block of residential buildings affected by internal swelling reactions. Covering an extensive laboratory campaign to evaluate the transport properties of concrete samples, as well as their physical and chemical composition using advanced techniques to analyse cores extracted from real buildings that have concrete elements affected by internal swelling reactions (ISR). It features several rehabilitation procedures, pile caps repair and rehabilitation design, executed using strengthening procedures to provide the complete restoration of the structural integrity of the element deteriorated. These rehabilitation procedures proved to be a good solution to retrofit pile cap deteriorated by expansions due to internal swelling reactions of concrete. The book also offers a systematic review of the current state of knowledge and it is a valuable resource for scientists, students, and practitioners in various scientific and engineering disciplines, namely, civil and materials engineering, as well as and other interested parties.

As critical concrete infrastructure deteriorates, engineers need efficient and reliable techniques to appraise the causes and the extent of deterioration, to evaluate the structural consequences and to select effective management protocols and rehabilitation strategies. This book looks at deterioration caused by internal swelling reaction (ISR) mechanisms in concrete, such as alkali-aggregate reaction, delayed ettringite formation and freeze-thaw cycles. The book provides accessible and comprehensive coverage of recent work and developments on the most common ISR mechanisms leading to induced expansion and deterioration. It addresses the implications of ISR on different scales (micro, meso and macro), outlines qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess the condition of affected concrete and introduces the multi-level assessment protocol, using advanced microscopic and mechanical techniques, particularly the stiffness damage test and damage rating index, as a reliable approach to appraise ISR-affected infrastructure. Also included is a detailed case study of the Robert-Bourassa Charest Overpass in Quebec. Internal Swelling Reactions in Concrete: Mechanisms and Condition Assessment is primarily intended for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as academics interested in the field of concrete durability and condition assessment of concrete. It will also be of interest to engineers and infrastructure owners dealing with ISR-related problems.

The swelling of concrete is a major concern for the owners and operators of dams and hydraulic structures. Faced with irreversible movement of their dams or with observations of cracking processes, operators need to explain the phenomena observed in order to justify safety conditions and in some cases to plan remedial works. Over the last 20 years, active research has been carried out in the field, resulting in practical results in phenomena interpretation and dam modeling. At the same time, an increasing number of affected dams have undergone safety re-evaluations and in some cases remedial work. Several of them have been removed altogether. Although it remains difficult to establish a “state of the art” in this domain due to the rapidly changing context, regular international exchanges in the field appear fruitful and necessary. Following on from previous conferences in the field organized by Robin Charlwood, former President of the ICOLD Concrete Committee, the initiative was taken by EDF and Toulouse University-LMDC to organize a workshop to provide a new opportunity for sharing experience. The aim of this workshop is to assemble active researchers, leading engineers, and experts from the practicing community and administration interested directly or indirectly in concrete swelling effects in dams and hydraulic structures. All types of chemical expansion phenomena, including those due to alkali aggregate reactions and those due to ettringite formation, are addressed. These proceedings include 24 papers written by experts renowned in their field, illustrating the need to progress with interdisciplinary approaches.

This book gathers the peer-reviewed papers presented at the 17th International Conference on Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete (ICAAR), held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on May 19-24, 2024. It highlights the latest advances and innovations in the field of internal swelling reactions, particularly alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR), and combined mechanisms such as delayed ettringite formation (DEF). The conference topics encompass understanding the reaction mechanisms and the affecting factors; testing methods and preventative measures; diagnosis, evaluation, and prognosis; monitoring and NDT; structural effects and modeling at all scales; repair and remedial measures; and combined mechanisms (e.g., DEF). The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, present a wealth of exciting ideas that will open novel research directions and foster new multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book gathers the peer-reviewed papers presented at the 17th International Conference on Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete (ICAAR), held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on May 19–24, 2024. It highlights the latest advances and innovations in the field of internal swelling reactions, particularly alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR), and combined mechanisms such as delayed ettringite formation (DEF). The conference topics encompass understanding the reaction mechanisms and the affecting factors; testing methods and preventative measures; diagnosis, evaluation, and prognosis; monitoring and NDT; structural effects and modeling at all scales; repair and remedial measures; and combined mechanisms (e.g., DEF). The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, present a wealth of exciting ideas that will open novel research directions and foster new multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book discusses the behaviour of isolated concrete bottle-shaped struts affected by internal expansion reactions (ISR). For that purpose, the numerical modelling of damaged concrete was performed using the Concrete Damaged Plasticity Model (CDPM) implemented in ABAQUS and validated the model through Sankovich's tests. A procedure to automatically obtain the concrete plasticity and damage parameters, essential for CDPM, was developed in Matlab. The inputs were the characteristic compressive strength of the concrete, the equivalent length of the finite element mesh and the ratio between the plastic and inelastic compressive strains. The results showed that the CDPM could represent the load-bearing mechanisms of isolated concrete bottle-shaped struts for a range of several stress levels to which these elements may be subjected in the panels investigated. The numerical simulations for different expansion levels consistently captured the expected damage profile of the panels and the load corresponding to the formation of the first crack, the estimated crack opening, and the ultimate load. For the panels investigated, the reduction observed in the failure load reached values close to 70%, the increase of the tensile plastic deformation was more than 60%, and the maximum crack opening can reach an increase of 113% when compared with those observed experimentally in panels without internal swelling reactions The book also offers a systematic review of the current state of knowledge and it is a valuable resource for scientists, students, practitioners, and lecturers in various scientific and engineering disciplines, namely, civil and materials engineering, as well as and other interested parties.