Denise Ferreira

Efficient 1D model for blind assessment of existing bridges: simulation of a full-scale loading test and comparison with higher order continuum models

Assessing the structural performance of existing concrete bridges is nowadays a major task. Nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis can quantify their capacity, evaluate strengthening interventions and prevent premature dismantle. However, this technique, mainly performed with 2D/3D FE, is seldom used at true scale due to the great complexity and computational costs involved. In this paper, the loading test of a strengthened concrete bridge in Sweden (Örnsköldsvik) is simulated using a 1D model. The bridge failed in combination of shear–bending–torsion triggered by fibre-reinforced polymer bond failure. Consecutive levels of refinement of the 1D model are presented and available results from higher order models are compared. The study of the structural response involved comparing displacements, strains, cracking patterns and failure mechanisms. The demonstrated robustness and efficiency of the proposed model makes it adequate for blind assessments of existing bridges.

Nonlinear analysis of RC beams using a hybrid shear-flexural fibre beam model

Purpose – A nonlinear finite element (FE) beam-column model for the analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) frames with due account of shear is presented in this paper. The model is an expansion of the traditional flexural fibre beam formulations to cases where multiaxial behaviour exists, being an alternative to plane and solid FE models for the nonlinear analysis of entire frame structures. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Shear is taken into account at different levels of the numerical model: at the material level RC is simulated through a smeared cracked approach with rotating cracks; at the fibre level, an iterative procedure guarantees equilibrium between concrete and transversal reinforcement, allowing to compute the biaxial stress-strain state of each fibre; at the section level, a uniform shear stress pattern is assumed in order to estimate the internal shear stress-strain distribution; and at the element level, the Timoshenko beam theory takes into account an av...

Numerical Analysis of Shear Critical RC Beams Strengthened in Shear with FRP Sheets

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the shear resisting mechanisms in RC beams shear-strengthened by externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets. For this purpose, a fiber beam model of RC frames subjected to combined normal and shear forces, previously developed by the authors, has been extended to include the response of externally bonded FRP shear reinforcement in a wrapped configuration. No FRP delamination phenomena or tensile strength reductions in the corner zones are taken into account in the model. The numerical results have been compared with eight existing experimental results and the influence of the FRP sheets on the shear strength of the beam has been studied. The effects of the contribution of FRP ratio on the concrete, on the transversal steel strains and stresses, on the longitudinal tensile steel stresses, and on the diagonal compression struts have been analyzed. It is concluded that the presence of FRP reinforcement modifies the incl...

Shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams by means of vertical prestressed reinforcement

Strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) elements critical to shear with prestressed transversal reinforcement can be an efficient method to increase the shear resistance of structures, allowing the development of the full flexural capacity. However, research on the performance of this technique is very limited, and methods for designing the optimum amount of prestressed transversal reinforcement and assessing the retrofitted structure have not been produced yet. Nonlinear finite element models are an important tool regarding predicting the efficiency of these interventions. In this paper, a shear-sensitive fibre beam formulation is extended in order to account for the effects of unbonded vertical external prestressed reinforcement in the structural response of RC beams. The model is validated with experimental tests available in literature, succeeding in capturing the gain of shear strength brought by different strengthening solutions. A parametric study is performed to find the optimal quantity of transversal reinforcement that ensures flexural failure mechanism in a beam with insufficient internal shear reinforcement. The relative simplicity of the numerical model makes it suitable for engineering practice.

Assessment of prestressed concrete bridge girders with low shear reinforcement by means of a non-linear filament frame model

The safety of existing bridges and the efficiency of strengthening measures can be accurately studied through non-linear numerical models, assisting decisions of dismantle, repair or change of use and avoiding unnecessary or inappropriate interventions. In this ambit, filament beam models due to their inherent simplicity and low computational demand are adequate for the engineering practice. Accordingly, in this paper, the structural assessment of a prestressed concrete bridge presenting low shear reinforcement, the Wassnerwald Viaduct in Switzerland, is presented. The bridge was dismantled due to, among other reasons, not complying with the safety standards related to shear. The girders of the bridge, which were submitted to full-scale in situ load tests, were numerically simulated by means of a non-linear filament beam model considering axial force (N)–shear (V)–bending (M) interaction. Hypothetical strengthening solutions for this bridge were also numerically studied: a shear strengthening through vertical prestressing and a bending strengthening through external longitudinal prestressing.

Analysis of FRP shear strengthening solutions for reinforced concrete beams considering debonding failure

AbstractIn this paper, a fiber beam model previously developed by the authors for the nonlinear analysis of strengthened elements, including the effects of shear, is used to predict the response of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened in shear with fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) sheets. In the previous version of the model, debonding failure of FRP was not included; hence, its application was limited to the simulation of wrapped configurations. The model is now extended to account for debonding failure in order to allow for its application to beams strengthened with U-shaped and side-bonded configurations. Existing experimental tests on RC beams strengthened in shear by FRP sheets in both wrapped and U-shaped configurations were numerically simulated. The model reproduces, with reasonable accuracy, the experimental failure loads, the load-deflection behavior, and the strains in FRP and stirrups with increasing load. The advantages of this proposal are related with the simplicity and straightforwar...