Assessment of some parameters of corrosion initiation prediction of reinforced concrete in marine environments

Faramarz Moodi,Aliakbar Ramezanianpour,Ehsan Jahangiri 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2014 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.13 No.1

Chloride ion ingress is one of the major problems that affect the durability of concrete structures such as bridge decks, concrete pavements, and other structures exposed to harsh saline environments. Therefore, durability based design of concrete structures in severe condition has gained great significance in recent decades and various mathematical models for estimating the service life of rein-forced concrete have been proposed. In spite of comprehensive researches on the corrosion of rein-forced concrete, there are still various controversial concepts in quantitation of durability parameters such as chloride diffusion coefficient and surface chloride content. Effect of environment conditions on the durability of concrete structures is one of the most important issues. Hence, regional investigations are necessary for durability based design and evaluation of the models. Persian Gulf is one of the most aggressive regions of the world because of elevated temperature and humidity as well as high content of chloride ions in seawater. The aim of this study is evaluation of some parameters of durability of RC structures in marine environment from viewpoint of corrosion initiation. For this purpose, some experiments were carried out on the real RC structures and in laboratory. The result showed that various uncertainties in parameters of durability were existed.

Investigation of a management framework for condition assessment of concrete structures based on reusable knowledge and inspection

Faramarz Moodi 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2010 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.7 No.3

Managing and reusing knowledge in engineering and construction sectors can lead to greater competitive advantage, improved designs, and more effective management of constructed facilities. The use of Information Technology (IT) in design and construction can exploit strategic opportunities for new ways of integration, sharing and facilitating information and knowledge in any field of engineering. The integrating of separate areas of IT can be used to bring a group of experts and specialists in any field of engineering closer together by allowing them to communicate and exchange information and expertise that facilitate knowledge capture, sharing, and reuse. A lack of an advisory management system and a need to marshal all available data in a common format has indicated the need for an integrated engineering computing environment to investigate concrete repair problems. The research described in this paper is based upon an evaluation management system (EMS) which comprising a database management system (REPCON) alongside visualisation technologies and evaluation system (ECON) is developed to produce an innovative platform which will facilitate and encourage the development of knowledge in educational,evolution and evaluation modes of concrete repair. This allows us to create assessment procedures that will allow the current condition of the concrete structure and its components to be expressed numerically using a confidence level (CL) so as to take the best course of action in the repair and maintenance management. The explained rating system, which is related to structural integrity and serviceability of the structure, allows the confidence level to be determined by visual inspection and the descriptive information and pictures taken from an available REPair of CONcrete (REPCON) database.

Mechanical properties and durability of alkali-activated slag repair mortars containing silica fume against freeze-thaw cycles and salt scaling attack

Moodi, Faramarz,Norouzi, Sepehr,Dashti, Pooria Techno-Press 2021 Advances in concrete construction Vol.11 No.6

Freeze and thaw phenomena in cold regions are the main cause of severe damage to concrete structures. Alkali-activated slag repair mortars, which are introduced as a suitable material for the replacement of Portland cement, can be used as the protective coating for these damaged structures. The mechanical properties and durability of this coating layer should be studied. In this study, the mechanical properties and durability of alkali-activated slag repair mortars with silica fume (SF) participation as inorganic additives against freeze-thaw and salt scaling attacks have been investigated. In order to evaluate the effects of alkaline activators type, the ratio of these solutions to Pozzolan (Pozz), and the use of SF as a substitute base material, these three factors were considered as the main variables to produce 12 alkali-activated slag mortar mixtures. To investigate their mechanical properties, compressive strength, tensile adhesion strength, and drying shrinkage tests were conducted. Also, mortar specimen length change, compressive strength loss, weight loss, and dynamic elastic modulus were measured to evaluate the durability features against freeze-thaw and salt scaling attacks. According to the results, in addition to higher compressive strength and adhesion resistance of alkali-activated slag repair mortars, these mortars showed at least 30% better durability against freeze-thaw and salt scaling attacks than cement-based repair mortar. Also, alkali-activated slag mixtures containing potassium hydroxide, alkaline solution (AS) to Pozz ratio of 0.7, and SF had the best mechanical properties and frost resistance among all mixtures.

Laboratory tests for studying the performance of grouted micro-fine cement

Esmael Aflaki,Faramarz Moodi 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2017 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.20 No.2

In geological engineering, grouting with Portland cement is a common technique for ground improvement, during which micro-fine cement is applied as a slurry, such that it intrudes into soil voids and decreases soil porosity. To determine the utility and behavior of cements with different Blaine values (index of cement particle fineness) for stabilization of fine sand, non-destructive and destructive tests were employed, such as laser-ray determination of grain size distribution, and sedimentation, permeability, and compressive strength tests. The results of the experimental study demonstrated a suitable mix design for the upper and lower regions of the cement-grading curve that are important for grouting and stabilization. Increasing the fineness of the cement decreased the permeability and increased the compressive strength of grouted sand samples considerably after two weeks. Moreover, relative to finer (higher Blaine value) or coarser (lower Blaine value) cements, cement with a Blaine value of 5,100 cm2/g was optimal for void reduction in a grouted soil mass. Overall, study results indicate that cement with an optimum Blaine value can be used to satisfy the designed geotechnical criteria.

A decision support system for diagnosis of distress cause and repair in marine concrete structures

Masoud Dehghani Champiri,Faramarz Moodi,S. Hossein Mousavizadegan 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2012 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.9 No.2

Marine Structures are very costly and need a continuous inspection and maintenance routine. The most effective way to control the structural health is the application of an expert system that can evaluate the importance of any distress on the structure and provide a maintenance program. An extensive literature review, interviews with expert supervisors and a national survey are used to build a decision support system for concrete structures in sea environment. Decision trees are the main rules in this system. The system input is inspection information and the system output is the main cause(s) of distress(es) and the best repair method(s). Economic condition, severity of distress, distress situation, and new technologies and the most repeated classical methods are considered to choose the best repair method. A case study demonstrates the application of the developed decision support system for a type of marine structure.

Experimental study on durability of strengthened corroded RC columns with FRP sheets in tidal zone of marine environment

Amin Kashi,Ali Akbar Ramezanianpour,Faramarz Moodi 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2017 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.19 No.4

The main objective of this paper was to illuminate the effect of marine environmental condition on durability of reinforced concrete (RC)-corroded columns strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) layers. Small-scale columns were prepared and corroded by an accelerated corrosion process. After strengthening, compressive strength tests were carried out on control and weathered specimens. In this research, a marine simulator was designed and constructed similar to the tidal zone of marine environment in south of Iran which was selected as a case study in this research. Mechanical properties of wrapped specimens were studied after placing them inside the simulator for 3000 hours. Marine environment decreased ultimate strength by 4.5% and 26.3% in CFRP and GFRP-wrapped columns, respectively. In some corroded-columns, strengthening was carried out after replacing damaged cover by self-compacted mortar. In this method, by confining with one layer of CFRP and GFRP, 4.2% and 22.4% reduction in ultimate strength was observed, respectively, after exposure. Furthermore, the elastic-brittle behavior has been verified in this retrofit method. Also results of tension tests revealed, the ultimate tensile strength was degraded by 2% and 28.8% in CFRP and GFRP sheets, respectively, after applying marine exposure.

A fuzzy expert system for diagnosis assessment of reinforced concrete bridge decks

Ali Akbar Ramezanianpour,Vahid Shahhosseini,Faramarz Moodi 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2009 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.6 No.4

The lack of safety of bridge deck structures causes frequent repair and strengthening of such structures. The repair induces great loss of economy, not only due to direct cost by repair, but also due to stopping the public use of such structures during repair. The major reason for this frequent repair is mainly due to the lack of realistic and accurate assessment system for the bridge decks. The purpose of the present research was to develop a realistic expert system, called Bridge Slab-Expert which can evaluate reasonably the condition as well as the service life of concrete bridge decks, based on the deterioration models that are derived from both the structural and environmental effects. The diagnosis assessment of deck slabs due to structural and environmental effects are developed based on the cracking in concrete, surface distress and structural distress. Fuzzy logic is utilized to handle uncertainties and imprecision involved. Finally, Bridge Slab-Expert is developed for prediction of safety and remaining service life based on the chloride ions penetration and fick’s second law. Proposed expert system is based on user-friendly GUI environment. The developed expert system will allow the correct diagnosis of concrete decks, realistic prediction of service life, the determination of confidence level, the description of condition and the proposed action for repair.