Influence line- model correction approach for the assessment of engineering structures using novel monitoring techniques

Strauss, Alfred,Wendner, Roman,Frangopol, Dan M.,Bergmeister, Konrad Techno-Press 2012 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.9 No.1

In bridge engineering, maintenance strategies and thus budgetary demands are highly influenced by construction type and quality of design. Nowadays bridge owners and planners tend to include life-cycle cost analyses in their decision processes regarding the overall design trying to optimize structural reliability and durability within financial constraints. Smart permanent and short term monitoring can reduce the associated risk of new design concepts by observing the performance of structural components during prescribed time periods. The objectives of this paper are the discussion and analysis of influence line or influence field approaches in terms of (a) an efficient incorporation of monitoring information in the structural performance assessment, (b) an efficient characterization of performance indicators for the assessment of structures, (c) the ability of optimizing the positions of sensors of a monitoring system, and (d) the ability of checking the robustness of the monitoring systems applied to a structure. The proposed influence line- model correction approach has been applied to an integrative monitoring system that has been installed for the performance assessment of an existing three-span jointless bridge.

Influence line- model correction approach for the assessment of engineering structures using novel monitoring techniques

Alfred Strauss,Roman Wendner,Dan M. Frangopol,Konrad Bergmeister 국제구조공학회 2012 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.9 No.1

In bridge engineering, maintenance strategies and thus budgetary demands are highly influenced by construction type and quality of design. Nowadays bridge owners and planners tend to include life-cycle cost analyses in their decision processes regarding the overall design trying to optimize structural reliability and durability within financial constraints. Smart permanent and short term monitoring can reduce the associated risk of new design concepts by observing the performance of structural components during prescribed time periods. The objectives of this paper are the discussion and analysis of influence line or influence field approaches in terms of (a) an efficient incorporation of monitoring information in the structural performance assessment, (b) an efficient characterization of performance indicators for the assessment of structures, (c) the ability of optimizing the positions of sensors of a monitoring system, and (d) the ability of checking the robustness of the monitoring systems applied to a structure. The proposed influence line- model correction approach has been applied to an integrative monitoring system that has been installed for the performance assessment of an existing three-span jointless bridge.

Nonlinear probabilistic shear panel analysis using advanced sampling techniques

Alfred Strauss,Hyunjin Ju,Beatrice Belletti,Maximilian Ramstorfer,Mattia Pancrazio Cosma 국제구조공학회 2022 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.83 No.2

The shear behaviour of reinforced concrete members has been studied over the past decades by various researchers, and it can be simulated by analysing shear panel elements which has been regarded as a basic element of reinforced concrete members subjected to in-plane biaxial stresses. Despite various experimental studies on shear panel element which have been conducted so far, there are still a lot of uncertainties related to what influencing factors govern the shear behaviour and affect failure mechanism in reinforced concrete members. To identify the uncertainties, a finite element analysis can be used, which enables to investigate the impact of specific variables such as the reinforcement ratio, the shear retention factor, and the material characteristics including aggregate interlock, tension stiffening, compressive softening, and shear behaviour at the crack surface. In this study, a non-linear probabilistic analysis was conducted on reinforced concrete panels using a finite element method optimized for reinforced concrete members and advanced sampling techniques so that probabilistic analysis can be performed effectively. Consequently, this study figures out what analysis methodology and input parameters have the most influence on shear behaviour of reinforced concrete panels.

Nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete corbels at both deterministic and probabilistic levels

Alfred Strauss,Andrea Mordini,Konrad Bergmeister 한국계산역학회 2006 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.3 No.2

Reinforced concrete corbels are structural elements widely used in practical engineering. The complex response of these elements is described in design codes in a simplified manner. These formulations are not sufficient to show the real behavior, which, however, is an essential prerequisite for the manufacturing of numerous elements. Therefore, a deterministic and probabilistic study has been performed, which is described in this contribution. Real complex structures have been modeled by means of the finite element method supported primarily by experimental works. The main objective of this study was the detection of uncertainties effects and safety margins not captured by traditional codes. This aim could be fulfilled by statistical considerations applied to the investigated structures. The probabilistic study is based on advanced Monte Carlo simulation techniques and sophisticated nonlinear finite element formulations.

Prediction of the remaining service life of existing concrete bridges in infrastructural networks based on carbonation and chloride ingress

Zambon, Ivan,Vidovic, Anja,Strauss, Alfred,Matos, Jose,Friedl, Norbert Techno-Press 2018 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.21 No.3

The second half of the 20th century was marked with a significant raise in amount of railway bridges in Austria made of reinforced concrete. Today, many of these bridges are slowly approaching the end of their envisaged service life. Current methodology of assessment and evaluation of structural condition is based on visual inspections, which, due to its subjectivity, can lead to delayed interventions, irreparable damages and additional costs. Thus, to support engineers in the process of structural evaluation and prediction of the remaining service life, the Austrian Federal Railways (${\ddot{O}}$ BB) commissioned the formation of a concept for an anticipatory life cycle management of engineering structures. The part concerning concrete bridges consisted of forming a bridge management system (BMS) in a form of a web-based analysis tool, known as the LeCIE_tool. Contrary to most BMSs, where prediction of a condition is based on Markovian models, in the LeCIE_tool, the time-dependent deterioration mechanisms of chloride- and carbonation-induced corrosion are used as the most common deterioration processes in transportation infrastructure. Hence, the main aim of this article is to describe the background of the introduced tool, with a discussion on exposure classes and crucial parameters of chloride ingress and carbonation models. Moreover, the article presents a verification of the generated analysis tool through service life prediction on a dozen of bridges of the Austrian railway network, as well as a case study with a more detailed description and implementation of the concept applied.

Prediction of the remaining service life of existing concrete bridges in infrastructural networks based on carbonation and chloride ingress

Ivan Zambon,Anja Vidović,Alfred Strauss,Jose Matos,Norbert Friedl 국제구조공학회 2018 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.21 No.3

The second half of the 20th century was marked with a significant raise in amount of railway bridges in Austria made of reinforced concrete. Today, many of these bridges are slowly approaching the end of their envisaged service life. Current methodology of assessment and evaluation of structural condition is based on visual inspections, which, due to its subjectivity, can lead to delayed interventions, irreparable damages and additional costs. Thus, to support engineers in the process of structural evaluation and prediction of the remaining service life, the Austrian Federal Railways (oBB) commissioned the formation of a concept for an anticipatory life cycle management of engineering structures. The part concerning concrete bridges consisted of forming a bridge management system (BMS) in a form of a web-based analysis tool, known as the LeCIE_tool. Contrary to most BMSs, where prediction of a condition is based on Markovian models, in the LeCIE_tool, the time-dependent deterioration mechanisms of chloride- and carbonation-induced corrosion are used as the most common deterioration processes in transportation infrastructure. Hence, the main aim of this article is to describe the background of the introduced tool, with a discussion on exposure classes and crucial parameters of chloride ingress and carbonation models. Moreover, the article presents a verification of the generated analysis tool through service life prediction on a dozen of bridges of the Austrian railway network, as well as a case study with a more detailed description and implementation of the concept applied.

Multi-potential capacity for reinforced concrete members under pure torsion

Hyun Jin Ju,한선진,김강수,Alfred Strauss,Wei Wu 국제구조공학회 2020 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.75 No.3

Unlike the existing truss models for shear and torsion analysis, in this study, the torsional capacities of reinforced concrete (RC) members were estimated by introducing multi-potential capacity criteria that considered the aggregate interlock, concrete crushing, and spalling of concrete cover. The smeared truss model based on the fixed-angle theory was utilized to obtain the torsional behavior of reinforced concrete member, and the multi-potential capacity criteria were then applied to draw the capacity of the member. In addition, to avoid any iterative calculation in the existing torsional behavior model, a simple strength model was suggested that considers key variables, such as the effective thickness of torsional member, principal stress angle, and strain effect that reduces the resistance of concrete due to large longitudinal tensile strain. The proposed multi-potential capacity concept and the simple strength model were verified by comparing with test results collected from the literature. The study found that the multi-potential capacity could estimate in a rational manner not only the torsional strength but also the failure mode of RC members subjected to torsional moment, by reflecting the reinforcing index in both transverse and longitudinal directions, as well as the sectional and material properties of RC members.