Victor E. Saouma – författare

This book presents the work of the RILEM Technical Committee 259-ISR. Addressing two complementary but fundamental issues: the kinetics of the reaction, and how this will affect the integrity of the structure (serviceability and strength), it also provides methodology for assessing past deterioration to enable readers to make engineering/science-based predictions concerning future expansion. The book is divided into six major topics: selection and interpretation of optimal monitoring system for structures undergoing expansion to monitor the progress of the swelling evolution and its consequences; development/refinement of current laboratory procedures to determine the kinetics of the reaction i.e. expansion vs (future) time, and to determine the kinetic characteristics of the time-dependent reaction to be used in a finite element simulation; extrapolation of results from structural component laboratory testing; selection of material properties based on data from existing structuresaffected by the alkali silica reaction or delayed ettringite formation; identification of critical features that should be present in a finite element code, development of test problems for validation, and a survey of relevant programs able to conduct a transient structural analysis of a structure undergoing chemically induced expansion; and lastly guidelines for finite element codes. The book is intended for practitioners responsible for concrete structures affected by the damaging alkali aggregate reaction, engineers dealing with aging structures, and researchers in the field.

This self-contained book focuses on the safety assessment of existing structures subjected to multi-hazard scenarios through advanced numerical methods. Whereas the focus is on concrete dams and nuclear containment structures, the presented methodologies can also be applied to other large-scale ones.

The authors explains how aging and shaking ultimately lead to cracking, and how these complexities are compounded by their random nature. Nonlinear (static and transient) finite element analysis is hence integrated with both earthquake engineering and probabilistic methods to ultimately derive capacity or fragility curves through a rigorous safety assessment.

Expanding its focus beyond design aspects or the state of the practice (i.e., codes), this book is composed of seven sections:

This book should inspire students, professionals and most importantly regulators to rigorously apply the most up to date scientific methods in the safety assessment of large concrete structures.