Numerical analysis and monitoring of prestressed concrete structures deformability

• Grant number: 06/05891-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2007
• End date: December 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Structural Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Tulio Nogueira Bittencourt
• Grantee: Marcelo Augusto da Silva Machado
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The main goal of this research work is the study of the behavior of prestressed concrete structures under short and long term loadings. As a first step, a computational model, based on the finite element method, will be implemented, considering the non-linearity of the concrete and the losses of prestress. As a second step, a prototype structure, to be constructed in laboratory, will be monitored for the calibration and refinement of the computational model. Finally, the numerical analysis and the health monitoring of the prototype prestressed concrete structure will be carried out a long of time with the obtainment of several physical quantities. These physical quantities can be stress, strain, or displacement due to creep and shrinkage of the concrete, relaxation of the reinforcement, or application of instantaneous loads at different ages of the structure. Both computational model and health monitoring constitute an important complementary tool for observation of real structures and for detection and identification of damage. The results obtained in this research work will be fundamental in the health monitoring of real structures. This is one of the main objectives of the thematic project (“MONITORAÇÃO E AVALIAÇÃO DA DEFORMABILIDADE, DA FISSURAÇÃO E DA SEGURANÇA DE ESTRUTURAS DE CONCRETO”, FAPESP nº. 04/03049-1) and of the auxiliary research project (“PROTOTIPAGEM DE ESTRUTURAS EM ESCALA REDUZIDA EM UM AMBIENTE INTEGRADO, UTILIZANDO RECURSOS DE MONITORAÇÃO, INTERPRETAÇÃO E ANÁLISE NUMÉRICA”, FAPESP nº. 05/52210-2) of FAPESP, in which this research work is inserted. This research work will be developed in conjunction with “Grupo de Modelagem de Estruturas de Concreto – GMEC” leaded by prof. Túlio Nogueira Bittencourt (GMEC: http://www.lmc.ep.usp.br/people/tbitten/gmec/home.htm), who will also be the supervisor of this research work.This reasearch group has been conducting several works in the area of health monitoring and in the area of experimental and computational analyses of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures, as can be seen in the appendix of this proposal. Those works have been conducted in conjunction with colleagues from UNICAMP in the area of interpretation of the obtained results utilizing the so called inverse analysis. It is important to mention the experience acquired by GMEC in the last years by international cooperation with the research group of Professor Joaquim Figueiras from FEUP (Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto), who has been successfully testing in laboratory prestressed concrete structures. All this recent development justifies the insertion of the candidate as a post-doctorate researcher, since his knowledge acquired during his Masters and Doctorate, which can be seen in the articles of his authority attached to this proposal, is extremely helpful to the work that they intend to develop at this time.