Influence of concrete differential aging time on the construction phases analysis of the Fenghua River Bridge

The Fenghua River Bridge is a major structure on the highway between Hengzhang and Guojiachi, which is to be built with a four-span prestress concrete (PC) box girder and symmetrical cantilever castings. In this paper, a finite element method (FEM) model is set up to study the effects of concrete differential aging time on the construction phases of the Fenghua River Bridge by calculating the vertical displacement of the folding segment of the middle span and the longitudinal bending moment of Pier 12#. In the model, the girders are classified into 150 changing sections based on the desgn scheme, and their construction is to be carried in 16 phases respectively to build 12 blocks connected by a side folding segment and a middle folding segment, covered with a second dead load and in completion for 20 years. It is found that the internal forces and deformations of the concrete structures at the aging time of 60 d are quite different from those of 0 d aging time while the behaviors of the structures of 120 d aging time is nearly the same as those of 60 d aging time― the differences are so small that can be neglected, suggesting that the creep develops obviously about one month after the cement is hardened and the development fades later on.

Hydration Process and Crack Tendency of Concrete Based on Resistivity and Restrained Shrinkage Crack

Hydration process, crack potential and setting time of concrete grade C30, C40 and C50 were monitored by using a non-contact electrical resistivity apparatus, a novel plastic ring mould and penetration resistance methods, respectively. The results show the highest resistivity of C30 at the early stage until a point when C50 accelerated and overtook the others. It has been experimentally confirmed that the crossing point of C30 and C50 corresponds to the final setting time of C50. From resistivity derivative curve, four different stages were observed upon which the hydration process is classified; these are dissolution, induction, acceleration and deceleration periods. Consequently, restrained shrinkage crack and setting time results demonstrated that C50 set and cracked the earliest. The cracking time of all the samples occurred within a reasonable experimental period thus the novel plastic ring is a convenient method for predicting concrete＇s crack potential. The highest inflection time（t_i） obtained from resistivity curve and the final setting time（t_f） were used with crack time（t_c） in coming up with mathematical models for the prediction of concrete＇s cracking age for the range of concrete grade considered. Finally, an ANSYS numerical simulation supports the experimental findings in terms of the earliest crack age of C50 and the crack location.

Discrete Numerical Study on Type II Fracture of Partially Detached Concrete Panels in Cold Region

When the upper chord beam of the beam-string structure(BSS)is made of concrete-filled steel tube(CFST),its overall stiffness will change greatly with the construction of concrete placement,which will have an impact on the design of the tensioning plans and selection of control measures for the BSS.In order to accurately obtain the bending stiffness of CFST beam and clarify its impact on the mechanical properties of composite BSS during con-struction,the influence of some factors such as height-width ratio,wall thickness of steel tube,elasticity modulus of concrete,and friction coefficient on the bending stiffness are analyzed parametrically by the numerical simula-tion technology based on an actual project.The calculation formula of the equivalent bending stiffness of CFST is also established through mathematical statistical simulation.Then,the equivalent bending stiffness is introduced into the construction and use stages of the composite BSS,respectively,and the mechanical properties such as prestress-tensioning control value,structural deformation,and internal force of key members are comparatively analyzed when adopting two different construction plans.Moreover,the optimal construction plan of concrete placementfirst and then prestress-tensioning is proposed.