Long-term Hardening Characteristics of Prestressed Anchorage Grout

Grout plays an important role in the transmission and maintenance of anchoring force,and in the protection of anchorage materials against corrosion.Thus,the hardening characteristics of grout directly affect the anchoring effectivity and long-term reliability.We have excavated a prestressed anchorage which has been in service for 20 years,and have tested the grout which has worked for that long period under complicated geological conditions through strength tests and have analyzed its mineral composition using scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The results show that the mineral composition of the 12.5 m segment differs from other segments,and corresponds with poor coagulation characteristics of the 12.5 m segment grout.Analysis shows that unhydrated tricalcium silicate may be the reason for the localized poor coagulation.

Model test of the stability degradation of a prestressed anchored rock slope system in a corrosive environment

The long-term stability of a prestressed anchored slope might be influenced by the durability of the anchorage structure.To understand long-term stability of anchored rock slopes,the research presented herein evaluated the performance evolution of a prestressed anchored bedding slope system in a corrosive environment by model test.The corrosion process in a prestressed anchor bar was monitored in terms of its open-circuit potential(OCP),corrosion current density(CCD),and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).The stability of the prestressed anchored slope was evaluated by monitoring changes in anchorage force and displacements.The experimental results show that prestress and oxygen could reduce the corrosion resistance of the anchor bar,and anchor bars in a chloride-rich environment are very susceptible to corrosion.Prestressed tendons in a corrosive environment suffer a loss of anchorage force,the prestress decreases rapidly after locking,and the rate thereof decreases until stabilising;in the later stage,corrosion leads to the reduction of the cross-sectional area of the steel bar which may cause the reduction in anchorage force again.Anchorage force controls the deformation and stability of the anchored slope,the prestress loss caused by later corrosion may lead to an increased rate of displacement and stability degradation of the prestressed anchored rock slope.