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Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction

Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is a deleterious chemical reaction whose product expands in the presence of water inducing internal pressures within the concrete microstructure resulting in cracking and a reduction in elastic properties of concrete. Thus, ASR can substantially reduce serviceability and...

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Main Author: Nyoni, Bukhosi Raphael
Other Authors: Moyo, Pilate
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Civil Engineering 2019
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access_status_str Open Access
author Nyoni, Bukhosi Raphael
author2 Moyo, Pilate
author_browse Moyo, Pilate
Nyoni, Bukhosi Raphael
author_facet Moyo, Pilate
Nyoni, Bukhosi Raphael
author_sort Nyoni, Bukhosi Raphael
collection Thesis
description Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is a deleterious chemical reaction whose product expands in the presence of water inducing internal pressures within the concrete microstructure resulting in cracking and a reduction in elastic properties of concrete. Thus, ASR can substantially reduce serviceability and compromise the safety of concrete structures. To ensure the safe operation of these ageing structures, a sound understanding of the material deterioration and effect of ASR on the structural performance of these structures has to be developed. To this end, a number of numerical constitutive models have been developed to simulate ASR induced expansion in concrete. These models can generally be categorised as either, (i) microstructural models which aim to link the chemical process of the reaction to its impact at material level or (ii) macrostructural models which focus on the structural level assessment of affected concrete structures. Fundamental to most of these models is the assumption that ASR gets exhausted in time, which in the field, has thus far been rarely observed. In this study, a finite element model of a hydropower plant affected by ASR showing no signs of exhaustion even after 60 years of operation, was developed, validated and calibrated. From the analysis of the developed model in which a macrostructural thermo-chemo-mechanical ASR constitutive model was used to model concrete swelling, a prognostic evaluation approach to aid in determining the life expectancy of the hydropower plant was proposed.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/29367
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:31:30.019Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher Department of Civil Engineering
publisherStr Department of Civil Engineering
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/29367 Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction Nyoni, Bukhosi Raphael Moyo, Pilate Engineering Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is a deleterious chemical reaction whose product expands in the presence of water inducing internal pressures within the concrete microstructure resulting in cracking and a reduction in elastic properties of concrete. Thus, ASR can substantially reduce serviceability and compromise the safety of concrete structures. To ensure the safe operation of these ageing structures, a sound understanding of the material deterioration and effect of ASR on the structural performance of these structures has to be developed. To this end, a number of numerical constitutive models have been developed to simulate ASR induced expansion in concrete. These models can generally be categorised as either, (i) microstructural models which aim to link the chemical process of the reaction to its impact at material level or (ii) macrostructural models which focus on the structural level assessment of affected concrete structures. Fundamental to most of these models is the assumption that ASR gets exhausted in time, which in the field, has thus far been rarely observed. In this study, a finite element model of a hydropower plant affected by ASR showing no signs of exhaustion even after 60 years of operation, was developed, validated and calibrated. From the analysis of the developed model in which a macrostructural thermo-chemo-mechanical ASR constitutive model was used to model concrete swelling, a prognostic evaluation approach to aid in determining the life expectancy of the hydropower plant was proposed. 2019-02-06T12:40:28Z 2019-02-06T12:40:28Z 2018 2019-02-06T08:44:57Z Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29367 eng application/pdf Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Engineering
Nyoni, Bukhosi Raphael
Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction
title_full Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction
title_fullStr Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction
title_full_unstemmed Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction
title_short Thermo-chemo-mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction
title_sort thermo chemo mechanical modelling of hydropower structures affected by alkali silica reaction
topic Engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29367
work_keys_str_mv AT nyonibukhosiraphael thermochemomechanicalmodellingofhydropowerstructuresaffectedbyalkalisilicareaction