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The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures
Dissertation (MSc (Structural Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613675821465600 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Kearsley, Elsabe P. |
| author_browse | Kearsley, Elsabe P. |
| author_facet | Kearsley, Elsabe P. |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MSc (Structural Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/100669 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:39:55.528Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/100669 The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures Kearsley, Elsabe P. Kyle.hambidge@gmail.com Skorpen, Sarah Anne Hambidge, Kyle Shaun UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Concrete Thermal response Drying shrinkage Thermal gradients Environmental loading Strain development Heat transfer Concrete structures Dissertation (MSc (Structural Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2024. This study investigates the thermal and mechanical behaviour of concrete elements under environmental loading, with a focus on South African aggregates - dolerite and dolomite. As South Africa transitions to adopting EN1992-1-1: Design of Concrete Structures (2004), understanding the applicability of international standards to local materials and climatic conditions is critical. The concrete structures in the region are exposed to significant thermal variations, solar radiation, and drying conditions, inducing temperature gradients, shrinkage, and thermal stresses. An experimental programme was conducted, featuring concrete elements of three shapes, cube, flange, and L-section, cast with dolerite and dolomite aggregates. Thermocouples and vibrating wire strain gauges were used to monitor temperature and strain over a three-month winter period, while material characterisation tests determined key thermal and mechanical properties. Finite element models developed in ABAQUS/CAE (2023) were calibrated using experimental data to refine thermal conductivity and solar absorptivity values. Sensitivity analyses evaluated the effects of thermal properties on effective temperatures, temperature gradients, and thermal strains. The results show that aggregate type had a limited influence on thermal and shrinkage responses. Dolomite mixes, with higher thermal conductivity and solar absorptivity, experienced slightly greater temperature variations, while Dolerite mixes showed steeper gradients but lower stress development due to reduced thermal expansion, modulus of elasticity, and conductivity. Geometry also affected strain and stress distributions, with L-sections exhibiting higher residual stresses under environmental loading. These findings highlight the need to calibrate EN1992-1-1 assumptions for local materials and conditions. The study recommends developing standardised thermal property tests for South African aggregates and incorporating calibrated material properties into structural design models. The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd Civil Engineering MSc (Structural Engineering) Unrestricted Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology SDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructure SDG-13: Climate action 2025-02-10T13:40:52Z 2025-02-10T13:40:52Z 2025-04 2024 Dissertation * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/100669 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.28374740 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.28374740 en © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Concrete Thermal response Drying shrinkage Thermal gradients Environmental loading Strain development Heat transfer Concrete structures The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures |
| title | The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures |
| title_full | The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures |
| title_fullStr | The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures |
| title_short | The effect of environmental loading on concrete structures |
| title_sort | effect of environmental loading on concrete structures |
| topic | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Concrete Thermal response Drying shrinkage Thermal gradients Environmental loading Strain development Heat transfer Concrete structures |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/100669 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.28374740 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.28374740 |