Non-destructive Testing of a 100-Year-Old Reinforced Concrete Flat Slab Bridge

Abstract

Non-destructive tests and field measurements were used to establish the structural details and behavior of a 100-year-old reinforced concrete flat slab bridge. There are no structural drawings of the bridge, its reinforcing details, or records from the time of its original construction. The purpose of this project was to identify the structural details necessary to model the bridge for a determination of its ultimate load capacity. This paper discusses the methods used to accomplish this purpose. Live load tests were performed to investigate the overall behavior of the bridge. A finite element model of a single span of the 11-span bridge was developed in ABAQUS. FE model calibration was performed based on measured strains and deflections. Comparison of the finite element analysis and live load test results are presented herein.

Properties of Old Concrete Built in the Former Leipziger Palace

“…123-year-old concrete bridge Paulík [17] Slovakia 107-year-old bridge Rabiega et al [18] Poland 104-year-old bridge Sena-Cruz et al [19] Portugal 100-year-old bridge Słomka-Słupik et al [20] Poland 100-year-old reinforced concrete dome Onysyk et al [21] Poland 100-year-old bridge Witzany and Zigler [22] Czech Republic 100-year-old reinforced concrete flat slab bridge Wolert et al [23] USA 100-year-old reinforced concrete viaduct Jóźwiak-Niedźwiecka and Tucholsk [24] Poland 95-year-old viaduct Hellebois et al ([25,26]) Belgium 95-year-old concrete dam Blanco et al [27] Spain 95-year-old concrete arch bridge Ambroziak and Malinowski [28], Ambroziak et al [29] Poland 90-year old concrete mortar Trägårdh and Lagerblad [30] Sweden 84-year-old reinforced concrete bridge Gebauer and Harni [31] Switzerland 80-year-old reinforced concrete structure Melchers and Chaves [32] Australia 70-years-old concrete office building Ambroziak et al [ The present investigation of old concrete is related to a former palace building, called Leipziger Palace. The former Leipziger Palace in Wrocław (Poland) was built on the site of a riding school, from 1872 to 1874, by the banker Ignacy (Ignatz) Leipziger.…”

“…Hellebois and Espion [26] stated that concrete built in 1904 in Colo-Hugues viaduct (Belgium) possessed compressive strength from 19.7 MPa to 54.2 MPa. Wolert et al [23], for the bridge over Barnes Slough and Jenkins Creek (USA), built between 1914 and 1916, determined the compressive strength to be from 12.1 to 23.0 MPa. The German Committee for Structural Concrete [70], in 1916, indicated two concrete strength classes of 14.7 MPa and 17.7 MPa for usage in concrete structures.…”

Chemical, Physical, and Mechanical Properties of 95-Year-Old Concrete Built-In Arch Bridge

“…The present guidelines on concrete standards state the requirements for water to cement ratio without mentioning zero-strength concrete. Wolert et al [5] obtained compressive test results varying from 12.1 to 23.0 MPa for core samples cut out from an 11-span flat slab reinforced concrete bridge constructed between 1914 and 1916. Our laboratory tests determined the mean compressive strength of the 95-year-old concrete built-in arch bridge as f c,cycl 100 = 18.8 MPa, which is similar to concrete structures build during this time period.…”

“…Selected structural material properties were also determined, e.g., the strength class was found to be greater than C30/37 and the average modulus of elasticity was 30 GPa. Wolert et al [5] investigated an 11-span flat slab reinforced concrete bridge constructed between 1914 and 1916 that goes over Barnes Slough and Jenkins Creek side ribs connected to the top plate using a concrete core borehole diamond drill machine. The drilling locations were selected based on their availability and limited interference to the bridge structure.…”

A 95-Year-Old Concrete Arch Bridge: From Materials Characterization to Structural Analysis

“…In most countries, there are old bridges that require maintenance, renovation, or reconstruction [ 3 ]. In the literature, it is possible to find many interesting investigations related to the process of testing and repairing old concrete bridges [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ] or to the structural analysis of old bridges [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Reconstruction and renovation of old bridge structures and adaptation to new traffic loads are complex issues often requiring not only the experience of civil engineers, but also that of the scientific community.…”