Computer-Aided Retrofitting of a Damaged RC Cooling Tower Shell
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 3
Abstract
The role of numerical simulations in the design of the repair of damaged reinforced concrete structures is illustrated in the context of the retrofitting of a damaged RC cooling tower built in 1963. Nonlinear material behavior of concrete and steel as well as the state of damage, including the nonsymmetric spatial distribution of the cracks and the corrosion of the reinforcement at the end of the anticipated lifetime of the structure, are accounted for in the computational model. Two alternatives for the repair of the shell by means of stiffening rings are investigated. If the repair is based on the application of two cast in situ stiffening rings, structural failure of the RC shell is initiated by two failure zones located between the upper stiffening ring and the cornice. In these zones, the shell is severely weakened by the locally dense distribution of existing cracks and the corrosion of the reinforcement. The coefficient of structural safety of the retrofitted shell can be further increased if the existing cornice is strengthened. This coefficient is considerably larger than the one obtained for the uncracked shell.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 3 • March 1999
Pages: 328 - 337
History
Received: Mar 10, 1998
Published online: Mar 1, 1999
Published in print: Mar 1999
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