Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities

This paper presents the diagnostic investigation of a reinforced concrete jetty after 15 years of service. The main cause of the deterioration was reinforcement corrosion, which initiated within few years after the completion of the jetty structure. The structure underwent major corrosion rehabilitation after 7 years of service. Despite the use of high-strength concrete in the construction of the jetty structure, inadequate cover thickness for reinforced concrete elements intensified corrosion rate and caused early age corrosion problems to reappear. Other contributing factors included high salinity of the seawater by simultaneous action of climatic factors such as exposure to high relative humidity and air temperature. After the initial repair work, a new investigative procedure was carried out to reevaluate the repaired and surrounding unrepaired areas. Results indicate that the deterioration progressed even in concrete elements that were undamaged during the first step of the investigation. No sign of steel corrosion appeared on repaired areas; but shrinkage cracking and incipient corrosion around repaired areas were indications of dimensional and electrochemical incompatibility between repair concrete and substrate. The repair strategy was reevaluated through the repair index method proposed by Andrade and Izquierdo. The results showed that the patching repair method was more suitable and feasible in comparison with other techniques.

In this study, two reinforced concrete frames with hollow clay tile masonry infill walls, retrofitted with diagonally applied carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), which were tested previously, were analytically investigated. A simple material model for the masonry infill wall strengthened with CFRP is suggested. The lateral strength of each rehabilitated frame was obtained by pushover analysis of four different models using a commercially available finite-element program, and the results were compared with the test results. We also determined the lateral strength of the CFRP-applied masonry infill walls, and compared the results with the results obtained from existing analytical models. Drift capacity of the masonry infill walls strengthened with CFRP was also investigated, and the drift capacity of the masonry infill walls strengthened with diagonally applied CFRP was recommended. It is concluded that the strength of the masonry infilled frames strengthened with diagonally applied CFRP can be satisfactorily predicted with the suggested procedure. The ultimate drift capacity of the masonry infill walls strengthened with diagonally applied CFRP strips was conservatively predicted to be 1.0%.

The combined manual TM 5-1300/NAVFAC P-397/AFR 88-22, Structures to Resist the Effects of Accidental Explosions, published by the joint departments of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, has been used in all NATO countries for the past 50 years for protective design applications. The manual was recently reformatted to meet the Department of Defense Unified Facility Criteria (UFC). As a first step, the current production of the new document, UFC 3-340-02, focused on making the original TM 5-1300 available in a more functional format so that future technical updates can be facilitated. In this study, a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model, based on the guidelines of the UFC 3-340-02, was used to formulate a FORTRAN code to predict the response of SDOF systems under blast. The code was used to generate pressure-impulse $\left(P\text{-}I\right)$ diagrams for a series of two-way reinforced concrete (RC) panels with different dimensions, aspect and reinforcement ratios, and support conditions. The $P\text{-}I$ diagram predictions were compared to the results of experimentally validated nonlinear explicit finite-element (FE) analyses and significant differences in deflection and shear predictions were observed. The general trend of results and the major characteristics of the $P\text{-}I$ diagrams were discussed in terms of the discrepancies between the SDOF and the FE predictions. The work presented in this paper is expected to contribute to improving the modeling provisions of the two-way RC panels in the future edition of the UFC 3-340-02 by understanding the limitations of SDOF models using advanced FE analysis techniques.

A ball powder production facility recently experienced two subsequent explosions which occurred due to the detonation of 2,800 kg and 17,000 kg ball powder components in the mixer building and the temporary storage building, respectively. Consequently, three persons were killed; and these two structures were damaged heavily. In this study, the outline of the mixer building is explained as well as the details of explosion and the behavior of the structural system of the mixer building against explosion. The observed damage mechanism of the mixer building is explained through a nonlinear dynamic blast load analysis as well as the evaluation of the original design, in situ material characteristics, and construction details. Furthermore, the potential reasons of the second explosion in the temporary storage building and the effects of this explosion are discussed considering the separation and public route distances given in related standards.

The practice of predictive maintenance depends significantly on the diagnosis of in-service performance and on the decision criteria for the selection of maintenance tasks. The definition of these criteria is limited because several actors are involved, each with their own perspectives of performance and maintenance needs. This paper discusses a set of 17 criteria to help the maintenance choice for building façades, from three viewpoints: physical performance, risk, and costs. A group of experts was surveyed and 30 answers were received. Therefore, each criterion will be discussed according to the answers collected. The relative importance (using quantitative weights) and subclasses for each criterion are proposed.

The diagnostic concept of the structural deficiency of bridges is an essential engineering and management consideration with implications of performance. The structural deficiency analysis reflects the constructed system performance at the serviceability limit states. This paper analyzes trends in the structural deficiency of bridge inventory on the basis of material kind. A multiple-criteria diagnostic approach defines measures for condition, durability, and longevity performances and determines the overall equivalent performance. Thus, the structural performance levels reflect the structural reliability and vulnerability indices for bridge serviceability. The application of the approach analyzes the raw database of the entire bridge inventory in the United States. This comprehensive operational experience provides a national network-level comparative basis. The comparison suggests a relative need for improvements in one or more areas, such as design details or maintenance level, to increase the desirability of bridge construction materials. The results support more objective bridge management and decision making on distribution of funds, updating of policies, perfection of practices, and trade-off analyses for design, construction, maintenance, and replacement.

Historical structures are one of the most precious pieces of cultural accumulation. In this study, an interdisciplinary work was conducted to assess the structural condition of a historical masonry structure, Urla Kamanlı Mosque in İzmir, Turkey. The structure is a member of group of structures, Yahşi Bey Complex, which includes a Turkish bath, a tomb, two fountains, and a primary school. The structure dates back to early 14th century to mid-15th century. History investigation, measurement survey, long-term settlement, and moisture observations were conducted. Nondestructive and destructive material tests were performed on stone, brick, and mortar. 3D finite-element model of the structure was used to investigate the critical locations of the structure under its self-weight, seismic load, and settlement load. Linear elastic and nonlinear settlement analyses were conducted to investigate the reason for massive cracks challenging the structural integrity.

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a closed-cell polymeric (“plastic”) foam that, in its generic block-molded form, has seen increasing use worldwide as a cellular geosynthetic in the geofoam category. This growth is due to the fact that block-molded EPS is unique among geofoam products for the large and diverse variety of functional applications for which it is technically well suited and relatively economical as well as for its proven long-term in-ground durability. However, as often happens when there is rapid growth in a technology based on a generic commodity product such as block-molded EPS, its use outstrips the acquisition of critically important technical knowledge by end users. This can result in inefficient and even incorrect use that can lead to failures in project applications. There is evidence that this cause and effect is currently occurring in the United States at least for some widely used EPS-block geofoam functional applications such as lightweight fill for road construction. This paper contains a summary of the technical issues that are significant factors in the observed failures of EPS-block geofoam fills, with an emphasis on emerging trends observed in recent years. This presentation is intended to provide critical information for design professionals, material suppliers, construction contractors, and owners alike so that they are aware of the key technical issues that require careful attention when designing EPS-block geofoam fills in practice.

Rainfall-induced up-slope failure has been a major issue for the mountain road mitigation. To determine the mitigation priority of the roadside slopes, a model to evaluate the stability of the up-slopes is proposed in this paper. This model is developed using Bayesian classification theorem, historical rainfall and landslide data, and an artificial intelligence skill—Gaussian process. The parameters needed for this model include the up-slope features, catchment area, lithology, vegetation coverage, and rainfall data. Among these parameters, rainfall is considered to be the triggering factor of landslide in this study. In addition, each slope has also demonstrated a unique failure probability relationship with the 72-h accumulated rainfalls. Such a relationship is adopted to define a threshold rainfall factor which is used as an index to estimate the likelihood of landslide occurrence under a rainfall event. Using the threshold rainfall factor of each slope, a priority list is proposed for the mitigation of roadside up-slopes along the Alishan mountain road in Taiwan.

As part of a national pool funded study 208 on pavement subgrade performance, 12 full-scale test sections (four soil types and three moisture contents) were constructed and tested under the heavy vehicle simulator (HVS) loading. This paper presents the HVS results on two of the four soils tested: AASHTO Class A-2-4 and A-4 soils, respectively. From the results, it was found that the pavement subgrade performance is a function of soil type, moisture content, and applied stress condition. Additionally, this paper also evaluated the current mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) subgrade rutting (permanent strain) model through comparing with the actual measurements under the HVS loading. It was found that the MEPDG subgrade permanent strain model needs further improvement, and that a single performance model may not be universally applicable to different subgrade soil types. Consequently, a new permanent strain model for each soil type was developed in this paper, based on the HVS results, and that yielded better predictions. With further validation and field calibration, the proposed models offer promising potential to accurately predict rutting behavior of these two soils.

To prevent premature failures of rehabilitated concrete pavements, transportation authorities need tools to characterize the prerehab pavement condition of its load carrying capacity, and to determine the resistance of the overlay material to underlying crack/joint movements. Two quantitative methods, the rolling dynamic deflectometer (RDD) and overlay tester (OT), along with field performance data were employed in rehabilitation studies involving reflective cracks. The RDD is able to continuously assess vertical differential movements at joints/cracks that represent the potential for reflective cracks on existing pavements. The OT has the ability to determine the resistance of the overlay material to underlying crack/joint movements. The RDD $\text{W}1-\text{W}3$ deflections were used to determine areas that have a high potential for reflective cracking due to poor load transfer across joints and cracks. This paper documents results from the RDD and OT on the following five rehabilitation projects: (1) SH225; (2) US96; (3) SH12; (4) SH342; and (5) IH35W. Based on the available test results from these five projects, it was observed that the $\text{W}1-\text{W}3$ threshold values of 5.5 mils (0.140 mm) for exposed concrete pavement and 6.5 mils (0.165 mm) for composite pavement with existing hot mix asphalt overlay and an OT threshold value of 700 cycles correlated well with the field performance. Ignoring either of these critical factors may lead to premature reflective cracking.

Construction and engineering practitioners have found it increasingly difficult to learn from their mistakes, particularly with regard to the prevention, identification and/or containment of design errors. Yet, design errors have been the root cause of numerous catastrophic accidents that have resulted in the death and injury of workers and members of the public. This paper examines and classifies the nature of error and design error causation in construction and engineering projects. A review of the normative literature revealed that design errors are caused by an array of factors that can work interdependently. A generic framework is developed that classifies design error according to people, the organization, and project is presented. The paper suggests that people, over and above organizational and project management strategies, have the greatest propensity to reduce errors through the process of situated learning and knowing. This is because the working environment provided by an organization and the processes used to deliver construction and engineering projects influence the nature and ability of people to undertake tasks. Consequently, there is no single but rather a multitude of strategies that need to be adopted in congruence to reduce design errors so that safety and project performance are ameliorated.

This paper investigates the feasibility of using an in situ wet layup fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) repairing system to extend the service life of electric distribution and transmission wooden poles. The effectiveness of the FRP strengthening method was evaluated through field tests performed on Class-4 deteriorated wooden poles and a step-by-step rapid installation procedure was developed. Results indicated that the application of the in situ wet layup FRP system increased the load capacity of the poles where more than 85% of their original capacity was restored. In addition, the repaired poles exceeded the minimum lateral load required by the NESC and ANSI 05.1 codes indicating that it would be more cost-effective repairing the poles than replacing them. Moreover, in addition to the cost savings, the FRP system extended the service life of the deteriorated poles up to 30 years.

The expansion of alternative energy has created a demand for sustainable alternatives for wind turbine foundation design. This study investigates the proposed application of helical piers as foundations for guyed cables of small (1–10-kW) wind towers. Before the foundation system can be implemented, pier response to typical working loads and extreme environmental conditions must be determined. Field conditions were determined by equipping an existing wind tower with accelerometers and load cells while monitoring wind speed to determine tower response. A full-scale testing program was conducted, which simulated dynamic loading conditions based on the tower response. The testing program varied between typical working conditions and extreme load events to determine the critical loading case and creep potential from long-term loading. This paper discusses the effects of dynamic loading on helical pier performance and compares the results to that of uplift prediction methods typically used in helical pier design.