Structural performance assessment of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge piers

The aim of this study is to assess the structural performance of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge piers, and to provide method for developing improved evaluation method. For a deteriorated bridge piers, once the cover spalls off and bond between the reinforcement and concrete has been lost, compressed reinforcements are likely to buckle. By using a sophisticated nonlinear finite element analysis program, the accuracy and objectivity of the assessment process can be enhanced. A computer program, RCAHEST (Reinforced Concrete Analysis in Higher Evaluation System Technology), is used to analyze reinforced concrete structures. Material nonlinearity is taken into account by comprising tensile, compressive and shear models of cracked concrete and a model of reinforcing steel. Advanced deteriorated material models are developed to predict behaviors of deteriorated reinforced concrete. The proposed numerical method for the structural performance assessment of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge piers is verified by comparing it with reliable experimental results. Additionally, the studies and discussions presented in this investigation provide an insight into the key behavioral aspects of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge piers.