PSI - Issue 52

Sairam Neridu et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 52 (2024) 267–279 Sairam Neridu/ Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

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Furthermore, increasing the grade of concrete from M15 to M30 results in lower total deformation. This is because higher-grade concrete has higher compressive strength, resulting in less deformation under applied loads. However, the maximum principal stresses and normal stresses remain the same for all grades of concrete, regardless of the thickness of the pier wall. This can be attributed to the fact that the maximum stresses are mainly determined by the applied loads and geometry of the structure rather than the concrete grade.

5.3. Restrengthening Recommendation

Fig. 6. Reinforcement detailing for Recommended Concrete encasement;

The results obtained from the Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis and NDT testing have been evaluated to determine the appropriate course of action to be taken to address the issues of high stresses, deformations, and lower than-designed concrete strength experienced by the pier wall. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that the pier wall be strengthened by encasing it with concrete on both sides. Encasing the pier wall with concrete will provide additional strength and stiffness to the pier wall, thereby reducing the stresses and deformations experienced under the existing loads. This will also help to distribute the loads more evenly across the pier wall, which reduces the risk of localized failure. It is important to use M30 grade concrete for the encasement as it has a higher strength than the existing pier wall concrete, thus providing the required additional strength. The thickness of the concrete