The consequences of failure or structural malfunction may include loss of human life, economic and environmental damages.
Durability/Safety analysis of structures will play an important role in reducing such accidents by checking the probability of failure at structural design stages.
It is known that construction works are complex processes that are associated with uncertainties at various level of their execution and use, which have to be taken into consideration during design. Structures undergo variations in physical states due to changes in weather, structural and serviceability parameters. Therefore, there is chance that the resistance of the structure will be less than the designed limits or the values of the forces acting on it will be higher than anticipated. Safety verifications of structures can be explained by the probability of going beyond the critical values by the physical measures.
With the knowledge gained when admitted for study, I would like to design robust structures to a greatest level of safety to avoid failure from happening.
127 our experts are availableright now
I would like to make use of European technical regulations for design criteria to perform design durability analysis.
The title of my proposed topic is “Reliability-Based durability analysis of reinforced concrete member subjected to chloride ingress”
Time-dependent deterioration of concrete usually results from several actions, for example weather and ingress or migration of chemicals (chlorides, sulfates, carbon dioxides and moisture). The process normally starts with chloride penetration, followed by corrosion initiation, decrease in reinforcement diameter with cracking and ultimately loss of bearing capacity of the section.
I am looking to examine serviceability of the concrete member by checking the chloride concentration on reinforcements in concrete, which can be found through simulation for chloride migration analysis. The idea is to define the concentration levels at which corrosion happens during the design life. Simulation analysis will be carried out to determine the corrosion rate.
The loads that may be considered for the analysis are mechanical loads (self-weight), environmental loads (chloride and moisture) and any other load that is of importance in the design. The steps to be followed consist of analysis of all loads and their effect, defining the limit states, defining the reliability, defining the service life, and validation of the design.
Limit-state function to be used would include both the initiation and propagation stages of corrosion on the reinforcement up to the last stage, that is, the structural consequences of the failure. A suitable mathematical model would be choose to represent the effect, followed by the quantification of the environmental parameters/influencing factors that consist of chloride concentration, surface temperature, surface humidity, time of wetness etc. The model is made up of a suitable probabilistic framework, so that efficient stochastic life time assessment and reliability analysis can be performed. By following the above process, it is possible to make estimate of the life time of a reinforced concrete member.
I would also like to do research on risk assessment of concrete structures. I intend to perform detailed examination and understanding of structural systems to identify the possible hazard scenario. Through modelling and clear description of the relevant scenario, I will be able to estimate the likelihood or degree of certainty of a particular risky event occurring during a specified period of time. This will be followed by estimation of consequences to determine the extent of injuries or fatalities (if there is any) and environmental/economic damage.
I will be considering Cause/Consequence chart as a tool for risk analysis, because it reflect influences of environment and human activities in its process.
These charts can be easily understood by designers and can serve as an efficient means of communication among professionals. When establishing the logical risk analysis chart, the unwanted occurrence is first outlined/considered. Following it, is the possible causes of risks and later the penalty that will result. The main application of consequence chart is generally detecting the possible causes of unwanted occurrences before they happen, this way, structural failure can be anticipated through mathematical expectations and measures can be taken to prevent it. The process of risk analysis is as follows; Danger Identification, determination and modelling of danger scenario, assessment of probabilities, assessment of consequences, assessment of risk and finally decision making.
I would be very happy to accept any correction with regards to my proposed area of study and a better research idea to focus on. If u wish to guide me on another different research topic, I am ready to accept any change of research area you would like to put me on apart from my proposed specialization.
As part of my study, I wish to find a relevant engineering industry to do internship and develop my practical experience skills.
I am looking forward to adding knowledge to current Engineering Profession through researches and publications, to save life and property by reducing accidents through assessing the risk in design and construction of concrete structural systems. I want to play a role in establishing the technical safety and structural design regulations in my country.
