Toward Crack-based Assessment of Shear-distressed Reinforced Concrete Infrastructure

Abstract

The prioritization of repair and rehabilitation efforts for concrete infrastructure is typically informed by damage observed during routine field inspections. Field observations are qualitatively categorized into condition states based on pre-established measurement limits that do little to account for the member-specific details that affect structural behaviour. As a result, conventional strategies do not typically provide reliable, quantitative predictions about the implications of observed damage. Several mechanics-based approaches for the assessment of shear-distressed reinforced concrete structures have been proposed within the last decade. This paper presents an overview and brief comparison of two assessment procedures. Ultimately, this research aims to develop recommendations for refined numerical procedures that assist infrastructure renewal experts to successfully manage the existing infrastructure inventory.