Reimagined Environmentally-friendly Design (RE-Design) of Reinforced Concrete Infrastructure

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The use of distributed sensing enables an understanding of structural behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) infrastructure, such as bridges and buildings, that has never before been possible. This data from a large number of sensors, when coupled with sophisticated approaches to analysis, will impact structural engineering by leading to groundbreaking advances in RC design. At the same time, 2.5 billion more people will live in urban areas by the year 2050, creating significant demand for infrastructure and increasing CO2 production. Research into shape optimization of RC flexural members has shown the possibility of reducing embodied CO2 by 20-44%. In addition, the use of functionally graded concrete (FGC), where the amount of cement varies based on the structural demand, could further reduce material use. But widespread implementation comes with the challenge of providing designers, builders, and owners with understanding of how these choices affect complex structural performance and confidence in their behaviour. The Reimagined Environmentally-friendly Design (RE-Design) program will enable the design and use of RC infrastructure with significantly reduced embodied CO2 through 1) the development of innovative RC experiments that provide unique data sets to better understand complex behaviour, and 2) the development of techniques for merging high-quality distributed sensor measurements with robust numerical models (sensor-analysis fusion) for parametric studies that will lead to reimagined design approaches to reduce CO2 content. The research program is divided into three themes: 1. Structural optimization enhancement, 2. FGC development, and 3. Sensor-analysis fusion. Theme 1 will involve the testing of beams with optimized cross-sections and slabs with varying levels of axial restraint. Theme 2 will involve tests of both slender and deep FGC beams with combinations of normal and reduced cement (~40% less) concrete. These tests, coupled with distributed sensing data, will enable the behaviour of these low embodied CO2 specimens to be understood. Theme 3 will develop techniques for merging the results of experiments with numerical models (sensor-analysis fusion) to model the experiments from Themes 1 and 2 and to undertake parametric studies to develop design approaches. The anticipated outcomes of this project include i) providing civil infrastructure at a lower cost to society, both economic and environmental, by reducing material use, ii) potential reductions in global CO2 emissions of up to 5% through the use of innovative technologies and design, and iii) new design techniques that can be adapted for structures using carbon neutral materials, such as timber, and to keep existing RC infrastructure assets in service. The research will result in the training of 14 HQP and position Canada as a leader in this area in terms of HQP training and research expertise, enabling Canadian consultants to offer leading edge services internationally.