Smart, Durable, and Sustainable: Designing Concrete Structures for Tomorrow

使用生态高效建筑材料的好处是显而易见的，但人们对加拿大极端气候下可持续结构在现实环境和结构荷载条件下的长期性能知之甚少。与传统混凝土相比，使用再生混凝土骨料和低水泥含量可以减少结构混凝土的环境足迹，提供显著的可持续性好处，但由于对结构性能和耐久性的担忧，它们在该领域的使用一直受到限制。需要开发新的设计方法，以克服普遍存在的一种看法，即可持续混凝土天生就不如结构应用的传统配合比设计。拟议的研究计划旨在解决这些重要的知识差距，以确保加拿大在不损害其关键基础设施的长期耐久性的情况下，继续在可持续发展方面处于领先地位。 拟议研究的长期目标是在加拿大基础设施项目的背景下更好地了解和改进可持续混凝土的整体性能，并通过基于绩效的决策为改进资源和关键基础设施的管理作出贡献。将从耐久性和结构性能方面对可持续混凝土材料进行评估，并将为混凝土桥梁的设计、监测、评估和修复制定准则。该研究计划将特别侧重于以下短期目标：1)表征可持续混凝土配合比设计的性能，并将其优化用于加拿大结构；2)评估可持续混凝土构件的短期和长期结构性能，无论是否有共同的受灾机制和恢复措施；3)评估采用耐腐蚀纤维增强聚合物筋的可持续混凝土构件的结构性能；以及4)采用先进和低成本的传感技术，以提高我们收集准确的实验室测量数据的能力，并开发高效的低成本混凝土结构现场监测系统。介绍了一份详细的培训计划和方法，描述了NSERC探索奖助金基金在五年内的使用，以支持和培养12名高素质的人员，他们将成为各自领域的知识领导者，并能够应对未来几十年独特的工程挑战。拟议计划的结果将使工程师能够设计出更智能、更耐用和更可持续的混凝土结构，并能够满足子孙后代的需求。

The benefits of using eco-efficient building materials are evident, yet relatively little is known regarding the long-term performance of sustainable structures subjected to combined realistic environmental and structural loading conditions in extreme Canadian climates. Structural concrete can be designed with reduced environmental footprints using recycled concrete aggregates and low cement content providing significant sustainability benefits compared to conventional concrete, but their use in the field has been limited due to concerns about structural performance and durability. New design methodologies need to be developed to overcome the prevailing perception that sustainable concrete is inherently inferior to conventional mix designs for structural applications. The proposed research program aims to address these important knowledge gaps to ensure that Canada continues to be a leader in sustainable development without compromising the long-term durability of its critical infrastructure. The long-term aim of the proposed research is to better understand and improve the overall performance of sustainable concrete in the context of Canadian infrastructure projects, and to contribute towards the improved management of resources and critical infrastructure through performance-based decision making. Sustainable concrete materials will be evaluated in terms of durability and structural behaviour, and guidelines will be developed for the design, monitoring, assessment and rehabilitation of concrete bridges. The research program will focus specifically on the following short-term objectives: 1) characterize the behaviour of sustainable concrete mix designs and optimize them for use in Canadian structures; 2) evaluate the short and long-term structural performance of sustainable concrete members, with and without common distress mechanisms and rehabilitation measures; 3) evaluate the structural performance of sustainable concrete members with corrosion-resistant fibre-reinforced polymer reinforcement; and 4) incorporate advanced and low-cost sensing technologies to improve our ability to collect accurate lab measurements and develop efficient low-cost field monitoring systems for concrete structures. A detailed training plan and methodology are presented to describe the use of the NSERC Discovery Grant funds over five years to support and develop 12 Highly Qualified Personnel who will become knowledge leaders in their field and able to take on the unique engineering challenges of the coming decades. The results of the proposed program will enable engineers to design concrete structures that are smarter, more durable and more sustainable, and able to meet the demands of future generations.