Underground Space Use: Analysis of the Past and Lessons for the Future Erdem & Solak (eds)

) 2005 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 04 1537 452 9

Numerical simulations of SFRC precast tunnel segments

G.A. Plizzari & L. Cominoli
Department of Engineering Design and Technologies, University of Bergamo, Italy

ABSTRACT: The paper addresses precast tunnel segments for the new Line 9 of the Barcelona (Spain) Metro where the conventional reinforcement (rebars) may be partially substituted by steel fibers. After the experimental determination of the material properties, NonLinear Fracture Mechanics analyses allowed to study the structural behavior of the tunnel segments with different types of reinforcement. Finally, an optimized reinforcement, based on a combination of rebars and steel fibers, is proposed.

1 INTRODUCTION Fiber Reinforced Concretes (FRC) are composite materials with a cementitious matrix and a discontinuous reinforcement (the fibers) that may be made of metal, glass, synthetic or natural materials. After almost four decades of research, mechanical properties of FRC have become well known, Standards for material characterization are widely available and design guidelines have been recently proposed (Naaman & Reinhardt, 2003; di Prisco et al., 2004; RILEM, 2002). Among the structural applications of FRC, there is a growing interest in precast tunnel segments to be used with the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), where steel fibers may substitute, partially or totally, the conventional reinforcement (rebars). In the present paper, the structural behavior of the tunnel segments for the new Metro line (Line 9) of Barcelona (Spain) are numerically simulated with FE analyses based on Non Linear Fracture Mechanics (NLFM; Hillerborg et al., 1976). The new TBM-excavated tunnel of Barcelona has a diameter of about 12 m, a length of more than 40 km and is located from 30 to 70 m below the surface. The tunnel is made of 7 segments with a length of about 4.70 m and 1 key segment of half that length (Fig. 1). According to the original design project, the segments are made of conventional reinforcement with an addition of steel fibers whose contribution to the bearing capacity of the segment was not taken into account. In fact, the fibers were incorporated only to control cracking that may occur during handling and placing of the segments. After the experimental characterization of the material properties of FRC with two types of steel

Figure 1. Transverse section of the tunnel for the new line (9) of the Barcelona Metro with evidenced the 8 tunnel segments (Gettu et al., 2004).

fibers, NLFM analyses allowed to study the structural behavior of the segments with several combinations of reinforcement under different loading conditions. The numerical model was previously validated by using the experimental results on full-scale tests performed in Barcelona (Gettu et al., 2004). Finally, an optimized reinforcement, based on a combination of rebars and steel fibers, is proposed.

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Table 1.

Concrete composition (quantities refer to 1 m3). Weight [Kg] Volume [l] 134,92 142 3,20 699,88 20,00

Table 3. Mechanical properties of concrete (average values). fc,cube [MPa] FF1 FF3 64.7 63.5 64.1 fct [MPa] 4.11 4.04 4.07 Ec [GPa] 38.8 37,4 38.1

Cement Portland 52,5R Water Superplasticiser Aggregates Air assumed Water/cement ratio

425 142 1885 0,33

Table 2. Fiber code

Geometrical characteristic of the fibers. Lf/ Lf f [mm] [mm] [-] 1.00 0.75 50.0 67.0
f

Fiber shape

Wirand 50.0 FF1 Wirand 50.0 FF3

MATERIALS

The concrete matrix was made with cement CEM I 52.5R (UNI-ENV 197) and a natural river gravel with a rounded shape and a maximum diameter of 15 mm; its composition is summarized in Table 1. The grain size distribution of aggregates was chosen very close to the Bolomey curve by using nine classes of aggregates. An acrylic based super-plasticizer was used. The two different types of fibers that were considered in this research are reported in Table 2 where the fiber length (Lf), the fiber diameter ( f) and the aspect ratio (Lf/ f) are shown. All the fibers are cold drawn, have a hooked shape, a rounded shaft and a tensile strength higher than 1100 MPa. Fibers with an aspect ratio equal to 50 (FF1) were used with two different volume fractions (Vf), equal to 0.45% (35 kg/m3) and to 0.58% (45 kg/m3). Fibers with a higher aspect ratio (FF3) were used with a lower dosage, equal to 25 kg/m3 (Vf 0.32%) and to 35 kg/m3 (Vf 0.45%). Eight beam specimens were made for each type of SFRC; in addition, 8 beams of plain concrete were used as reference specimens. The slump(s) of the fresh concrete was always greater than 150 mm. Specimens were stored in a fog room (R.H. 95%; T 20 2C) until 24 hours before testing. Table 3 reports the mechanical properties of concrete (average values), as determined after about 60 days of curing; in particular, tensile strength (fct) from cylinders ( 80 mm, L 240 mm), compressive strength from cubes (fc,cube) having 150 mm side and Youngs modulus (Ec) from compression tests on cylinders ( 80 mm, L 240 mm), are reported.

Figure 2. Geometry (a) and instrumentation (b) of the notched specimen for the beam tests.

Fracture properties were determined from notched beams (150 150 600 mm) tested under four point bending according to the Italian Standard (UNI, 2003; Fig. 2a). The tests were carried out with a closed-loop hydraulic testing machine by using the Crack Mouth Opening Displacement (CMOD) as a control parameter, which was measured by means of a clip gauge positioned astride a notch in the mid-span, having a depth of 45 mm (Fig. 2a). Additional Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs) were used to measure the Crack Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) and the vertical displacement at the beam mid span and under the load points (Fig. 2b). Figure 3 shows typical experimental results from bending tests on beams with fibers FF1. Inverse analyses of the bending tests, based on NLFM, allowed to determine the best-fitting softening law for the SFRCs adopted in the present research (Roelfstra & Wittmann, 1986). The Youngs modulus (Ec) was the one experimentally measured from the

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R60- FF1 - 35 kg/m3 - Vf=0,45% Nominal Stress N [MPa] 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 CTODm [mm] R60- FF1 - 45 kg/m3 - Vf=0,57% Experimental Numerical (a)

Figure 5. Mesh adopted for the numerical simulations of the beam tests based on a discrete crack approach. Table 4. Parameters for the bilinear softening law for cracked concrete. SFRC Vf (%) fct [MPa] w1 [mm] FF1 FF3 0.45 0.58 0.32 0.45 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 0.031 0.023 0.031 0.028
1

[MPa] wcr [mm] 3.50 5.35 3.2 3.9

Nominal Stress N [MPa]

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0.0 0.1

1.450 2.134 1.227 1.505

Experimental Numerical 0.2 0.3 0.4 (b)

0.5

CTODm [mm]

Figure 5 shows the mesh used for Merlin with triangular plain stress elements and interface elements for the crack. The material parameters identified from the bending tests (fct, 1, w1, wcr) are summarized in Table 4. The best-fitting numerical curves obtained with Merlin are compared with the experimental ones in Figure 3. 2 VALIDATION OF THE FE MODEL

Figure 3. Experimental and numerical results obtained from beam tests on beams with fibers FF1.

Figure 4. Bilinear law for the approximation of the postcracking behavior of SFRC.

cylinders while the Poisson ratio ( ) was assumed equal to 0.15. The softening law was approximated as bilinear where the first steeper branch can be associated with (unconnected) micro-cracking ahead of the stress-free crack while the second branch represents the aggregate interlocking or the fiber bridging (Fig. 4). The numerical analyses were initially performed by assuming both a discrete crack approach with Merlin (1994) and a smeared crack approach with Abaqus (release 6.4.1; 2003); the latter was also used for the numerical simulations of the tunnel segments.

Experimental studies on the tunnel segments for the Barcelona Metro were carried out by Gettu and co-workers (2004) at the Universitat Politcnica de Catalunya. The studies aimed to study the possibility of using only fiber reinforcement in the tunnel segments (without any conventional reinforcement). The experimental program included the material characterization and structural scale tests under critical loading conditions: flexure, concentrated in-plane loads and possible stress concentrations in the joints between segments of the same ring. The experimental results were used to validate the FE model used in the present research work. In particular, the simulation of the bending tests performed under three point loading is presented herein. These tests aimed to simulate the inadequate filling of the space between the lining and the excavated surface (Gettu et al., 2004; Fig. 6). Figure 7 shows the configuration of a bending test. Figure 8a shows a comparison between the experimental and the numerical load-deflection curve for specimens reinforced with both conventional and fiber reinforcement as well as for specimens with steel fibers only. The good agreement between the numerical and the experimental results should be noticed. A further comparison, shown in Figure 8b,

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concerns the crack opening displacement measured in the mid-section (Fig. 7); once again, the numerical curves fit the experimental ones quite well. 4 DESIGN ASPECTS

Figure 6. Motivation for the flexure tests performed at UPC (Gettu et al., 2004).

Figure 7. Configuration of the flexure test (Gettu et al., 2004).

An open question for the construction companies and the precast industry concerns the reinforcement for these precast elements. In fact, a heavy conventional reinforcement is undesired in the construction process due to the placement of many curved rebars and for pouring the fresh concrete. Figure 9 shows the conventional reinforcement adopted for the segments of the Barcelona Metro that, as already mentioned, also included 30 kg/m3 of steel fibers (FF1). In order to verify the structural behavior of the tunnel segments towards an optimization of the reinforcement, several NLFM analyses were performed in the present research work. Based on the material properties described in 2, the damaged plasticity model provided in ABAQUS 6.4.1 (2003) was adopted for the FE simulations of the tunnel segments. The numerical analyses were carried out by adopting a 3D solid model with 4032 first order hexahedral elements (C3D8-eight node linear brick elements). The constitutive law for concrete under compression was assumed according to EC2 (2003). The actions on the tunnel segments result from transportation, placing process and soil pressures in the final state. The numerical results concerning the high compression force exerted by the 30 TBM actuators on the ring during excavation are presented herein. The service load applied by a single actuator for the Barcelona Metro was 3 MN. One single segment with four actuators was considered for the numerical analyses and its boundary conditions (i.e. presence of the adjacent segments) were simulated by elastic springs whose stiffness was calibrated with previous FE analyses of the full ring.

Figure 8. Comparison between the numerical curves and the experimental load displacement (a) and load-crack opening (b) curves obtained by Gettu et al., (2004) for two different materials.

Figure 9. Caption of a typical figure. Photographs will be scanned by the printer. Always supply original photographs.

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Structural behavior of segments with different types of reinforcement was compared. Numerical results from segments with conventional reinforcement only (RC), with rebars and 35 kg/m3 of fibers (RC35FF1, similar to the reinforcement adopted in Barcelona), or with 45 kg/m3 of fiber reinforcement only (45FF1), are presented. To better evaluate the reinforcement effects, a reference specimen of plain concrete was also considered. Figure 11 shows the numerical results in terms of load (from four actuators) versus the longitudinal displacement of the middle section (average value under the four loading areas). One can notice the brittle failure of the plain concrete specimen and the minor contribution of fibers to the bearing capacity of the segment with conventional reinforcement. Specimens with fibers only have the same ultimate load but it is reached with larger displacements and, therefore, larger crack openings. To better understand the structural behavior of segments with fiber-reinforcement only, Figure 12 shows the load-displacement curve of the specimen with 45 kg/m3 of fibers FF1, without conventional reinforcement. It can be noticed that a splitting crack starts to open at the service load and that, because of the stress-redistribution along the longitudinal direction

of the segment, this crack can propagate in a stable way up to the ultimate load which is almost twice the service load. The distribution of radial stress r (see Fig. 13) along the longitudinal section at the service load is represented in Figure 14; one can notice the tensile stresses under the actuator (on the left side) up to a distance from the segment surface of about 400 mm.

Figure 12. Caption of a typical figure. Photographs will be scanned by the printer. Always supply original photographs.

Figure 10. Scheme of a segment with the load from four actuator and the springs representing the neighbor segments.

Figure 13. strains.

Reference system adopted for stresses and

Tunnel Segments: Non Linear Analyses, Comparison 30000 25000 Load [kN] 20000
Stress R [MPa] 3 Service Load 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 Distance [mm] 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 Radial Stress, Fiber FF1-45

15000 10000 5000 0 0 1 2 3

45FF1 RC

Plain

RC35FF1 RCO35FF1

Displacement [mm]

Figure 11. Comparison between the load-displacement curves as obtained from specimens with different types of reinforcement.

Figure 14. Distribution of radial strains r along the longitudinal section of the element under service loads.

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Table 5. Reinforcement and maximum load obtained form the segments. Reinforcement [kg/m3] Rebars Plain 45FF1 RC35FF1 RC RCO35FF1 97 97 31 Fibers 45 35 35 Total 45 132 97 66 Max. Load [kN] 21024 24016 24234 24232 24943

Figure 15. loads.

Distribution of radial strains

under service

Radial Stress, Fiber FF1-45 2,5 2 Stress R [MPa] 1,5 1 0,5 0 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Force of the hydraulic jack [kN] Point 1 Point 2 Point 3

Figure 16. Distribution of the radial stresses ( r) at three different distances under the loading area of the actuator.

elements are removed to better show the strains inside the element). The load increase in the SFRC elements is possible because of the stress distribution along the longitudinal section of the segment. This is clearly evidenced in Figure 16 that reports the radial stresses vs. the load at three different distances under the loading area (100, 200 and 300 mm; Fig. 13). The previous numerical results showed that the use of fiber reinforcement with only 3 MN actuators may provoke larger crack openings and that tensile stresses are mainly concentrated in the first 3040 cm under the actuators. In order to optimize the reinforcement of the tunnel segment, the rebars could be limited to the chords along the two longer sides (that are loaded by the actuators), as shown in Figure 17. The corresponding numerical results are shown in Figure 11 (RCO35FF1); note that the load displacement curve is very similar to the one related to the full conventional reinforcement with steel fibers. These results evidence that, although the considered loading condition is very severe, a lot of conventional reinforcement adopted in Barcelona may be substituted by steel fibers. Table 5 reports the different amounts of steel reinforcement (fibers and rebars) considered for the tunnel segments and the corresponding ultimate load. It can be noticed that the proposed optimized reinforcement guaranties the same ultimate load and allows a savings of half of the reinforcement adopted in Barcelona. 5 CONCLUDING REMARKS

Figure 17. Optimized rebars proposed for the tunnel segment (the reinforcement in the middle of the specimen is provided by 35 kg/m3 of fibers FF1.

Figure 15 shows the 3D distribution of the radial strains (in plane x-r of Figure 13) in the element under service load (3 MN in 4 actuators), and evidences the strain concentration under the actuators (some

The present paper shows results of a numerical study of precast tunnel segments for the new Line 9 of the Barcelona Metro. Numerical analyses were performed under the assumptions of NLFM. The numerical model allows a good approximation of the experimental results from full-scale tests obtained at the Universitat Politcnica de Catalunya. The total reinforcement adopted in Barcelona may be reduced by using an optimized combination of conventional and fiber reinforcement.

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REFERENCES
ABAQUS v. 6.4.1. 2003. Theory manual. Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Pawtucket, Rhode Island (USA). di Prisco, R., Felicetti, R. & Plizzari, G.A. 2004. Proceedings of the 6th RILEM Symposium on Fibre Reinforced Concretes (FRC), Varenna (Italy), September 2022, RILEM PRO 39, Bagneaux (France), 1514 p. Gettu, R., Barragn, B., Garca, T., Ramos, G., Fernndez, C. & Oliver, R. 2004. Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete for the Barcelona Metro Line 9 Tunnel Lining. In BEFIB 2004, Proceedings of the 6th RILEM Symposium on FRC, Varenna (Italy), Sept. 2022, RILEM PRO 39, 141156. Hillerborg, A., Modeer, M. & Petersson, P. E. 1976. Analysis of crack formation and crack growth in concrete by means of fracture mechanics and finite elements. Cement and Concrete Research, 6, 773782. Naaman, A.E. & Reinhardt, H.W. 2003. High performance fiber reinforced cement compositesHPFRCC4. RILEM PRO 30, Bagneaux (France), 546 p. Reich, R., Cervenka, J. & Saouma, V 1994. MERLIN, a .E. three-dimensional finite element program based on a mixed-iterative solution strategy for problems in elasticity, plasticity, and linear and nonlinear fracture mechanics. E-PRI, Palo Alto, http://civil.colorado.edu/ saouma/ Merlin.

RILEM TC 162 TDF. 2002. Test and Design Methods for Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete. Design of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete using the -w method: Principles and Applications. Materials and Structures, 35, 262278. UNI EN 1992-1-1. 2003. Eurocode 2 Design of concrete structures Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings. UNI 11039. 2003. Steel fibre reinforced concrete Part I: Definitions, classification specification and conformity Part II: Test method for measuring first crack strength and ductility indexes. Italian Board for Standardization (UNI). Roelfstra, P.E. & Wittmann, F.H. 1986. Numerical method to link strain softening with failure of concrete. In Fracture Toughness and Fracture Energy of Concrete, Wittmann F.H. Ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 163175.

ACNKNOWELEDGEMENTS The research project was financed by Officine Maccaferri S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy) whose support is gratefully acknowledged. A special thanks goes to Prof. Paolo Riva for his useful suggestions for the numerical model and to Engineer Giuseppe Tiberti for his assistance in carrying out the beam tests and the numerical analyses.

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