Abstract
The application of reinforced concrete for permanent and temporary deep ocean structures has recently become more prevalent; however, the static and dynamic effects of high water pressure on concrete remain unexplored. This paper investigates the influence of high water pressure (60 MPa) on four series of concrete cylinders with and without an embedded steel bar under sustained and cyclic loading conditions. The residual compressive strength, bond strength, and associated evolution of surface and internal damage are evaluated after exposing concrete cylinders to a water pressure of 60 MPa. The first series is exposed to sustained water pressure for 7 and 60 days, while the other series is tested under repeated water pressure for 10, 20, 30, 60, and 150 cycles. The results reveal that residual compressive strength falls immediately by 16% within 7 days of sustained high water pressure, but the strength then remains stable up to 60 days. Under repeated high water pressure, residual compressive strength gradually reduces by up to 40% until 60 cycles, after which it remains reasonably stable until 150 cycles as crack propagation is arrested at a certain depth within the concrete cylinders. The bond strength between the steel bar and matrix is observed to decrease considerably under repeated cycles of 60 MPa water pressure up to 26%. The damage gradually propagates at the matrix/steel bar interface under the repeated water pressure, resulting in a reduction in residual pullout capacity.
Highlights
There has recently been growing interest in the utilization of concrete structures at great depths for the purpose of deep ocean exploration [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
The static and fatigue behavior of concrete are well understood in shallow seas [16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23], the effect of the high water pressures experienced in deep seas has still not yet been considered in practice [24,25,26]
The residual compressive strength, bond strength, associated damage mechanism, degree of damage, and damage evolution were evaluated after exposure to high water pressure
Summary
There has recently been growing interest in the utilization of concrete structures at great depths for the purpose of deep ocean exploration [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. The response of concrete to sustained and repeated high water pressure, including its effect on uniaxial compression strength and the bond strength with steel bars, needs to be investigated together with its damage evolution. Concrete is considered the most suitable construction material for such structures given its characteristic as a composite heterogeneous material of higher compressive strength, resistance to weathering, and good resistance to chemical attack; further, it is a generally low-maintenance material produced cheaply and with available raw materials [9,10,11,12,13] It has a heterogeneous structure, so when exposed to high water pressure in sustained and/or repeated conditions, an understanding of its monotonic and cyclic responses is crucial. The residual compressive strength, bond strength, associated damage mechanism, degree of damage, and damage evolution were evaluated after exposure to high water pressure
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