Quantitative damage evaluation of prestressed concrete containments with steel fiber strengthening under internal pressure

Abstract

Current investigations cannot quantitatively predict the overall damage performance of prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCVs) under internal pressure and the effect of steel fiber strengthening on the damage performance improvement has not been investigated. A new parameter definition is proposed to characterize the entire damage performance of conventional and steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) PCCVs under internal pressure in this study. The prestress loss is precisely calculated considering 40 years of the service period of PCCV. To review the possibility of operating lifetime extension of PCCV, the subsequent 60 years are also considered. Firstly, elaborate three-dimensional numerical models of conventional and SFRC containments were established. Then, three parameters to represent the extent corresponding to concrete, steel liner, and prestressed tendons of containment under damage were proposed. Finally, damage performance of conventional and SFRC containments considering the impact of prestress loss was discussed in depth. The results show that by introducing the SFRC and considering the five-year prestress loss, the pressure capacities for containment concrete, steel liner, and prestressed tendons are increased by 22.16%, 18.99%, and 12.35%, respectively. What's more, the proposed parameters can reflect the changing trend of the damage extent of containments under internal pressure and inclusion of steel fibers can improve damage performance significantly. To examine the realistic damage performance under internal pressure, the five-year prestress loss requires to be specifically considered.