Effect of construction method on shear lag in prestressed concrete box girders
Most of the previous researches conducted on shear lag of box girders were only concerned about simple types of structures, such as simply supported and cantilever beams. The structural systems concerned in these previous researches were considered as determined and unchangeable. In this paper, a finite element method considering shear lag and creep of concrete was presented to analyze the effect of dynamic construction process on shear lag in different types of concrete box-girder bridges. The shear lag effect of the three types of a two-span continuous concrete beam classified by construction methods was analyzed in detail according to construction process. Also, a three-span prestressed concrete box-girder bridge was analyzed according to the actual construction process. The shear lag coefficients and stresses on cross sections along the beam including shear lag were obtained. The different construction methods, the changes of structural system with the construction process, the changes of loading and boundary conditions with the construction process and time, the prestressing, and creep were all imitated in the calculations. From comparisons between the results for beams using different construction methods, useful conclusions were made.
A finite element model to simulate long-term behavior of prestressed concrete girders
The development of a finite element model for time-dependent analysis of bonded prestressed concrete girders at service conditions is presented. The effects of creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation of steel tendons are taken into account. The concrete creep is modeled based on the Dirichlet series creep compliance with efficiency in simulating the stress history. In addition, the interaction between different time-dependent effects is fully considered in the numerical procedure. The numerical method is formulated based on the layered Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. In the constructed incremental equilibrium equations, the equivalent nodal load increments consist of four components contributed by external loads, concrete creep, concrete shrinkage and tendon relaxation, while the stiffness matrix is composed of the material and geometric stiffness matrices. Numerical examples show that the proposed model can well predict the long-term behavior of prestressed concrete beams, and that the time-dependent effects have important influence on the structural behavior.
Parboiled rice effluent: A wastewater niche for microalgae and cyanobacteria with growth coupled to comprehensive remediation and phosphorus biofertilization
Abstract The potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria for bioremediation of wastewater by nutrient uptake combined with simultaneous biomass production is a well recognized perception of today's world. The present study illustrates the treatment of a highly polluted wastewater generated during parboiling of paddy in rice mill industries, widely operational in developing countries where rice is the staple food crop, with the help of microalgal and cyanobacterial isolates capable of growing at high rates in parboiled rice mill effluent (RME). This endeavor leads to comprehensive bioremediation of the said effluent and subsequent use of the harvested biomass as slow release phosphorus biofertilizers and the treated effluent for crop irrigation. The RME-acclimatized algal consortium demonstrated highest growth in terms of fresh weight and greatest remediation efficiency at the end of 36 days' treatment of RME, with 93.9% phosphorus and 100% ammonia-nitrogen removal, 98.7%, 91.6% and 93.5% reduction in biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and total dissolved solid, respectively, and an increment of 186 ± 0.3 mg L − 1 dissolved oxygen, bringing down the pollutants level well below the discharge limits suggested by Central Pollution Control Board, India. Additionally, microalgae in the consortium aggregated in clumps spontaneously in presence of the filaments of Phormidium sp. facilitating easy harvest. The RME-acclimatized algal consortium demonstrated highest accumulation of polyphosphate (poly-P) (0.76 ± 0.01% of dry weight) as well as highest release of phosphorus in non-sterile soil emphasizing the essential role of soil phosphorus solubilizing organisms to leach soluble phosphorus from the insoluble poly-P present in the biomass. The rice seedlings watered with treated RME also showed improved growth effect on shoot height and leaf width. The study results establish the suitability of RME as an excellent growth media for microalgae and cyanobacteria.