Long-term deformational simulation of PC bridges based on the thermo-hygro model of micro-pores in cementitious composites

Creep deflections that greatly exceed the predicted values by the linear creep law are being found in measurements on actual PC bridge viaducts. In this study, structural creep deformations were reproduced by using the multi-scale coupled thermo-hygro and mechanical modeling which enables to deal with an interaction of chemo-physical events of differing dimensions ranging from the kinematics of moisture in micro-pores to the macroscopic structural mechanics, and the effect of various factors was analytically investigated. The numerical analysis approximately reproduced the excessive deflection measured on an actual bridge viaduct. It was confirmed that the creep bending of the viaduct having the hollow cross-section varies significantly due to the ambient temperature, humidity and the structural specific surface area. The macroscopic structural responses in association with the thermodynamic state of moisture in the micro-pores are also discussed.