Workshop - 'Concrete properties and structural behaviour since early ages'
Currently existing regulations for structural concrete (at a worldwide level) are revealing incapable of coping with the increasing demands of society in terms of serviceability behaviour and assurance of feasible maintenance-free periods. One of the main reasons for these limitations of existing codes is related to the simplicity of their design approaches that mostly disregard complexities associated to modern concrete compositions (e.g. with supplementary and/or recycled materials) and the multi-physics phenomena that influence behaviour since early ages. This situation has been directly acknowledged by Jost Walraven (former fib president and convenor of special activity group on MC2010), who recently stated that the next generation of regulations needs to come up with strategies that no longer rely solely on compressive strength for classification, but should simultaneously account for an actual set of properties and performance in the expected service environments (J. Walraven, 2013). In agreement with the above reasoning the Structural Composites research group at ISISE/ UM has been working on advanced testing and modelling of concrete behaviour since early ages, with intricate collaborations with IFSTTAR (Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux), ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles) and FEUP (Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto). This workshop aims to disclose some of the most recent findings that result from the individual and collaborative works of these four institutions, in coincidence with the closure of two funding programs:
FCT – Pessoa Transnational Collaboration Project 441 (Hubert Curien Program) entitled: “Testing methods for E-modulus of concrete and mortar since very early ages: a round robin test series”
FCT National research Project – SeLCo - PTDC/ECM/099250/2008 entitled “Service life behaviour of concrete structures: a multiphysics approach to self-induced stresses”
