MABY4500 Sustainable Concrete Structures Course description

This course deals with sustainability and service life of concrete structures. Concrete bridges, quays, dams and foundations etc. are important infrastructures for the society, and often exposed to severe environmental loadings. Concrete is the most used construction material in the world and the production of cement accounts for about 8% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Possible measures to reduce the carbon footprint are by use of concrete types with supplementary cementitious materials. In order to reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions from concrete structures, climate adapted service life design together with service life extension measures (i.e. structural health monitoring, repair and upgrading) are decisive.

The course provides studies in topics such as:  

• Low-carbon concrete and greenhouse gas emissions
• Transport and degradation mechanisms of reinforced concrete
• Service life prediction and service life design of concrete structures
• Inspection and non-destructive testing
• Condition assessments and residual service life of existing concrete structures

Design of Concrete Structures.

MABY4400 Structural analysis and design

MABY4700 Life Cycle Assessment for Built Environment

MABY4800 Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Structures

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

The student;

• ·has advanced knowledge of low-carbon concrete types and their application in concrete structures.
• has advanced knowledge of relevant degradation mechanisms for steel and concrete.
• has advanced knowledge in modelling of chloride induced corrosion and service life.
• has knowledge of inspection strategies and test methods for conditions assessment of concrete structures.
• has in-depth knowledge of the structural consequences of reinforcement corrosion on the load-bearing capacity of concrete structures.
• has knowledge of various repair and strengthening measures for existing concrete structures.

Skills:

The student is capable of;

• designing concrete structures that fulfil the Eurocode 2 requirements for durability and service life.
• performing service life predictions for concrete structures in marine environments.
• performing calculations of greenhouse gas emissions for concrete structures.
• proposing measures to extend the service life of concrete structure. 
• performing capacity assessments of a damaged concrete structure or component.

General competence:

The student is capable of;

• understanding and analyzing scientific publications on topics related to sustainability and durability of concrete structures.
• applying theories in practice based on scientifically justified choices of relevant sustainable solutions.
• presenting academic results and evaluations in a scholarly manner

The teaching consists of lectures and exercises. The students will also be given a major project assignment, in groups of 2 students. The project assignment shall be presented in the form of a scholarly report. 

1) Four individual assignments, three of which must be approved before the student can take the exam.

2) Oral presentation of the project assignment.

Project report, prepared in groups of 2 students, approx. 50 pages (excl. appendices).

The exam may be appealed.

All aids permitted.

Graded scale: A-F. 

One internal examiner.

External examiners are used regularly.