SUPERIOR · Low-Carbon Concrete Structures Prestressed with Geogrids – Flexural Behaviour at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures

Currently, two main challenges in Civil Engineering are CO2 emissions and energy shortage, as buildings' construction, demolition, and reconstruction consume 10% of the world's total energy, resulting in high CO2 emissions. Reducing the use of steel rebars can significantly improve the sustainability of construction, as the production of steel rebars is highly energy-intensive, polluting, and costly; and mild steel rebars are heavily susceptible to corrosion limiting concrete structures' lifespan by about 40 to 80 years. Unlike steel rebars, geogrids are not vulnerable to corrosion, improve earthquake resistance by increasing concrete structures' ductility/energy absorption abilities and cyclic loading resistance, and have lower weight-to-strength ratios. So, these potentially increase the concrete structures' lifespan and strength-to-weight ratios; and lower the CO2 emissions, energy/resources usage, and cost, making geogrids a low-carbon alternative to steel rebars. This project aims to contribute to the development of low-carbon concrete structures prestressed with geogrids; which are expected to reduce the CO2 emissions at least by 79% per ton of steel rebars replaced and reduce the global CO2 emissions by approximately 4% if disseminated. To promote and expedite the impact and usage of this new innovative prestressing methodology in the construction market, the research project includes: (1) Detailed flexural behavior analysis, (2) Suggesting suitable mitigation methods against high-temperatures, (3) Developing finite element models, (4) Developing design method including strength reduction factors due to aging, and (5) Value engineering study. In addition, this new innovative prestressing methodology expects to minimize excessive plastic deformation, exploit mechanical properties, and increase performance (such as; loading capacity, ductility, and energy absorption) to cost ratios. So, it's a/an sustainable, eco-friendly, economical, and practical choice.