Our study focuses on the material properties of a 107-year-old reinforced concrete viaduct, called viaduct of Colo-Hugues, in Braine-l'Alleud (near Brussels, Belgium), designed by the well known Hennebique's office in 1904. Parameters investigated include determination of the concrete strength by means of Schmidt rebound hammer tests correlated with compression of core samples, Young modulus, carbonation depth with phenolphthalein semi-destructive and destructive testing and concrete permeability. This experimental research was performed to analyse the influence between the results of carbonation depth and the compressive strength for the first generation of reinforced concrete through a representative case study.
Reinforced concrete constructions of the first generation (pre-1914) form part of our heritage and therefore should be preserved for future generations. Few experimental studies have been conducted on Hennebique continuous structures to estimate the actual bearing capacity of this reinforced concrete system, which was the most popular in many European countries at the turn of the twentieth century. Important information is therefore often missing for accurate modelling of the behaviour of the structure, although structural assessment is crucial in the reuse of any construction. This paper presents results from three bending tests up to failure, carried out on beams from a narrow-gauge railway viaduct designed by Hennebique and built in Belgium in 1904. They provide better understanding of the mechanisms of failure and reveal the main strengths and weaknesses of the typical Hennebique T-beam. The overlapping length of the rebars at the supports is found to be the crucial aspect, even if a large capacity of ductility is observed. Failure occurred owing to slipping of the upper rebars above the support area. This means that attention should be given to detailing. Consequently, localised structural strengthening with additional reinforcements is probably required when seeking to enhance the lifetime of these old reinforced concrete structures.
The advent and early developments of reinforced concrete were related to national patenting. This paper proposes an in-depth study of the logic of reinforced concrete patents at the turn of the 20th century, based on the case of Belgium. Before the First World War, a considerable number of systems were patented by private inventors for commercial purposes. Patents on reinforced concrete constitute today a primary source of information, both for their technical content and for the assessment of the market penetration of the innovative material. The scientific reliability of these patents is variable and ranges from the rational to the unrealistic. Propagation of reinforced concrete occurred following international trends, such as Hennebique or Monier, or by local inventors, mainly building contractors. Reinforced concrete started to be considered as a structural material after the French engineering standard of 1906, adopted by Belgium. Moreover, examining these patents helps to understand the structural specificities of the early phase of reinforced concrete. Therefore, this study enhances the conservation process of such construction.
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