- Roma Tre University
Department of Architecture
L.go G.B. Marzi, 10
00153 - Rome
Italy
Silvia Santini
Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy, Architecture, Faculty Member
- Silvia Santini is Associate Professor of Structural Engineering at the Roma Tre University, where is Scientific Direc... moreSilvia Santini is Associate Professor of Structural Engineering at the Roma Tre University, where is Scientific Director of PRiSMa Laboratory (Proof testing in Structures and Materials) and member of PhD Scientific Board in Architecture: Innovation and Cultural Heritage. She was Research Fellow at Berkeley UC. She is active in the MAECI project, Fortalecimeniento de la Secretaria de Cultura de la Presidencia de El Salvador a travès de la valorizacion del patrimonio cultural. She has collaborations with Superintendence of Cultural Heritage in Rome and DTC - Lazio Center of Excellence. Her research expertise is on innovative and sustainable technologies for diagnosis and monitoring of heritage structures and infrastructures.edit
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ABSTRACT The scope of this paper is to present a possible methodology for the calibration of partial safety factors for the design of strengthening measures of reinforced-concrete (RC) members using fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). The... more
ABSTRACT The scope of this paper is to present a possible methodology for the calibration of partial safety factors for the design of strengthening measures of reinforced-concrete (RC) members using fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). The methodology is general and can be used for any type of strengthening measure, e.g., in flexure, shear, ductility, or for the design of anchorage zones. The approach considers the problem of strengthening an RC member from a current unsafe situation, where all involved quantities are known from assessment, though only in probabilistic terms, to a target safe one, of which only the desired reliability is known. All relevant random variables are attributed a predefined probability distribution, based on a statistical survey separately conducted on geometrical and mechanical characteristics of old-style components. A first-order reliability method based optimization procedure is used to seek the solution of such a problem so that the target reliability is attained with the optimal FRP quantity, the appropriate collapse mechanism of the strengthened member, and the FRP design strength, with the associated partial safety factor. From Monte Carlo design simulations, the partial safety factor is probabilistically characterized, thus allowing one to select an appropriate fractile value for it.
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This study deals with the assessment of the shear strength characteristic value (V rck ) limited by the concrete strut crushing for existing reinforced concrete (RC) beams on the base of the available material data. A procedure to... more
This study deals with the assessment of the shear strength characteristic value (V rck ) limited by the concrete strut crushing for existing reinforced concrete (RC) beams on the base of the available material data. A procedure to determine V rck is presented and applied to two existing RC beams extracted from an old structure built in the early 1900s. This procedure requires: (i) an analytical or numerical model for the beam shear strength, (ii) mean and standard deviation values for each uncertain basic variable and (iii) a proper formulation for the tolerance factor depending on amount of data, assumed fractile and given confidence level. The shear strength model adopted in this study is the one proposed by the Italian Code NTC 2008 for beams with transversal steel reinforcement. Several non-destructive tests (namely, rebound and sonic tests) and destructive tests on concrete were performed, and the experimental outcomes showed a great variability of the compressive strength along the same beam, as usual for many old concretes. For that reason, V rck values for each beam were calculated assuming different knowledge levels about the concrete compressive strength. Each level of knowledge is defined taking into account a different combination of available data about the compressive strength carried out from destructive tests. A comparison among the V rck values obtained for each knowledge level is shown to draw useful considerations about the beam shear strength assessment based on materials test data.
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... Experimental research both on seismic assessment of existing elements as well as on the efficiency of different retrofitting techniques is essential. ... Current tests include the evaluation of existing piers and the assessment of the... more
... Experimental research both on seismic assessment of existing elements as well as on the efficiency of different retrofitting techniques is essential. ... Current tests include the evaluation of existing piers and the assessment of the efficiency of repairing and retrofitting techniques. ...
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One of the biggest issues in civil engineering is the poor performance of concrete repairs. In fact, in Europe only 50% of concrete structures restorations are estimated to be successful, even though rehabilitation costs account for about... more
One of the biggest issues in civil engineering is the poor performance of concrete repairs. In fact, in Europe only 50% of concrete structures restorations are estimated to be successful, even though rehabilitation costs account for about half of the yearly construction budgets. This research aims at investigating a potential green approach to the sustainability of rehabilitation solutions for infrastructures. Following a simplified analysis of C02 emissions, intervention costs, social aspects, structural performances and other variables considered relevant to the scope, possible rehabilitation techniques are compared and ranked. The following four different options have therefore been designed to be applied to an actual column of the Brabau Bridge in Sardinia (Italy): i. complete removal and replacement of the column, ii. replacement of the damaged longitudinal rebars by machined bars and ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) strengthening, iii. longitudinal and...
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This paper presents a finite element analysis on two reinforced concrete beams, extracted from an important building of the '30s in Rome, strengthened in shear with C-FRP and subjected to the simultaneous occurrence of a negative... more
This paper presents a finite element analysis on two reinforced concrete beams, extracted from an important building of the '30s in Rome, strengthened in shear with C-FRP and subjected to the simultaneous occurrence of a negative bending moment and shear stresses. The commercial program ATENA was used to perform numerical simulations of the tests. The numerical results seem to be in good agreement with the experimental data in terms of load–displacement response, strain state, crack pattern and failure mode.
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A rapid repair and retrofitting technique applied on reinforced concrete (rc) bridges damaged after a strong earthquake, can be a very effective solution to guarantee the use of the bridge for the emergency response in short time. This... more
A rapid repair and retrofitting technique applied on reinforced concrete (rc) bridges damaged after a strong earthquake, can be a very effective solution to guarantee the use of the bridge for the emergency response in short time. This repair intervention makes possible a proper plastic dissipation distribution on the rebars in plastic hinge only and increases the original insufficient shear strength minimizing the intervention time and cost. In this paper, the technique was applied on the most damaged pier of an irregular rc bridge designed according to Chinese codes (JTG D60-2004, JTG D62-2004 and JTG/T B02-012008) but with insufficient transversal steel reinforcement. The rc pier repair operations consist in: substitution of the original damaged rebar parts by shaped rebar; restoration of the damaged concrete parts by concrete with fibers in plastic hinge only. In particular, this research focuses on the use of fiber concrete to increase the insufficient original shear strength a...
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High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCC) is a class of materials studied extensively for applications in structural rehabilitation of existing structures and in design of new structures. These materials have high... more
High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCC) is a class of materials studied extensively for applications in structural rehabilitation of existing structures and in design of new structures. These materials have high mechanical strength, pseudo-strain-hardening behaviour and low porosity due to a highly dense microstructure of the cementitious matrix. Furthermore, they guarantee great durability by adding microfibres in the proper ratio, which limits the crack opening. This paper deals with the mechanical properties assessment of HPFRCC mixtures designed with locally available materials. Different HPFRCC mix designs were considered with a very compact cementitious matrix reinforced with two different types of microfibres: high-density polyethylene fibres and hooked stainless steel fibres considering 1% or 2% of the volume contents. The influence of the fibre contents on the compressive and tensile strengths, the strain-hardening performance and the fracture ene...
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This paper presents a numerical study to evaluate the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) columns with circular section repaired and retrofitted by high-performance fiber-reinforced cement composites (HPFRCC) jackets and external carbon... more
This paper presents a numerical study to evaluate the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) columns with circular section repaired and retrofitted by high-performance fiber-reinforced cement composites (HPFRCC) jackets and external carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) wrapping. The column damage is due to degradation of concrete and steel rebars for effect of the corrosion. Different HPFRCC mix designs were considered to repair the column assuming different fiber types (polyethylene, stainless steel) and volume contents (1% or 2%). These HPFRCC concretes were developed and tested experimentally at the lab of the University of Roma Tre (Salvador Filho et al. in Mechanical properties of HPFRCC reinforced with different types and volumes of fibres [1]). The numerical analyses were conducted by means of fiber models using the software OpenSees (OpenSees structural software [computer software]. Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, [2]) applying a vertical load and a displacement history (section rotation). The analyzed sections represent the undamaged section, the section damaged for effect of rebar corrosion, and the repaired and retrofitted sections. The first numerical results about the section strength capacities for each type of repair material are discussed.
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A rapid repair and retrofitting technique for reinforced concrete (rc) Chinese existing bridges damaged by a strong earthquake, is proposed and tested. These bridges were designed according to Chinese codes [1] [2] [3] but with... more
A rapid repair and retrofitting technique for reinforced concrete (rc) Chinese existing bridges damaged by a strong earthquake, is proposed and tested. These bridges were designed according to Chinese codes [1] [2] [3] but with insufficient transversal steel reinforcement. The damaged rebar and concrete parts were replaced by new bar systems and concrete cast respectively. Finally, a C-FRP wrapping was applied to increase the insufficient shear strength and to guarantee the necessary ductility in plastic hinge. This repair technique is an upgrade of the one tested with very good results during a previous experimental research [4] on bridge designed according to old Italian code [5] without proper seismic details. A new bar system assures that plastic dissipation is distributed in plastic hinge only. Some pier specimens (in scale 1:6) were built with and without the new bar systems. These specimens were tested by cyclic tests at Fuzhou University lab (China) to evaluate the effective...
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Research Interests: Engineering, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Earthquake Engineering, Composite Materials and Structures, and 15 moreStructural Dynamics, Composite Materials, Structural Earthquake Engineering, Repair and Maintenance, Structural Design, Reinforced Concrete Structures, CFRP, Behavior of Concrete Structures Reinforced with FRP Composites, Retrofitting and Strengthening of Structures, Design for Maintenance and Repair, HIGHWAY ROADS AND BRIDGES, Laboratory Tests, Bridge Retrofitting Methods, Pier, and Rebar
Research Interests: Engineering and Geology
This paper presents the experimental behaviour of two reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened in shear with C-FRP. The beams are extracted from an important building of the '30s in Rome. The goal of this research is to evaluate... more
This paper presents the experimental behaviour of two reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened in shear with C-FRP. The beams are extracted from an important building of the '30s in Rome. The goal of this research is to evaluate the shear strength of the retrofitted beams with the simultaneous occurrence of a negative bending moment. The tests are performed at the Experimental Laboratory of the Structural Department of the University “Roma Tre”.
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A comprehensive study was carried out to integrate information from different sources and evaluate the effects of induced vibrations on a temple. Historical analysis was fundamental to interpreting the evolution of the construction and... more
A comprehensive study was carried out to integrate information from different sources and evaluate the effects of induced vibrations on a temple. Historical analysis was fundamental to interpreting the evolution of the construction and defining the HBIM. Experimental data were implemented in the FEM of the site, including the temple, its foundations, and the soil stratifications. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify the most influential parameters, which were calibrated to reduce error with the experimental frequencies. The FEM was further optimized with the Douglas–Reid method, considering, simultaneously, modal frequencies and deformations. Two different nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed; one analysis studied the effect on the temple of the dynamically moving load of the tram, and the other analysis studied the response of the temple to three-dimensional accelerations applied at the base. The drawbacks of each simulation were identified by comparing the numeric...
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Historical timber roofs play a significant role in architectural heritage, as listed in the World Heritage List protected by UNESCO. Despite their complexity, they are frequently lacking in maintenance, with the consequence that only a... more
Historical timber roofs play a significant role in architectural heritage, as listed in the World Heritage List protected by UNESCO. Despite their complexity, they are frequently lacking in maintenance, with the consequence that only a few original examples have been preserved until today, contradicting the principle of minimum intervention. In the paper, a decision-making approach has been proposed for the best and most sustainable solution, in which tradition and innovation meet to achieve the maximum quality with minimum intervention. With an emphasis on sustainability (environmental, economic, technological, historic, and social), analyses have been carried out in order to compare various intervention alternatives, modeled in a Heritage-Building Information Modeling (HBIM) environment, assessed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and implemented with the multi-criteria Modelo Integrado de cuantificacion de Valor para Edificacion Sostenibles (MIVES) methodology. The cas...
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Research Interests: Engineering, Finite Element Analysis (Engineering), Structural Health Monitoring, Seismic Retrofitting of Historical Masonry Buildings, Masonry Buildings, and 15 moreModel Updating, Seismic Engineering, Historical Building Constructions, Restoration of Historical Buildings, Finite element model updating, Seismic analysis and design, Masonry Structures Historic, Operational modal analysis, Structural Identification and Finite Element Model Updating, Buildings Monitoring, Output Only Modal Analysis in Shm, Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions, Midas FEA, Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Constructions, and Ambient vibration test
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Climate change (CC) is predominantly connected to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the construction sector. It is clear how it is necessary to rethink construction materials in order to reduce GHG emissions. Among the various... more
Climate change (CC) is predominantly connected to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the construction sector. It is clear how it is necessary to rethink construction materials in order to reduce GHG emissions. Among the various strategies proposed, recent research has investigated the potential of smart materials. This study in particular aims to develop an innovative building component that combines high energy performance with reduced thickness and weight. For this reason, the potential of Phase Change Materials (PCM) in cement-based mixes is investigated, comparing the performance of a traditional mix with two innovative mixes made with the addition of 3% and 7% PCM. This work characterizes the new material, analyzing its mechanical and thermal performance, highlighting how the mix strength decreases as the PCM ratio increases; however, both mixes may be considered suitable for masonry structures and may be classified as M5 and M15. Furthermore, from the analysis of the thermal ...
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The growing use of highly specialized tools has led to a better knowledge of the mechanical properties of the structures, reducing the destructive tests. The paper is aimed to identify an investigation method capable of directing staff in... more
The growing use of highly specialized tools has led to a better knowledge of the mechanical properties of the structures, reducing the destructive tests. The paper is aimed to identify an investigation method capable of directing staff in the planning of non-destructive test. The experimental campaigns must be planned in order to optimize the number and the type of tests to limit invasiveness and impact. The proposed method has been organized in a logical scheme that permits, in five steps, to predict with a good approximation the critical sections for an optimal setup of testing instruments. This method has been applied to the Octagonal Hall in Diocletian’s Bath, to establish a better location for the dynamic endoscopy and tomographic tests. A geometrical model was built using the plans, elevations, sections provided by the National Roman Museum and the point cloud made through a drone. With HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling) it was possible to synthesize the information...