ABSTRACT
Ultra-High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composite (UHPFRC) and Reinforced UHPFRC (R-UHPFRC) are mainly used to improve the performance of aging bridge structures against increasing traffic, aggressive environmental scenarios, and demanding operational conditions. The growing number of applications in this field requires a robust numerical modeling technique to quantify the load carrying capacity and ductility response of arbitrary-shaped cross-section reinforced with (R-)UHPFRC layers under axial load and bending moments. The application of a well-codified approach, based on (i) the discretization of a cross-section in iso-parametric subdomains, (ii) equilibrium and compatibility equations, and (iii) numerical integration to solve (ii), allows to easily evaluate the frontier of interaction domains and moment-curvature diagrams. In this way, different refurbishment solutions can be compared highlighting the advantages of each of them in terms of load-carrying capacity and durability. This approach can aid practicing engineers, breaking down the last barrier to the widespread use of this promising material.
