InCreeGuIng | Untying the knot of creep and fatigue behaviour of UHPC for sustainable design of infrastructures enabling the carbon neutrality transition

Summary
Concrete, as the most widely used construction material, is responsible for about 7% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Addressing this environmental challenge within the construction sector necessitates urgent development and adoption of multi-beneficial materials characterized by low carbon emissions, superior durability, and excellent mechanical properties. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) emerges as such a material, offering a 26% reduction in carbon emissions and a 24% cost advantage according to comparative LCA and LCC analysis on benchmark structures. UHPC is the ideal candidate material for broad application, particularly in construction of new and retrofitting existing aging infrastructure subjected to cyclic and sustained actions, including bridges, tunnel linings, wind turbine towers, roads, and aircraft runways.

However, the lack of knowledge regarding UHPC's long-term performance, including creep and fatigue behaviour, hinders its widespread use in infrastructure projects. The objective of this project is to unlock this critical knowledge gap and develop structural design guidelines aimed at driving the construction sector's transition towards carbon neutrality through the use of high-performance materials that enable us to build better, for longer and employing lower material volumes, which all imply reduced consumption of raw resources and reduced environmental impacts in the short and long term. Employing multiscale experimental tests, multi-physics and mesoscale numerical methods, the project aims to comprehensively characterize and predict UHPC's response to creep and fatigue, and the creep-fatigue coupled effect (cyclic creep).

InCreeGuIng's breakthrough will fill the current knowledge gaps in understanding UHPC's long-term performance. This initiative will enhance Europe's competitiveness in constructing eco-friendly, resilient, and durable infrastructure by providing practical design tools to expedite their widespread adoption.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101149607
Start date: 16-02-2025
End date: 15-02-2027
Total budget - Public funding: - 172 750,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

Concrete, as the most widely used construction material, is responsible for about 7% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Addressing this environmental challenge within the construction sector necessitates urgent development and adoption of multi-beneficial materials characterized by low carbon emissions, superior durability, and excellent mechanical properties. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) emerges as such a material, offering a 26% reduction in carbon emissions and a 24% cost advantage according to comparative LCA and LCC analysis on benchmark structures. UHPC is the ideal candidate material for broad application, particularly in construction of new and retrofitting existing aging infrastructure subjected to cyclic and sustained actions, including bridges, tunnel linings, wind turbine towers, roads, and aircraft runways.

However, the lack of knowledge regarding UHPC's long-term performance, including creep and fatigue behaviour, hinders its widespread use in infrastructure projects. The objective of this project is to unlock this critical knowledge gap and develop structural design guidelines aimed at driving the construction sector's transition towards carbon neutrality through the use of high-performance materials that enable us to build better, for longer and employing lower material volumes, which all imply reduced consumption of raw resources and reduced environmental impacts in the short and long term. Employing multiscale experimental tests, multi-physics and mesoscale numerical methods, the project aims to comprehensively characterize and predict UHPC's response to creep and fatigue, and the creep-fatigue coupled effect (cyclic creep).

InCreeGuIng's breakthrough will fill the current knowledge gaps in understanding UHPC's long-term performance. This initiative will enhance Europe's competitiveness in constructing eco-friendly, resilient, and durable infrastructure by providing practical design tools to expedite their widespread adoption.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01-01

Update Date

24-11-2024
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Horizon Europe
HORIZON.1 Excellent Science
HORIZON.1.2 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
HORIZON.1.2.0 Cross-cutting call topics
HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01-01 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023