A Novel Method for the Estimation of the Elastic Modulus of Ultra-High Performance Concrete using Vibration Data

Abstract

The elastic modulus of concrete is one of the most important parameters in the analysis and design of concrete structures. However, determining the elastic modulus in civil structures using core-drilled samples is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Additionally, the elastic modulus of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) varies significantly depending on its composition. This paper proposes an improved, non-destructive application to identify the elastic modulus of UHPC materials in in-service structures. The elastic modulus is estimated through calibration between a numerical model and experimental UHPC plate vibration test results, using frequency and mode shapes. This calibration involves solving an inverse problem using optimization techniques such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Cuckoo Search, and the YUKI algorithm. Updating the plate characteristics is made possible by the development of numerous iterations, where each iteration updates the elastic modulus, thickness, and width values in the term to find the best solution. The highest accuracies compared to experimental data natural frequency values were found in models updated by GA, PSO, YUKI, and Cuckoo algorithms, with errors of 10.77%, 6.58%, 6.87%, and 6.87%, respectively. An experimental sample was tested to determine the elastic modulus of the UHPC, and the proposed application showed a 0.55% error compared to the experimental value. Thus, the estimated elastic modulus value is highly accurate.