Development of a self-rising floodwall system using ultra high-performance fibre reinforced concrete

Flooding due to heavy rainfall events causes massive damage to public infrastructure and private properties, necessitating effective flood protection systems. This study develops a novel self-rising floodwall system (SRFS) which consisted of a hollow thin wall made using Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) filled with expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. The wall is designed to operate without the need for external mechanical power sources or sensors. The full-scale prototype of the SRFS was cast and tested in a large acrylic water tank specifically designed for this purpose, followed by an evaluation of its resistance to lateral quasi-static loads to investigate water hydrostatic pressure performance. Additionally, 3D nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed to simulate the structural response of the floodwall under lateral hydrostatic pressure. The test results showed that the developed UHPFRC self-rising floodwall configuration exhibits the desired buoyancy characteristics, effectively floating under the upward pressure of rising water. Moreover, the wall showed excellent resistance to hydrostatic pressure. The FE analysis results agreed well with the experimental results, further confirming the floodwall's effectiveness. Furthermore, parametric studies using FE analysis were conducted to assess the influence of UHPFRC strength and wall thickness on performance of the SRFS and refining the structural design. Consequently, the increasing UHPFRC strength enhanced the wall's resistance to lateral loads. Additionally, increasing the wall thickness by 10 mm significantly improved its load-bearing capacity from 73 % to 143 %. Overall, this novel floodwall proposed in this study can provide a significant contribution to efficient floodwall protection systems.

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