Victor E. Saouma

Professor, Civil Engineering Department

University of Colorado at Boulder

Retired, December 2023

AAR Web Page of V. Saouma

I have been working on AAR non-stop since 2002. Below are some of the salient information regarding this activity.

Forthcoming Short Course

Management of Alkali Aggregate Affected Structures; Analysis, Performance & Prediction October 27–29, 3 hours/session; Starting at 09:00 MDT · 16:00 UTC · 17:00 CET

Course Description

This specialized short course—taught by three leading experts with extensive research and field experience—is designed for practitioners managing Alkali-Aggregate Reaction (AAR) in critical infrastructure.

The course addresses theoretical foundations, laboratory testing, petrography, and finite element modeling, with a focus on both static and seismic loading conditions. Participants will explore both deterministic and probabilistic approaches to modeling AAR, with an emphasis on the state of the art rather than the state of the practice. While grounded in cutting-edge research, the course is structured to deliver practical, actionable knowledge for real-world applications.

Please note: this course assumes that participants are already dealing with a structure confirmed to have AAR. It does not cover detection or diagnosis of AAR.

Real-world case studies will be presented to illustrate key concepts and methods.

More details and registration page later

Validation, Verification, and Visualization

Merlin Validation based on AAR RILEM (TC 259-ISR).

Verification and Validation of FEA Software for Dams and Nuclear Containment Buildings; A Personal Perspective.

Spatial and Temporal Visualization of AAR Evolution; Cooling Tower Example

Projects

NRC

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Alkali Silica Reaction in Nuclear Reactors; NRC-HQ-60-14-G-0010; Oct. 2014 – Dec. 2017

Submitted Reports

  1. Summary Report , (Saouma) 23 pages
  2. Design of an AAR Prone Concrete Mix for Large Scale Testing , (Saouma, Sparks, Graff) 93 pages
  3. AAR Expansion; Effect of Reinforcement, Specimen Type, and Temperature (Saouma, Howard, Graff, Hariri-Ardebili)
  4. Effect of AAR on Shear Strength of Panels (Saouma, Graff, Howard, Hariri-Ardebili), 88 pages
  5. Risk Based Assessment of the Effect of AAR on Shear Walls Strength , (Saouma, Hariri-Ardebili) 21 pages
  6. Probabilistic Based Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of Nuclear Containment Vessel Structures with AAR , (Saouma, Hariri-Ardebili), 216 pages

Reclamation

Long Term Assessment of Dams Suffering from Alkali Aggregate Reaction; Assistance Agreement R18AC00055 (Details of the project can be obtained by contacting the university Office of Contracts and Grants or ocgreports@colorado.edu)

Submitted Reports

  1. State of the Art Review , (Hariri, Saouma) 403 pages
  2. Road Map for the Structural Assessment of Concrete Dams Suffering from AAR , (Saouma, Hariri) 98 pages
  3. Dam Analysis report, (Mahdavi, Saouma) 251 pages

PhD Dissertation

Golsa Mahdavi, Probabilistic Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of AAR-Affected Dams A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering

ORNL

GEMTEC

Interpretation of Laboratory Tests on Mactaquac Cores, Report Submitted to NB Hydro through GEMTEC (Canada)

NRC/ORNL

Expanded Material Degradation Assessment (EMDA), Volume 4: Aging of Concrete (2013), Technical Report NUREG/CR7153, Vol. 4; ORNL/TM-2013/532

Peer Reviewed Publications

  1. Hariri-Ardebili, M., Saouma, V.E., Hayes, N.W. (2021). A hybrid FE-based predictive framework for ASR-affected structures coupled with accelerated experiments. Engineering Structures, 234.
  2. Saouma, V., Hariri-Ardebili, M., Graham-Brady, L. (2020). Stochastic Analysis of Concrete Dams with Alkali Aggregate Reaction. Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 132.
  3. Saouma, V., Hariri, M. (2020). Integrative Experimental and Numerical Study of ASR Affected Nuclear Concrete Containment.Materials and Structures, Vol. 53, No. 1.
  4. Saouma, V., Hariri-Ardebili, M. (2019). Seismic capacity and fragility analysis of an ASR-affected nuclear containment vessel structure. Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 346, pp. 140-156.
  5. Hariri-Ardebili, M., Saouma, V. (2018). Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of AAR affected reinforced concrete shear walls. Engineering Structures, Vol. 172, pp. 334-345.
  6. Liaudata, J., Carol, I., Lopez, C., Saouma, V. (2018). ASR Expansions in Concrete under Triaxial Confinement. Cement and Concrete Compositesa>, Feb., pp. 160-170.
  7. Saouma, V., Hariri-Ardebili, Merz, C. (2018). Risk-Informed Condition Assessment of a Bridge with Alkali Aggregate Reaction. ACI Structures Journal, Vol. 115, pp. 475-487.
  8. Saouma, V., Hariri-Ardebili, M., Le Pape, Y., Balaji, R. (2016). Effect of Alkali-Silica Reaction on the Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Structural Members. A Numerical and Statistical Study. Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 310, pp. 295-310.
  9. Na, O., Xi, Y., Ou, E., Saouma, V. (2015). The Effects of Alkali-Silica Reaction on Mechanical Properties of Concrete with Three Different Types of Reactive Aggregates. Structural Concrete, Vol. 17, pp. 74-83.
  10. Saouma, V.E., Martin, R., Hariri-Ardebili, M., Katayama, T. (2015). A Mathematical Model for the Kinetics of the Alkali Silica Chemical Reaction. Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 68, pp. 184-195.
  11. Saouma, V., Hariri-Ardebili, M. (2014). A Proposed Aging Management Program for Alkali Silica Reactions in a Nuclear Power Plant. Nuclear Engineering and Structural Design, Vol. 277, pp. 248-264.
  12. Puatatsananon, W., Saouma, V. (2013). Chemo-Mechanical Micro Model for Alkali-Silica Reaction. ACI Materials Journal, Vol. 110, No. 1, pp. 67-78.
  13. Saouma, V., Perotti, L., Shimpo, T. (2007). Stress Analysis of Concrete Structures Subjected to Alkali Aggregate Reactions. American Concrete Institute Structural Journal, Vol. 104, No. 5, pp. 532-541.
  14. Saouma, V., Perotti, L. (2006). Constitutive Model for Alkali Aggregate Reactions. American Concrete Institute, Materials Journal, Vol. 103, No. 3, pp. 194-202.

Books

Numerical Modeling of AAR

Numerical Modeling of AAR Cover

This book presents the theory and methodology to conduct a finite element assessment of concrete structures subjected to alkali aggregate reaction (AAR). View on Taylor & Francis.

Ageing, Shaking, and Cracking of Infrastructures

Ageing Book Cover

A comprehensive study of infrastructure deterioration due to aging, seismic activity, and AAR. Download Flyer.

Diagnosis & Prognosis of AAR Induced Dam Deterioration (STAR)

STAR Report Cover

State of the Art Report by the RILEM committee on AAR prognosis. View on Springer | Download Flyer.

Recent Theses

All were submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering.
  1. Golsa Mahdavi, Probabilistic Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of AAR-Affected Dams
  2. Maahdavi, G. (2023) Probabilistic Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of AAR-Affected Dams, PhD thesis
  3. Gakuhari, Y. (2021) AAR in Concrete Dams, M.S. Thesis
  4. Graf, D. (2017) Environmental And Reinforcement Effects On Concrete Expansion Undergoing Accelerated Alkali Silica Reaction, M.S. Thesis
  5. Sparks, R. (2016) The Alkali-Silica Reaction: A Study Of Reactive Aggregates And Production Of Expansive Concrete Specimens, M.S. Thesis

AAR Short Courses

Oct. 2025

Forthcoming/Zoom

Feb. 2022

USSD 2hr presentation “How to Tackle AAR in Concrete Dams”

Oct. 2009

Paris

Apr. 2007

Boulder, CO

Apr. 2005

Short Course

C-10/Seabrook Involvement

C-10 is a “citizen group” that advocates for the safety of Seabrook Station nuclear power plant in order to protect public health and the environment in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and beyond. It has been very concerned by the Safety of the Seabrook nuclear power plant known to suffer from AAR.

Seabrook Presentation

Seabrook Presentation Placeholder

Sept 4, 2024 presentation to the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety (ACRS) on behalf of C-10. Presentation, Minutes.

  1. Chapter Case Study: Seabrook Station Unit 1 ASR Problem from my book (PDF)
  2. Consolidated report of key documents I submitted
  3. I have been working (pro-bono) with C-10 to push for greater oversight of the problem by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read my testimony on why the testing, monitoring and analysis of Seabrook’s concrete is, in my expert opinion, entirely inadequate.
  4. A recent presentation, ASR and Seabrook: 20 Questions and Answers. A summary of this issue and my takeaways, can be found C-10’s Challenge.
  5. Videos of my presentation (and contextual explanation by C-10 board members) at the 2019 annual meeting: Short, Long