Published on: 2026-10-06
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –
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Postgraduate student and assistant at the Department of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Structures of Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Oleg Yatskovets became the winner of the grant competition of the Committee on Science and Higher Education of St. Petersburg in 2026. A grant of 50,000 rubles was awarded for the implementation of the project “Statistical patterns of the kinetics of resistance of bent reinforced concrete elements under low-temperature effects.”
The study focuses on how multiple cycles of freezing and thawing affect the performance of reinforced concrete structures. This topic is especially relevant for the Northern capital: during the cold season, the air temperature here repeatedly crosses the zero mark, causing external structures to be exposed to repeated temperature effects. Over time, this can change not only the strength of the concrete but also its deformation properties – that is, the material’s ability to change shape under load.
To assess the reliability of buildings and structures, it is important to consider such changes throughout their entire service life. Therefore, the authors of the project studied how low-temperature effects influence the calculated characteristics of bending reinforced concrete elements with varying amounts of reinforcement.
Work carried out under the supervision of a Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Structures at St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Vladimir Popov. In the study, methods of probability theory and mathematical statistics were combined with a nonlinear deformation model of reinforced concrete.
The authors examined bending elements with a cross-section of 200×400 mm at various reinforcement levels. For the analysis, they used 5,000 deformation diagrams of concrete before and after freeze-thaw cycles, as well as deformation data of reinforcement of classes A400 and A500. This volume of calculation data allowed them to assess not only the average values of characteristics but also their variability after temperature exposures.
Calculations showed that the effect of freezing and thawing cycles on load-bearing capacity depends on the amount of reinforcement in the element. In the models considered, with a reinforcement ratio of up to 1%, the effect of the cycles on load-bearing capacity was insignificant. With a further increase in the amount of reinforcement, the effect became noticeable: with 1.5% reinforcement, the calculated load-bearing capacity decreased by 13%, and with 2% – by 20%.
The study also showed a decrease in the confidence levels of several calculated characteristics related to the failure mode of the reinforced concrete element. This indicates the need to consider the variability of the deformation properties of materials when assessing the behavior of structures subjected to repeated freezing and thawing.
Based on the obtained results, the authors formulated recommendations for the calculation of bending reinforced concrete elements operated under conditions of alternating temperatures. In particular, when using increased reinforcement ratios in calculations, special attention should be paid to changes in the deformation properties of concrete after multiple freezing and thawing cycles.
The research results were published in two articles in the scientific journal “Engineering Herald of Don” (VAK, K-2) in 2025. The obtained data are of practical interest for St. Petersburg and other regions where structures are regularly subjected to temperature transitions through the zero mark.
For Oleg Yatskovets, winning the grant competition was not the only scientific achievement in 2026. In the same year, the postgraduate student of SPbGASU received the scholarship of the President of the Russian Federation.
The research was carried out with the support of the Committee on Science and Higher Education of St. Petersburg within the framework of the 2026 grant competition.
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