Hydrate failure in ITZ governs concrete strength: A micro-to-macro validated engineering mechanics model
- Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures, TU Wien – Vienna University of Technology, Karlsplatz 13/202, Vienna A-1040 (Austria)
- BATir Department, ULB – Université libre de Bruxelles, CP194/04, 50 avenue F.D. Roosevelt, Brussels 1050 (Belgium)
Ever since the early days of Féret (1892) and Abrams (1919), concrete research has targeted at relating concrete composition to uniaxial compressive strength. While these activities were mainly characterized by empirical fitting functions, we here take a more fundamental approach based on continuum micromechanics. The loading applied at the concrete level, is first concentrated (''downscaled'') to maximum stresses related to cement paste volumes which are directly adjacent to the aggregates, i.e. to the interfacial transition zones (ITZ). These maximum stresses are further ''downscaled'' to the micron-sized hydrates, in terms of higher-order stress averages. The latter enter a Drucker-Prager failure criterion with material constants derived from nanoindentation tests. The model is successfully validated across the hydrate-to-concrete scales. Strength magnitude is governed by ITZ stress concentrations, and the water-to-cement ratio is its dominant mixture design parameter.
- OSTI ID:
- 22806446
- Journal Information:
- Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 103; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2017 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0008-8846
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Estimating the mechanical properties of hydrating blended cementitious materials: An investigation based on micromechanics
Behavior of asphalt concrete mixtures in triaxial compression