Effect of alkali-silica reaction on the fracture properties of confined concrete

Journal Article · Fri Dec 06 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Construction and Building Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117641· OSTI ID:1607114

Hayes, Nolan W. ^[1]; Giorla, Alain Benjamin ^[2]; Trent, Walker ^[1]; Cong, Derek ^[3]; Le Pape, Yann ^[2]; Ma, Zhongguo John ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
3. Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., Austin, TX (United States)

Alkali-silica reaction (ASR), which was recently discovered in nuclear power plant structures commonly without shear reinforcement, has previously been shown to induce anisotropic expansion in confined concrete. The fracture properties (strength, stiffness, and specific fracture energy) of ASR-induced anisotropically-damaged concrete specimens were quantified by varying both the damage level and relative direction of the ASR-induced cracking orientation against the loading direction corresponding to the fracture propagation. Here, the effect of different orientations (0, 45, and 90° relative to the notch of the specimen) of expected ASR-induced cracks on the fracture properties was investigated using a wedge-splitting test (WST). Specimens without ASR expansion generally showed the highest fracture properties; however, the specific fracture energy was highest for ASR-affected specimens in which the expected orientation of ASR-induced cracks was perpendicular to the WST specimen notch. Specimens in which the ASR-induced cracks were parallel to the notch exhibited the lowest strength and fracture energy.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1607114
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1778419
• Journal Information: Construction and Building Materials, Journal Name: Construction and Building Materials Journal Issue: C Vol. 238; ISSN 0950-0618
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
alkali-silica reaction
concrete
fracture energy
laboratory testing
wedge-splitting test