Print Email Facebook Twitter Numerical investigation of crack self-sealing in cement-based composites with superabsorbent polymers Title Numerical investigation of crack self-sealing in cement-based composites with superabsorbent polymers Author Romero Rodriguez, C. (TU Delft Materials and Environment) Chaves Figueiredo, S. (TU Delft Materials and Environment) Deprez, M. (Universiteit Gent) Snoeck, D. (Universiteit Gent) Schlangen, E. (TU Delft Materials and Environment) Šavija, B. (TU Delft Materials and Environment) Date 2019 Abstract Recently the concept of crack self-sealing has been investigated as a method to prevent degradation and/or loss of functionality of cracked concrete elements. To obtain self-sealing effect in the crack, water swelling admixtures such as superabsorbent polymers (SAP) are added into the cementitious mix. In order to design such self-sealing systems in an efficient way, a three-dimensional mesoscale numerical model is proposed to simulate capillary absorption of water in sound and cracked cement-based materials containing SAP. The numerical results yield the moisture content distribution in cracked and sound domain, as well as the absorption and swelling of SAP embedded in the matrix and in the crack. The performance of the model was validated by using experimental data from the literature, as well as experimentally-informed input parameters. The validated model was then used to investigate the role of SAP properties and dosage in cementitious mixtures, on the water penetration into the material from cracks. Furthermore different crack widths were considered in the simulations. The model shows good agreement with experimental results. From the numerical investigation guidelines are suggested for the design of the studied composites. Subject Capillary absorption of waterCement-based materialsCracksLattice modelSelf-sealingSuperabsorbent polymers To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2d63187e-d3fa-4b35-a1c0-244078f5a5ea DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2019.103395 Embargo date 2020-02-22 ISSN 0958-9465 Source Cement and Concrete Composites, 104 Bibliographical note Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public. Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2019 C. Romero Rodriguez, S. Chaves Figueiredo, M. Deprez, D. Snoeck, E. Schlangen, B. Šavija Files PDF Numerical_investigation_o ... lymers.pdf 7.52 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:2d63187e-d3fa-4b35-a1c0-244078f5a5ea/datastream/OBJ/view