Investigation of drying-induced non-uniform deformation, stress, and micro-crack propagation in concrete

Investigation of drying-induced non-uniform deformation, stress, and micro-crack propagation in concrete

Gao, Peng (South China University of Technology)
Chen, Yang (South China University of Technology; Guangdong Provincial Academy of Building Research Group Co., Ltd.)
Huang, Haoliang (South China University of Technology; Guangdong Low Carbon Technologies Engineering Center for Building Materials)
Qian, Zhiwei (FEMRIS)
Schlangen, E. (TU Delft Materials and Environment)
Wei, Jiangxiong (South China University of Technology; Guangdong Low Carbon Technologies Engineering Center for Building Materials)
Yu, Qijun (South China University of Technology; Guangdong Low Carbon Technologies Engineering Center for Building Materials)

2020

Concrete generally deforms and cracks in a non-uniform manner under drying-induced stress. This study used the lattice fracture model to simulate the drying-induced non-uniform deformations, stresses, and micro-crack propagation in concrete. Experiments were designed to validate the lattice fracture model, wherein the drying-induced non-uniform deformations and micro-crack patterns in concrete were measured using a digital image correlation technique and a fluorescent epoxy impregnation method, respectively. It was found that the simulated non-uniform deformations and micro-crack patterns were close to the experimental observations. The interaction mechanism between drying-induced non-uniform stresses and micro-cracks was analysed based on the validated lattice fracture model. The micro-cracks were found to cause stress concentration both in coarse aggregate and the mortar that covered coarse aggregate, which could lead to high micro-cracking risk as drying continues.

Digital image correlation
Drying shrinkage
Micro-cracks
Non-uniform deformation
Stress

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:498b9a66-3fcd-40bc-bac3-3102c38ae5a2

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2020.103786

2021-02-22

0958-9465

Cement and Concrete Composites, 114, 1-14

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.

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2020 Peng Gao, Yang Chen, Haoliang Huang, Zhiwei Qian, E. Schlangen, Jiangxiong Wei, Qijun Yu