Autogenous shrinkage of early age cement paste and mortar

Concrete is a brittle composite material that easily fractures under tension. Due to the fact that the early-age deformation of the concrete member is restrained by adjoining structures, cracking can occur throughout the concrete prior to application of any load. The cracks would provide preferential access for aggressive agents penetrating in...

Time-dependent fracture of cementitious materials

The response of cementitious materials is highly time dependent. On the one hand, it can lead to delayed collapse of structures fabricated of such materials. On the other hand, the time dependence is associated with the relaxation of peak stresses, which avoids, or postpones damage. A finite element formulation is presented for the analysis of...