Thermal Shock Damage in Construction Materials: Impact and prediction of concrete and natural rocks behavior

Building materials generally perform poorly in a high temperature environment. Residential fires and fires in road tunnels are common occurrences. Furthermore, some factories have no option besides exposing their infrastructure to very high temperatures due to the nature of their operation logistics. Therefore, there is a clear need for...

An analytical equation to predict mortar spalling at laboratory scale

Spalling is the main problem concerning safety in concrete structures under rapid heating. Despite being studied for nearly a century, its prediction remains a challenge. In addition, the main recommendations for its prevention are merely the addition of a fixed amount of polypropylene fibres, without accounting for mix design. This paper...

Influence of pore connectivity on the spalling behaviour of mortars

Experimental research into the spalling behaviour of mortars and if it is possible to predict the spalling resistance. Research is divided into spalling experiments with varying parameters and experiments to analyse and characterize the pore structure. By combining both results, a first step is taken into a formula that is able to predict the...

Revisiting concrete frost salt scaling: On the role of the frozen salt solution micro-structure

We simulate the glue-spall stress due to mechanical interactions between a frozen saline solution (brine-ice composite) and a non-air entrained concrete surface including the impact of the micro-structure of the frozen solution. The presence of brine channels at the ice/concrete interface was found to be a prerequisite to induce stress during...

The fire safety of car parks: Focussing on structural damage

A study on the fire safety concepts used in car parks. To asses the possible damage as a result of a fire, case studies were performed and changes in the car industry were analysed. The new type of fuel systems have resulted in new risks, which are not yet covered in the current design methodology. To understand the probability of a car park...

Fire dynamics and spalling mechanism in tunnel infrastructures

Underground infrastructures and the importance of the people’s safety and structures robustness are relevant and contemporary issues in the civil engineering industry. The demand for this infrastructural typology has developed to such an extent that the need for a better and cost-beneficial knowledge of the risks is necessary.<br/>This thesis...

Numerical analysis of heating rate effect on spalling of high-performance concrete under high temperature conditions

High-performance concrete (HPC) is vulnerable to spalling under high temperature conditions and it has been found that the heating rate can exert a tremendous effect on spalling of HPC. To prevent HPC from spalling, the heating rate effect should be understood. However, quantitative analyses are still lacking and the heating rate effect has...

The spalling mechanism of fire exposed concrete

The spalling damage observed to concrete structures after severe fire exposure has been the topic of scientific research for the past decades. This phenomenon is commonly characterised by the sudden and in some cases violent breaking off of concrete pieces from the cross-section. In this thesis the derivation and the numerical results of a...

Fire resistance of existing structures: Assessing the fire resistance of existing concrete buildings

Many vacant buildings that are reused are constructed in concrete. With concrete, one thought to have found a solution for the fire resistance of buildings. Today it appears that the fire resistance of concrete is not always a matter of course. Therefore, it is important to properly asses the fire resistance of existing concrete buildings. With...

Rolling contact fatigue in relation to rail grinding

Spalling defects of a periodic nature are sometimes observed on heat-treated pearlitic steel rails. Defect properties suggest a relationship between maintenance grinding on a regular basis and the initiation of rolling contact fatigue (RCF). In this work, the effects of maintenance grinding are investigated experimentally for both standard...

Numerical Erosion in Continuum Damage Mechanics

Implementing numerical erosion in damage models predicting failure in concrete subject to impact loading.

Prediction of Deterioration of Concrete Bridges

In the early 20th century, the general idea was that concrete structures would never show deterioration. However, in the 1990s concrete structures showed an increase in number of cracks and area of spalling. Especially spalling of the concrete cover could create a harmful situation to the users. Spalling of the cover is caused by corrosion of...