Experimentally validated meso-scale fracture modelling of mortar using output from micromechanical models

Journal article (2020)

Authors

H. Zhang Shandong University, Materials and Environment - CEG
Y. Xu Materials and Environment - CEG
Y. Gan Materials and Environment - CEG
E. Schlangen Materials and Environment - CEG
B. Šavija Materials and Environment - CEG
Research Group
Materials and Environment (CEG) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2020 H. Zhang, Y. Xu, Y. Gan, E. Schlangen, B. Šavija
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2020.103567
More Info
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Published Date

2020

Language

English

Faculty

Civil Engineering & Geosciences

Department

Materials- Mechanics- Management & Design

Research Group

Materials and Environment

Abstract

This paper presents a validation process of the developed multi-scale modelling scheme on mortar composites. Special attention was paid to make the material structure of real and virtual mortar specimens comparable at the meso-scale. The input mechanical parameters of cement paste (both bulk cement paste and interfacial transition zone) at the meso-scale were derived from results of micromechanical modelling through a volume averaging approach. Two constitutive relations for local elements were assumed and tested. By comparing with the experiments, the model using linear-elastic constitutive relation showed to be capable to reproduce the experimental load-displacement response satisfactorily in terms of the elastic stage and peak load. However, in the non-elastic stage a more realistic load-displacement curve can be simulated by considering the softening of cement paste using a step-wise approach. More importantly, the proposed multi-scale modelling scheme is validated by the experimental measurements. The proposed development offers the opportunity for the meso-scale model to become fully predictive.