A numerical approach to multiscale simulation of cement paste strength

0546426 - ÚTAM 2022 RIV CH eng C - Conference Paper (international conference)
Hlobil, Michal - Sotiriadis, Konstantinos
A numerical approach to multiscale simulation of cement paste strength.
Solid State Phenomena. Vol. 325. Baech: Trans Tech Publications, 2021 - (Dvořák, K.; Gazdič, D.), s. 3-8. ISBN 978-3-0357-1870-6. ISSN 1662-9779.
[International conference on silicate binders (ICBM 2020) /19./. Brno (CZ), 03.12.2020-03.12.2020]
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GJ19-25163Y
Institutional support: RVO:68378297
Keywords : cement paste * C-S-H * microstructure * sulfate attack * tensile strength
OECD category: Materials engineering
https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.325.3

Recent experimental investigations on the nanoscale of hardened cement paste revealed that the tensile strengths of the microstructural phases present amount to several hundreds of MPa. Confrontation with macroscopic tensile strength testing, by e.g. Brazilian splitting, shows a decrease over two orders of magnitude. A computational model based on a hierarchical representation of hardened cement paste microstructure is presented in this paper, attempting to shed light on the factors affecting the scaling of strength from the nanoscopic scale up to the macroscopic scale. The model is validated on a case study featuring a Portland-limestone cement paste subjected to an external sulfate attack. Such conditions compromise the nanoscopic integrity of the C-S-H gel as a consequence of the progressive decalcification and affect the overall load-bearing capacity of the macroscopic cement paste specimen.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0322967