Multiscale Calculation of Structural Concrete

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2023) | Viewed by 9066

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Interests: concrete durability; multi-scale modeling; computational methods; recycled concrete; intelligent maintenance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of River and Ocean Engineering, Chognqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, China
Interests: concrete durability; multiscale modeling; reinforced concrete structure; mix design model; high-performance concrete
Institute of Urban Innovation, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan
Interests: reinforced concrete; frost damage; steel corrosion; finite element analysis; discrete element method

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete materials and concrete structures always suffer from a complex combination of various physical/chemical/mechanical impacts during their service life. To understand the basic mechanisms and handle these complex situations, multiscale methods have been developed rapidly in recent years which are able to reveal the multiphysical interconnections between different scales and lead to a more comprehensive understanding of changes in materials and structures.

This Special Issue aims to stimulate an exchange of ideas and knowledge on multiscale calculations for concrete materials and structures. Original contributions describing new research, case studies, and applications or state-of-the-art discussion on the following and related topics are welcome:

(1) Multiscale characterization of cement-based composites;

(2) Multiscale design, fabrication, and synthesis for structural concrete;

(3) Multiscale micromechanics and poromechanics;

(4) Multiscale modeling of concrete durability;

(5) Multiscale numerical simulations of material and structure;

(6) Multiscale of combined physics/chemistry/mechanics in concrete.

Dr. Fuyuan Gong
Dr. Pengfei Li
Dr. Zhao Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cement-based composites
  • concrete/hybrid structures
  • multiscale
  • performances
  • combined effects
  • modeling
  • numerical simulation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 14489 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study and 3-D Meso-Scale Discrete Element Modeling on the Compressive Behavior of Foamed Concrete
by Yuan Gao, Yin Cheng and Jianzhuang Chen
Buildings 2023, 13(3), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030674 - 3 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1787
Abstract
The relationships between the mechanical properties of foam concrete and its pore structure and cement slurry properties have been confirmed, but these relationships cannot be directly reflected just through experimental research. Thus, experiments and the discrete element method (DEM) were used to reveal [...] Read more.
The relationships between the mechanical properties of foam concrete and its pore structure and cement slurry properties have been confirmed, but these relationships cannot be directly reflected just through experimental research. Thus, experiments and the discrete element method (DEM) were used to reveal the relationship between pore structure, cement slurry characteristics, and mechanical properties in foam concrete in this paper. In order to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of numerical simulation, tests of foam concrete were carried out first, such as X-ray computed tomography (CT), the uniaxial compression test, and the three-point flexural test. On this basis, the failure process of foamed concrete was reflected by numerical simulation. The results show that the bearing capacity of foam concrete increases significantly with its increased density. In 750 kg/m3 foam concrete, the stress is mainly borne by the cement matrix. The ability of the cement matrix around the pores to resist tensile failure is weak, and the failure of foamed concrete is mainly caused by tensile failure. Moreover, when the loading rate is low, it takes a long time for the foamed concrete to break, and the cracks generated by the force expand along the weakest area around the pores to form a rough failure section. At higher loading rates, cracks tend to develop directly through the cement matrix along a straight line. The crack development process inside foam concrete is accurately presented by DEM. The density of foam concrete increases, the number of internal cracks decreases, and the cracks are dispersed. The crack development of foam concrete can be divided into the following stages: First, the microcracks are generated near the supports. Following that, the cracks are caused by tensile stress and gradually extend with increasing loading until the foamed concrete fails. Under full calibration, the engineering design of foam concrete can be completed by DEM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Calculation of Structural Concrete)
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14 pages, 3616 KiB  
Article
Corrosion-Induced Cracking Pattern Analysis of RC Beam under Sustained Load Considering the Poromechanical Characteristics of Corrosion Products
by Bin Zeng, Yuzhou Wang, Fuyuan Gong and Koichi Maekawa
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2256; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122256 - 18 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2390
Abstract
Concrete cracking is the significant stage of RC structural deterioration induced by steel corrosion. To predict the corrosion-induced cracking of the loaded RC structure, a multi-scale model is proposed. The formation and transport of corrosion products, which affect the volumetric expansion at the [...] Read more.
Concrete cracking is the significant stage of RC structural deterioration induced by steel corrosion. To predict the corrosion-induced cracking of the loaded RC structure, a multi-scale model is proposed. The formation and transport of corrosion products, which affect the volumetric expansion at the steel–concrete interface, are considered in this model. Then, based on poro-mechanics, the calculation of corrosion-induced stress in the pore structure of concrete is enabled. The corrosion-induced cracking of the practical component obtained from the proposed model shows a satisfactory agreement with the experimental observations. Then, the corrosion-induced cracking under different loading conditions are investigated. The results show that the effect of external loads on the time-to-cracking is moderate; the steel corrosion varies by no more 9% under different loading conditions at the surface cracking moment, whereas significant effects of the loading condition on the cracking pattern of reinforced concrete beams are found. Furthermore, the higher the load level, the more rapidly the corrosion-induced cracks develop; the maximum corrosion-induced crack widths on the surface of the beam subjected to 60% ultimate load is 1.14 and 1.22 times that of the 30% and 0% loaded beams, respectively, when reaching the serviceability limit state. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Calculation of Structural Concrete)
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23 pages, 10424 KiB  
Article
Development of a Mix Design Method for Multiplexed Powder Self-Compacting Concrete Based on the Multiscale Rheological Threshold Theory
by Miao Lv, Anjia Jiao, Xuehui An, Hao Bai, Jingbin Zhang and Kun Shao
Buildings 2022, 12(10), 1663; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12101663 - 12 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1783
Abstract
The multiscale rheological threshold theory can guide the mix design of self-compacting concrete (SCC) from a trans-scale view. Through the paste thresholds calculated by the mini-slump flow test results, the workability of SCC can be predicted. However, this method shows insufficient prediction accuracy [...] Read more.
The multiscale rheological threshold theory can guide the mix design of self-compacting concrete (SCC) from a trans-scale view. Through the paste thresholds calculated by the mini-slump flow test results, the workability of SCC can be predicted. However, this method shows insufficient prediction accuracy when handling multiplexed powder. In the existing threshold calculation formula, the characteristics of powder materials were described through empirical values, without considering the specific properties of various powders. This paper focuses on the application of the multiscale rheological threshold theory to multiplexed powder SCCs. Through the research on the characteristics of powder materials, especially D50 and Span, the effect of the powder properties on paste thresholds was carried out. The prediction accuracies were confirmed by four sets of self-compacting mixtures at paste and concrete scales and were verified with another set of tests. There are a total of 45 paste and 45 SCC test results with multiplexed powders, including cement, fly ash, and limestone powder. The predicting accuracies are expressed as the relative accuracy ε and the accuracy index ε′, calculated by the comparison of self-compacting zones at paste and SCC scales. The calculation results showed that ε and ε′ of the modified method increased. This modified method can be efficient for the mix design of SCC containing multiplexed powders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Calculation of Structural Concrete)
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17 pages, 5376 KiB  
Article
Effects of Carbon Thin Film on Low-Heat Cement Hydration, Temperature and Strength of the Wudongde Dam Concrete
by Haoyang Peng, Peng Lin, Yunfei Xiang, Jinwu Hu and Zongli Yang
Buildings 2022, 12(6), 717; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12060717 - 26 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2128
Abstract
Research on the mechanism of carbon thin film (CTF) is a hot issue in the field of concrete materials and is of great significance to the temperature control and crack prevention of concrete structures, but little research has been conducted regarding this issue. [...] Read more.
Research on the mechanism of carbon thin film (CTF) is a hot issue in the field of concrete materials and is of great significance to the temperature control and crack prevention of concrete structures, but little research has been conducted regarding this issue. In this paper, the composition of CTF and its influence on cement hydration, concrete temperature and strength are studied in the context of the Wudongde (WDD) dam project. Through observations of hand specimens, rock slice identification and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis, it was shown that the CTF has the same chemical composition as the limestone component, except for the presence of low-crystalline graphite. Based on hydration testing using TAM Air, it was found that CTF promotes the dissolution of cement and the hydration of C3A in the very early stage but exerts a lowering effect on the second exothermic peak of cement hydration. In addition, the greater the CTF content, the greater the hydration heat release. According to temperature measurements of the Wudongde (WDD) dam, CTF could promote an increase in the maximum temperature of concrete blocks. Finally, compressive strength analysis revealed that the content of CTF was proportional to the compressive strength of concrete specimens and provides a reference for the effect of CTF on the performance of low-heat cement concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Calculation of Structural Concrete)
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