A micromechanical study of drying and carbonation effects in cement-based materials

Abstract

This paper is devoted to a micromechanical study of mechanical properties of cement-based materials by taking into account effects of water saturation degree and carbonation process. To this end, the cement-based materials are considered as a composite material constituted with a cement matrix and aggregates (inclusions). Further, the cement matrix is seen as a porous medium with a solid phase (CSH) and pores. Using a two-step homogenization procedure, a closed-form micromechanical model is first formulated to describe the basic mechanical behavior of materials. This model is then extended to partially saturated materials in order to account for the effects of water saturation degree on the mechanical properties. Finally, considering the solid phase change and porosity variation related to the carbonation process, the micromechanical model is coupled with the chemical reaction and is able to describe the consequences of carbonation on the macroscopic mechanical properties of material. Some comparisons between numerical results and experimental data are presented.