Abstract
This paper gives an overview of a combined experimental-numerical study on vascular self-healing (SH) systems for cementitious composite materials. The work aimed to bridge the gap between numerical and experimental investigations for this type of SH system and to provide a set of data for developing, calibrating and validating a finite element model for these materials. The study investigated both healing-agent transport and mechanical damage-healing processes, including healing-agent curing. The experimental programme included mechanical tests on notched concrete beams and compact direct-tension specimens with inbuilt vascular healing systems, as well as tests to measure the transport properties of healing-agent within discrete concrete cracks and through the concrete matrix. The new coupled model employs elements with embedded strong discontinuities to simulate cracks and mechanical healing behaviour. A damage-healing constitutive model is described that simulates multiple damage-healing ‘events’. This mechanical model is coupled to discrete and continuum flow models that simulate healing-agent transport. The transport model accounts for pressurised and capillary flow, as well as curing-dependent flow properties. The main focus of this contribution is to show how these parallel programmes of work were combined so that the experimental observations guided the numerical developments and modelling questions were answered using experimental findings.
Highlights
Interest in self-healing concrete has grown considerably in recent years due to the potential of these materials to greatly improve the durability properties of concrete structures [1]
A combined experimental-numerical study has been undertaken at Cardiff University on a particular vascular self-healing system
The experimental programme of work focussed on the behaviour of a vascular self-healing system, which has healing-agent supply channels embedded in cementitious structural elements
Summary
Interest in self-healing concrete has grown considerably in recent years due to the potential of these materials to greatly improve the durability properties of concrete structures [1]. Much of the work undertaken on these materials has been experimental in nature but there has been some numerical research aimed at producing computational models for these materials [2]. A further problem with much previous numerical work is that the models have been developed, calibrated and validated using little, or sometimes no, experimental work [2]. To remedy this situation, a combined experimental-numerical study has been undertaken at Cardiff University on a particular vascular self-healing system. The present paper gives an outline description of this work. A full description will be provided in a series of forthcoming publications
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