Coupled chemical and mechanical processes in concrete structures with respect to aging

Abstract

Accurate prognoses of the durability of concrete structures require a detailed description of the continuously running aging processes and a consideration of the complete load history. Therefore, in the framework of continuous porous media mechanics a model is developed, which allows a detailed analysis of the most important aging processes of concrete as well as a flexible coupling of different processes. An overview of the prediction model and the balance equations is given. The material dependent model equations, the consequences of coupling different processes and the solution scheme are discussed. In two case studies the aging of concrete due to hydration and chloride penetration are presented, which illustrate the capabilities and the characteristics of the developed model.