Creep analysis of cementitious materials in seawater using a poro-chemo-mechanical model

Abstract

With the rapid growth of the offshore engineering sector, studying the durability of offshore structures becomes primordial. Evaluating experimentally the coupling between mechanical and chemical degradation of the cement-based materials and structures is a challenging task because it requires tracking the evolution of the micro-mechanisms associated with the degradation in real time for long periods. To tackle this issue, a numerical approach is proposed, based on the micromechanics and the coupling between a creep-damage model and a chemical model at the microstructural scale. The seawater chemical effect on cement paste is simulated by considering the penetration fronts of the aggressive water and the attack by layers in the material. The aim of this study is to provide a tool for the rapid mechanical evaluation of the offshore structures and therefore a tool that can be used for the optimization and the development of durable marine constructions. The results highlight the competition between protective and damaged layers formed due to seawater attack, and that the global mechanical behaviour strongly depends on the chemically modified phases in the cement paste.