Quantifying the evolution of mechanical behaviours of concrete materials resting on realistic microstructural characteristics: A micro-to-macro validated combination analysis method

Abstract

Understanding the physical and chemical essence of concrete material corrosion and the evolution process of mechanical properties is crucial for the study of durability. However, there is currently no suitable universal method to obtain the results of mechanical property evolution through physical and chemical essence. The purpose of this paper is to bridge durability parameters and mechanical behaviors through the micro-to-macro-scale, resting only on realistic microstructural characteristics. This model took the essential parameters of durability degradation such as phase change, porosity, and corrosion degree after corrosion as input parameters. A structure with a corroded layer wrapping the uncorroded inner core was proposed. This structure is closer to the actual corroded structure to a greater extent. This method quantifies and unravels the deterioration mechanisms of mechanical behaviour in concrete caused by external sulfuric acid and sulphate attack. The remarkable features are that: (1) corrosion products form only in outer C-S-H layers through “ink-bottle” theory; (2) considers interfacial transition zone effects and (3) combines mean-field homogenization method with the finite element analysis. Additionally, the mechanical properties obtained from the multi-scale model have been experimentally verified, demonstrating the robustness and reliability of the model.