The investigation of shrinkage cracking of paste and mortar based on the eccentric ring test and multiphysics simulation

Abstract

The eccentric ring test presents a novel approach to evaluating the occurrence of shrinkage cracking in cementitious materials. The eccentric ring test has been confirmed to induce cracks on the thin sides of the specimen. However, the underlying mechanism behind this cracking phenomenon remains inadequately explored. In this study, the eccentric ring test is used to examine cement paste with different water-cement (w/c) ratios and mortar with varying aggregate volume fractions. The examination focuses on the influence of surface sealing and immersion curing on shrinkage cracking. The integrated shrinkage model, which is applicable to both autogenous shrinkage and drying shrinkage, is introduced to simulate the shrinkage of cementitious materials. The shrinkage cracking of eccentric specimens is further investigated through a multiphysics coupling analysis that considers shrinkage, humidity field, and stress field. The simulation results show that the humidity decreases more rapidly on the thinner sides during the shrinkage of the eccentric ring. The circumferential stress in the specimen is much greater than the radial stress. Additionally, the tensile stress in the circumferential direction exceeds 4 MPa on the outer ring. As the drying time increases, the circumferential tensile stress on the thin sides of the eccentric ring develops more rapidly, resulting in cracking on the thin side. The eccentric ring test is practicable in ordinary concrete and high-strength concrete, and the simulation is of significance in examining the cracking risk of concrete pipes and some thin wall components since these components are sensitive to the shrinkage cracking.