Two scale models for fracture behaviours of cementitious materials subjected to static and cyclic loadings

Abstract

This study employs a lattice fracture model to simulate static and fatigue fracture behaviour of Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) at microscale and mortar at mesoscale. The heterogeneous microstructure of ITZ and mesostructure of mortar are explicitly considered in the models. The initial step involves calibrating and validating the microscopic model of the ITZ through micro-cantilever bending tests. Subsequently, this validated ITZ model serves as a constitutive law to simulate the fracture behavior of mortar at the mesoscale using an uncoupled upscaling method. The influence of microstructural features, such as w/c ratio and microscopic roughness, on the fracture behaviour of ITZ is investigated. Moreover, the effect of ITZ properties and stress level on the fracture performance and fatigue damage evolution of mortar is also studied. The simulation results for both the ITZ and mortar demonstrate good agreement with experimental results. The proposed two models provide insights into the fracture mechanisms and fatigue damage evolution in cementitious materials subjected to static and cyclic loadings.