Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing may be induced easily in a cement-based structure in a sulfate-rich environment, which threatens engineering safety. In order to investigate the evolution of critical water pressure, a series of hydraulic fracturing tests and splitting tensile strength tests on the cement mortar under different sulfate-exposure periods are performed. The critical water pressure of the cement mortar under sulfate attack experiences an initial increase stage and a subsequent decrease stage. A stress intensity factor is modified by two proposed damage variables which are crack length and fracture stress. Then, the relationship between the critical water pressure and the tensile strength is established. Moreover, an evolution model of the critical water pressure is proposed, which reveals that the matrix tensile strength and porosity of cement mortar strongly affect the critical water pressure evolution. Additionally, an empirical formula is suggested to describe the critical water pressure evolution of the cement mortar under sulfate attack, and its validity is verified by experimental results.
Highlights
IntroductionCement mortar material has been applied widely in hydraulic engineering (dams, offshore platforms, and hydraulic tunnels) due to its low price, high strength and good durability
Cement mortar material has been applied widely in hydraulic engineering due to its low price, high strength and good durability
The hydraulic fracturing of the cement mortar under sulfate attack is investigated by experiment and theory analysis
Summary
Cement mortar material has been applied widely in hydraulic engineering (dams, offshore platforms, and hydraulic tunnels) due to its low price, high strength and good durability. It becomes important to understand the phenomenon of hydraulic fracture that happens in cracks in cement mortar materials for the safety evaluation of hydraulic structures. For this purpose, considerable research on hydraulic fracturing of the cement mortar has been carried out. Bruwiler and Saouma [2] employed wedge splitting specimens to investigate the distribution of water pressure within a concrete crack. Their tests indicated that the water front along the propagating crack lags behind the extension of the crack tip. None of the above research considered the influence of chemical erosion on the hydraulic fracturing of cementitious materials
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