Inclusion-to-Specimen Volume Ratio Influence on the Strength and Stiffness Behaviors of Concrete: An Experimental Study

Abstract:

The stress-strain response of the basic concrete making material, i.e. the mortar and aggregates, are well known. In general, the aggregate behaves linearly up till failure, possessing a very high ultimate compression strength and stiffness. The behavior of mortar is non-linear, even at low loading levels. The resulting composite material, the concrete, exhibits a less stiff response, in combination with degradation in strength. This study looked into the influence of the inclusion-to-specimen volume ratio of a 100x100x50 mm mortar specimen. Two inclusion configurations were considered, parallel and diagonal to the line of loading, while the ratio varied from zero to 0.66. It was shown that the inclusion-to-specimen volume ratio strongly influenced the strength, the stiffness, and failure mode. The strength behavior had a minimum and a maximum bifurcation point, while the stiffness response increased, as a function of an increase in the inclusion-to-specimen volume ratio. Visual observation of the cracking pattern revealed that the initial cracking was always situated at the interface between the aggregate and mortar in tension and propagated through the mortar matrix. It was also perceived that the crack propagation path of the very dense, diagonally arranged inclusions deviated from the columnar configuration observed from the parallel inclusion formation. These densely diagonally arranged aggregates also resulted in spalling in the lateral direction.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 845)
• Pages: 113-118
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.845.113
• Online since: July 2016
• Authors: Aylie Han*, Buntara Sthenly Gan, Rudi Yuniarto, Anastasia Yesica, Rakhma Nurfitriani Editia
• Keywords: Compressive Strength, Cracks Propagation, Inclusion-To-Specimen Volume Ratio, Stiffness

References

[1] T.W. Bremner and T.A. Holm, Elastic, compatibility and the behavior of concrete, ACI Mat. J. 83(2) (1986) 244-250.

[2] A.L. Han, J. Nurhuda and Y. Setiawan, The Effect of Aggregate Shape and Configuration to the Concrete Behavior, Smart Sci. 2(2) (2014) 85-90.

DOI: 10.1080/23080477.2014.11665609

[3] A.L. Han, B.S. Gan and Y. Setiawan, The influence of single inclusions to the crack initiation, propagation and compression strength of mortar, Proc. Eng. 95 (2014) 376-385.

DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2014.12.196

[4] M. Suarjana, M.S. Besari and R. Abipramono, Two-Dimensional Concrete Models Using Metal Aggregates, in: A. Katz and others (Eds. ), RILEM Second International Conference on the Interfacial Transition Zone in Cementitious Composites, E & FN Spon, London; New York, 1998, pp.67-74.

DOI: 10.1201/9781482295085-12

[5] A.L. Han, S. Tudjono and J. Purnomo, Modeling the Load-Displacement Response of Concrete with Multi-Inclusion-Cylindrical Aggregates incorporating the Aggregate-Distance Effect and Configuration, 13th East Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction (EASEC-13), September 11-13, 2013, Sapporo, Japan.

[6] A.L. Han, B.S. Gan and Y. Setiawan, The Aggregate Multi-inclusion Interaction and Interface Influence on the Compression Behavior of Concrete, The 8th International Structural Engineering and Construction Conference (ISEC-8), November 23-28, 2015, Sydney, Australia. (accepted).

DOI: 10.14455/isec.res.2015.68

[7] I. Rasoolan, S.A. Sadrnejad and A.R. Bagheri, A Geometrical Inclusion-Matrix Model for Concrete, Proc. Struc. Cong., ASCE Lib. (2009) 1-10.

DOI: 10.1061/41031(341)299

[8] K. Zhou, H.J. Hoh, X. Wang, L.M. Keer, J.H.L. Pang, B. Song and Q.J. Wang, A review of recent works on inclusions, Mech. Mat. 60 (2013) 144-158.

DOI: 10.1016/j.mechmat.2013.01.005

[9] J.J. Zheng, X.Z. Zhou and X.Y. Jin, An n-layered spherical inclusion model for predicting the elastic moduli of concrete with inhomogeneous ITZ, Cem. Conc. Comp. 34(5) (2012) 716-723.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2012.01.011

[10] D. Darwin, Concrete in Compression, Conc. Int., ACI J. 21(8) (1999) 82-85.

[11] T. Akçaoğlu, M. Tokyay and T. Çelik, Effect of Coarse Aggregate Size and Matrix Quality on ITZ and Failure Behavior of Concrete under Uniaxial Compression, Cem. Conc. Comp. 26(6) (2004) 633-638.

DOI: 10.1016/s0958-9465(03)00092-1

[12] A. Carpinteri, Interpretation of the Griffith Instability as a Bifurcation of the Global Equilibrium, in: S.P. Shah (Ed. ), Application of Fracture Mechanics to Cementitious Composites, Springer, Netherlands, 1985, pp.287-316.

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-009-5121-1_10