Material and Geometric Heterogeneity Consideration for Cracking Risk Prediction of Young Age Behavior of Experimental Massive Reinforced Concrete Structure

Abstract:

This article presents the application of a thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical (THCM) model to a real complex structure of reactor confinement (mock-up VERCORS from EDF) by taking into account the specificities of the construction (construction consequences), the distributed reinforcements and the material heterogeneity of massive structure. The experimental campaigns were conducted during and after the construction of VERCORS. The early-age behavior of concrete is first modelled based on a multiphasic hydration model to ensure the thermal evolution. Then a 3D mechanical model is used to predict the consequences of hydration, temperature and water variations on mechanical behavior. An alternative approach to consider the structural effect of distributed reinforcement without explicit meshing of reinforcements is implemented and is able to reproduce the influence of reinforcement on the crack patterns. Moreover, the “Weakest link localization” method is also adapted to deal with a probabilistic scale effect due to the material heterogeneity of massive structure. It permits to assess directly the most likely tensile strength which can treat the first crack in softening part of the loaded volume of structures.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 711)
• Pages: 900-907
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.711.900
• Online since: September 2016
• Authors: Ponleu Chhun*, Laurie Buffo-Lacarriere, Alain Sellier
• Keywords: Cracking, Creep, Distributed Reinforcement, Early Age, Scale Effect, Shrinkage, Thermal Strain

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