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Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Cementitious Materials Behavior

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2024 | Viewed by 1318

Special Issue Editor

CEA Saclay, DRMP, Laboratory of Study of Clay and Concrete Behavior, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Interests: cement; concrete durability; construction materials; structural analysis; composite material; concrete; concrete technologies; civil engineering materials; materials engineering; civil engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The modelling and simulation of the behavior of cementitious materials subjected to constant multiphysical loading are easier due to the increasing power of computers. At different scales, advanced 2D and 3D computations allow more accurate descriptions of the effects of the microstructure evolution induced by thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical (THCM) solicitations, as well as microcracking development and its consequences. This is of particular interest for heterogeneous materials, where at the microscale, various hydrated phases and pores form a continuous matrix interacting at a higher scale with sand and aggregate particles via the interfaces of different characteristics.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the recent advances in numerical modeling and computational methods applied to analyze the response of cementitious materials (from cement pastes to concretes) in various situations and configurations. Emphasis will be placed on applications to characterize the coupled effects of THCM behavior, including microcrack and/or damage description, while taking into account the heterogeneous nature of these materials. New trends in numerical approaches, including the use of machine learning procedures to reduce the computational time, are welcome.

Dr. Benoît Bary
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cementitious materials
  • multiscale simulations
  • coupled modelling
  • microcrack description
  • THMC behavior

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4304 KiB  
Article
A 3D Meso-Scale Model and Numerical Uniaxial Compression Tests on Concrete with the Consideration of the Friction Effect
by Jiawei Wang, Xinlu Yu, Yingqian Fu and Gangyi Zhou
Materials 2024, 17(5), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17051204 - 05 Mar 2024
Viewed by 428
Abstract
Achieving the real mechanical performance of construction materials is significantly important for the design and engineering of structures. However, previous researchers have shown that contact friction performs an important role in the results of uniaxial compression tests. Strong discreteness generally appears in concrete-like [...] Read more.
Achieving the real mechanical performance of construction materials is significantly important for the design and engineering of structures. However, previous researchers have shown that contact friction performs an important role in the results of uniaxial compression tests. Strong discreteness generally appears in concrete-like construction materials due to the random distribution of the components. A numerical meso-scale finite-element (FE) method provides the possibility of generating an ideal material with the same component percentages and distribution. Thus, a well-designed meso-FE model was employed to investigate the effect of friction on the mechanical behavior and failure characteristics of concrete under uniaxial compression loading. The results showed that the mechanical behavior and failure profiles of the simulation matched well with the experimental results. Based on this model, the effect of friction was determined by changing the contact friction coefficient from 0.0 to 0.7. It was found that frictional contact had a slight influence on the elastic compressive mechanical behavior of concrete. However, the nonlinear hardening behavior of the stress–strain curves showed a fairly strong relationship with the frictional contact. The final failure profiles of the experiments showed a “sand-glass” shape that might be expected to result from the contact friction. Thus, the numerical meso-scale FE model showed that contact friction had a significant influence on both the mechanical performance and the failure profiles of concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Cementitious Materials Behavior)
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16 pages, 6552 KiB  
Article
Study on the Effect of Recycled Fine Aggregate Qualities on Fly Ash/GGBS-Based Geopolymer Mortar
by Shilun Liu, Zihao Liu, Koji Takasu, Hidehiro Koyamada and Hiroki Suyama
Materials 2023, 16(23), 7289; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16237289 - 23 Nov 2023
Viewed by 528
Abstract
The rapid expansion of construction, fueled by industry and economic and population growth, has exacerbated the challenge of managing construction waste, especially concrete waste. One promising solution lies in the utilization of recycled fine aggregate (RFA), especially in combination with the emerging geopolymer [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of construction, fueled by industry and economic and population growth, has exacerbated the challenge of managing construction waste, especially concrete waste. One promising solution lies in the utilization of recycled fine aggregate (RFA), especially in combination with the emerging geopolymer technology, an innovative alternative to traditional cement. This study systematically explores the effects of incorporating varying qualities and quantities of RFA into geopolymer mortars. By using GGBS and FA as raw materials and replacing natural aggregates (NA) with RFA at different rates (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%), the research investigates the fresh properties, mechanical characteristics, and drying shrinkage of geopolymer mortar. Key findings reveal that RFA significantly influences the flowability of geopolymer mortar: when RFA content is above 75%, preprocessed RFA (with particles below 0.15 mm removed) has substantially improved flowability, increasing it more than 20%. The critical impact of RFA preprocessing on enhancing mechanical properties and the higher the inclusion level (above 75%), the more pronounced is the advantage in enhancing the compressive strength compared to unprocessed RFA. Additionally, RFA was found to contribute to a denser interfacial transition zone (ITZ) than natural aggregate, which helps maintain the compressive strength at increased RFA dosages. Contrary to findings in cement mortar, a positive correlation exists between pore volume and compressive strength in geopolymer mortar incorporating RFA. This study underscores the potential of refined RFA preprocessing methods in advancing sustainable construction, highlighting avenues for the broader application of RFA in geopolymer mortar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Cementitious Materials Behavior)
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