Erik Schlangen

Experimental and numerical analysis of micromechanisms of fracture of cement-based composites

Abstract In this paper experimental evidence of fracture toughening of concrete and mortar through a mechanism called crack face bridging is presented. The classical explanation for softening of concrete, viz. the formation of a zone of discontinuous microcracking ahead of a continuous macrocrack seems only partially true. Instead, crack face bridging in the wake of the macrocrack tip seems a physically sounder explanation. The crack face bridges are flexural ligaments between ovelapping crack tips. The failure of the flexural ligaments occurs in a stable and controlled manner because the two overlapping crack tips shield each other. The cohesive stress over the macrocrack is directly related to the size of the crack face bridges, which depends on the heterogeneity of the material. The typical failure mechanism can be simulated using a simple numerical lattice model. First the grain structure of the material is generated either by manual methods or by adopting a random generator. Secondly a tringular lattice of brittle breaking beam elements is projected on the grain structure. Aggregate, matrix and bond properties are assigned to the lattice elements at the respective locations, and a simple algorithm allows for crack growth simulation. The main conclusion is that the crack patterns and the associated load-deformation response are largely governed by the properties of the constituents. The bond between aggregates and matrix is the weakest link in the system, and variation of this parameter leads to profoundly different crack patterns.

Preparation of capsules containing rejuvenators for their use in asphalt concrete

Every year, there is a demand of more than 110 million metric tons of asphalt all around the world. This represents a huge amount of money and energy, from which a good part is for the preservation and renovation of the existing pavements. The problem of asphalt is that it oxidizes with time and therefore its beneficial properties disappear. Traditionally, rejuvenators spread in the road surface, are used to restore the original properties of the pavement. The problem is that, for a rejuvenator to be successful, it must penetrate the pavement surface. Furthermore, application of a rejuvenator will reduce the skid resistance of the pavement and, besides, rejuvenators have many aromatic compounds that can be harmful for the environment. To solve these problems this paper introduces a new concept in road construction: encapsulated rejuvenators. The basic principle is that when the stress in capsules embedded in the asphalt reaches a certain threshold value, the capsules break and some rejuvenator is released, restoring the original properties of the pavement. This paper will show how to prepare such capsules and how to determine their characteristics. This is one of the first steps towards intelligent pavements.

Experimental and numerical study on the behavior of concrete subjected to biaxial tension and shear

Abstract In this article an experimental and numerical study on the behavior of concrete subjected to biaxial loading is outlined. For this purpose the unique biaxial machine available at the Stevin Laboratory was used. Two load-paths were pursued, namely axial tension at constant shear and proportional tension/shear. The recently developed lattice model was used to simulate the two load-paths. The remarkable feature of the lattice model is its ability to simulate curved overlapping cracks which resemble the experimental findings.

Two Ways of Closing Cracks on Asphalt Concrete Pavements: Microcapsules and Induction Heating

It is well known that asphalt concrete is a self healing material: immediately after both faces of a crack are in contact, the diffusion of molecules from one face to the other starts. If there are no more loads, this process takes place until the crack has completely disappeared and the material has recovered its original resistance [1]. To increase this healing rate two methods are proposed. The first one is a passive self-healing mechanism. Embedded encapsulated chemicals are used in the binder. When microcracks start appearing in the binder due to the combination of ageing and accumulated damage, they break the capsules and the chemicals enter the binder by diffusion. These chemicals repair the material, decreasing the stiffness and increasing the healing rates of bitumen. The second approach makes use of an active self healing mechanism. Local heating inside the material is used to repair the binder and to improve the properties again. This is realized by adding conductive particles to the binder and using induction energy to increase the temperature. These methods are a fairly new concept in the asphalt industry.

Micromechanical Analysis of Fracture of Concrete

In this paper, a recently developed lattice model for simulating the fracture of concrete is presented. The material is modelled as a lattice of brittle-breaking beam ele ments. The heterogeneity of the material is introduced in three manners: (1) by assigning random strength values to the beams in a regular lattice, (2) by generating a random parti cle structure of the material and assigning different strength values to the beam elements appearing in the various composite materials, and (3) by assigning constant strength values to beam elements in a random lattice. The fracture law is extremely simple, and upon exceedence of the strength of a beam element, it is simply removed from the mesh. The analysis is completely linear elastic. With the model crack face bridging in tension, curvi linear crack growth and the fracture mechanism of double-edge notched four-point-shear beams can be simulated realistically. The model seems very attractive because only a small number of single valued parameters is needed. These parameters can be tuned to experimental data in a relatively simple manner. It is important that the crack shapes found in real materials can be simulated to a high degree of accuracy.

Turning Back Time: Rheological and Microstructural Assessment of Rejuvenated Bitumen

Countermeasures to the aging of bituminous asphalt binders is a highly important topic for service-life extension of asphalt in the field and for recycling old pavements into new structures with similar functional requirements as the original structure. Countermeasures are usually achieved by applying additives that restore the adhesive and mechanical properties of the original bituminous binder. The additives are commonly termed (asphalt) rejuvenators. This study examined the performance of two very distinct rejuvenating agents. The effectiveness of rejuvenators is usually measured by comparing the penetration and softening point of the rejuvenator-aged bitumen blend with reference values of the virgin binder. The study used a dynamic shear rheometer to evaluate the rejuvenating capabilities of the two additives. The microstructures of the virgin binder and the rejuvenated blends were obtained by atomic force microscopy. Subsequently, the rheological results were related to the microstructure morphologies. From the rheological experiments, both rejuvenators exhibited the desired softening and property-restoring performance. However, there was a strong difference in the amount of rejuvenator needed to achieve complete rejuvenation. By correlating rheology to the microstructural observations, the effects of the rejuvenators were found to be distinct at microscopic length scales: rejuvenation was achieved by distinct chemophysical mechanisms. One of the rejuvenators restored the virgin microstructure, whereas the other rejuvenator generated a new morphology. Thus, the study demonstrated that by combining rheological and microstructural techniques, the mechanism and performance of rejuvenation can be understood. This finding may help guide future designs and optimization of asphalt-rejuvenating agents.

The Effect of Cracks on Chloride Penetration into Concrete

This study is focused on examining the effect of critical crack width in combination with crack depth on chloride penetration into concrete. Because concrete structures have to meet a minimum service-life, critical crack width has become an important parameter. Specimens with different crack width / crack length have been subjected to rapid chloride migration testing (RCM). The results of this study show a critical crack width of about 0.012 mm. Cracks smaller than this critical crack width are considered not to have a significant influence on the rate of chloride transport inwards, while chloride penetration does proceed faster above this critical crack width.

Crack propagation in sandstone: Combined experimental and numerical approach

SummaryA combined experimental and numerical approach is adopted to investigate crack propagation in sandstone. Experiments on two types of sandstones show a simular behaviour as found in tests on concrete specimens. The heterogeneity of the material in combination with the stress situation, as a result of the applied load, governs the direction of crack propagation. Cracks that develop are not continuous, but overlaps exist mainly around the grain particles in the material. A simple lattice model, in which the material is schematized as a network of small beams, is adopted to simulate the experiments. Using the simulations carried out with the lattice model, the control parameter for stable displacement controlled four-point-shear tests was determined. The crack patterns obtained with the model are in good agreement with the experimental observations. However further study is needed to predict the load-displacement response correctly.

A novel capsule-based self-recovery system with a chloride ion trigger.

Steel is prone to corrosion induced by chloride ions, which is a serious threat to reinforced concrete structures, especially in marine environments. In this work, we report a novel capsule-based self-recovery system that utilizes chloride ions as a trigger. These capsules, which are functionalized via a smart response to chloride ions, are fabricated using a silver alginate hydrogel that disintegrates upon contact with chloride ions, and thereby releases the activated core materials. The experimental results show that the smart capsules respond to a very low concentration of chloride ions (0.1 wt%). Therefore, we believe that this novel capsule-based self-recovery system will exhibit a promising prospect for self-healing or corrosion inhibition applications.

Micromechanical properties of a new polymeric microcapsule for self-healing cementitious materials

Self-healing cementitious materials containing a microencapsulated healing agent are appealing due to their great application potential in improving the serviceability and durability of concrete structures. In this study, poly(phenol–formaldehyde) (PF) microcapsules that aim to provide a self-healing function for cementitious materials were prepared by an in situ polymerization reaction. Size gradation of the synthesized microcapsules was achieved through a series of sieving processes. The shell thickness and the diameter of single microcapsules was accurately measured under environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The relationship between the physical properties of the synthesized microcapsules and their micromechanical properties were investigated using nanoindentation. The results of the mechanical tests show that, with the increase of the mean size of microcapsules and the decrease of shell thickness, the mechanical force required to trigger the self-healing function of microcapsules increased correspondingly from 68.5 ± 41.6 mN to 198.5 ± 31.6 mN, featuring a multi-sensitive trigger function. Finally, the rupture behavior and crack surface of cement paste with embedded microcapsules were observed and analyzed using X-ray computed tomography (XCT). The synthesized PF microcapsules may find potential application in self-healing cementitious materials.