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Assessment of microcrack development in concrete materials of different strengths

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Abstract

Comprehensive microstructural investigations were performed on normal-strength (33 MPa) and relatively high-strength concrete (43 MPa) as well as concrete specimens with and without restraint against drying shrinkage movement. The effects of different load and environmental damaging phenomena (cold and hot environment) on concrete microcrack system were detected. Fluorescent and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) techniques with image analysis methodologies were employed to quantify microcrack attributes on planar sections. Stereological aspects were used to derive information on spatial (3-D) microcrack systems in terms of planar (2-D) quantitative data generated on perpendicular sections. Statistical analysis of data was used to determine the differences in microcrack characteristics between normal-strength versus relatively high-strength and unrestrained versus restrained specimens.

Résumé

Des investigations complètes ont été exécutées au plan microstructurel sur du béton ordinaire (33 MPa) et sur du béton à performances relativement hautes (43 MPa), ainsi que sur des éprouvettes avec et sans contraintes agissant sur le mouvement de retrait au séchage. Les effets de différents phénomènes d'endommagement sous chargement ou environnemental (environnement froid et chaud) sur le système de microfissuration du béton ont été détectés. Des techniques de microscopie électronique à balayage fluorescent et environnemental (ESEM) ont été employées avec les méthodologies d'analyse d'images pour quantifier les attributs des microfissures sur les sections planaires. Les aspects stéréologiques ont été utilisés pour obtenir des informations sur les systèmes de microfissuration spatiale (3-D) en termes de données quantitatives planaires (2-D) générées sur des sections perpendiculaires. L'analyse statistique de ces données a été utilisée pour déterminer les différences de caractéristiques des microfissures entre béton ordinaire et béton à performances relativement hautes, et éprouvettes avec et sans contraintes.

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Abbreviations

AAC1 :

Crack area fraction on the first (horizontal-perpendicular to the direction of loading) section

AAC2 :

Crack area fraction on the second (vertical-parallel to the direction of loading) section

AiC :

Area of each individual crack

Aicm :

Mean of the area of each individual crack in the section of interest

LAC1 :

Crack length per unit area of the first (horizontal-perpendicular to the direction of loading) section

LAC2 :

Crack length per unit area of the second (vertical-parallel to the direction of loading) section

LiC :

Length of each individual crack

WCP1 :

Crack width in plane in the first (horizontal-perpendicular to the direction of loading) section

WCP2 :

Crack width in plane in the second (vertical-parallel to the direction of loading) section

WiC :

Width of each individual crack

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil Eng. Dept., Michigan State University, 3546 Engineering Building, 48824-1226, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    M. Elzafraney & P. Soroushian

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  1. M. Elzafraney
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  2. P. Soroushian
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Elzafraney, M., Soroushian, P. Assessment of microcrack development in concrete materials of different strengths. Mat. Struct. 37, 724–731 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02480518

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