Modeling water absorption of the concrete substrate in concrete repairs

Author(s): M. Luković, B. Šavija, G. Ye, J. Zhou
Paper category: Conference
Book title: Concrete Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofitting III (ICCRRR)
Editor(s): M.G. Alexander, H.-D. Beushausen, F. Dehn, P. Moyo
Print ISBN: 978-0-415-89952-9
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Pages: 381- 382
Total Pages: 2
Language: English

Abstract: 
Moisture exchange between the repair material and the concrete substrate plays an important role in the development of properties of the repair system. Capillary absorption increases the contact area between repair material and concrete substrate, improving the mechanical interlocking of the system. On the other hand, this can result in the change of the water content at the interface, increase the differential shrinkage, and affect further cement hydration and microstructure development of the repair material. Quantification of absorption is especially important for repair materials with low w/c ratio where water loss can significantly affect the quality of the repair. Therefore, this paper proposes a 3D lattice network model based on the unsaturated flow theory to predict the water absorption and water content in the concrete substrate. The corresponding transport properties are assigned to the lattice elements which are idealized as conductive “pipes”. As a result, the water content distribution, cumulative water absorption and penetration depth of the water front can be easily quantified in any elapsed time. Comparison of the results of the lattice model and previously developed model is presented. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Online publication: 2014
Publication Type: abstract_only
Public price (Euros): 0.00