Durability Scaling of Cracking in HPC Structures Subject to Hygromechanical Gradients
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 6
Abstract
The cracking of concrete is one of the main causes of limited life spans of concrete structures. Besides external actions, cracking can be induced by phenomena involving hygromechanical coupling. Such phenomena involve two types of scale effects—one related to local or global diffusion gradients, the other to size effects on cracking in concrete structures. This paper presents results of a research program on the durability of nuclear cooling towers, with minimum reinforcement, constructed with normal and high-strength concrete, when subjected to hygric and thermal gradients. To this end, a combined experimental-numerical approach is applied involving 1:2 scale structural tests and finite-element durability analysis using a probabilistic crack approach. The model is presented and then validated with experimental data. Finally, from 1:1 scale numerical analysis of the cracking due to drying, it is shown that the structural durability performance, in terms of crack opening, is governed by the evaporable water in concrete; it scales both the magnitude and the time of drying, and thus the crack opening and its long-term propagation. At higher moisture content, this durability performance is only slightly influenced by a high strength concrete matrix or by an increased steel reinforcement.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Acker, P. ( 1988). “Comportement mécanique du béton: apports de l'approche physico-chimique.” Rep. No. LPC 152, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC), Paris.
2.
Alvaredo, A. M. ( 1994). “Drying shrinkage and crack formation,” PhD thesis, ETH Zurich, Aedificatio Pub., Freiburg i. Br., Germany.
3.
Baroghel-Bouny, V. ( 1994). “Caractérisation des pâtes de ciment et bétons. Méthodes, analyse, interprétations.” LCPC Monograph, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
4.
Bažant, Z. P., and Najjar, L. J. ( 1972). “Nonlinear water diffusion in nonsaturated concrete.” Mat. and Struct., France, 5(25), 3–20.
5.
Bažant, Z. P., Sener, S., and Kim, J. K. ( 1986). “Effect of cracking on drying permeability and diffusivity of concrete.” Mat. J., 84(M35), 351–357.
6.
Bažant, Z. P. ( 1997). “Scaling of the quasibrittle fracture: Asymptotic analysis.” Int. J. Fracture, 83(1), 19–44.
7.
Bolvin, M., and Chauvel, D. ( 1993). “A study of the life expectancy of cooling towers.” Trans., 12th SMIRT Conf., Paper DH06/4, North-Holland, Amsterdam.
8.
Bosco, C., Carpinteri, A., and Debernardi, P. G. ( 1989). “Size effect on the minimum steel percentage for RC-Beams.” Fracture of concrete and rocks, S. P. Shah, S. E. Swartz, and B. Barr, eds., Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, 672–681.
9.
Coussy, O. ( 1995). Mechanics of porous continua . Wiley, New York.
10.
Coussy, O., Eymard, R., and Lassabatère, T. (1998). “Constitutive modeling of unsaturated drying deformable materials.”J. Engrg. Mech., ASCE, 124(6), 658–667.
11.
de Larrard, F., Granger, L., Guerrier, F., and Rossi, P. ( 1993). “Evaluation du pourcentage minimum de non-fragilité dans les aéroréfrigerants de centrale nucléaire. Cas de bétons classiques et des BHP.” Res. Rep. LCPC, contract EDF/SEPTEN ND 1361, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
12.
de Larrard, F. ( 1999). Concrete Mixture-Proportioning: A Scientific Approach . E&FN Spon, London.
13.
Fairbairn, E. M. R., Guedes, Q. M., and Ulm, F.-J. ( 1999). “An inverse problem analysis for the determination of probabilistic parameters of concrete behavior modeled by a statistical approach.” Mat. and Struct., France, in press.
14.
Granger, L. ( 1995). “Comportement differé du béton dans les enceintes de centrales nucléaires: analyse et modélisation.” Rep. No. LPC 0A21, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC), Paris.
15.
Hawkins, N. M., and Hjorteset, K. ( 1990). “Minimum reinforcement requirements for concrete flexural members.” Applications of fracture mechanics to reinforced concrete, A. Carpinteri, ed., Elsevier Science, New York, 379–412.
16.
Lassabatère, T. ( 1994). “Couplages hydromécaniques en milieu poreux non saturé avec changement de phase: Application au retrait de desiccation,” PhD thesis, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
17.
Mensi, R., Acker, P., and Attolou, A. ( 1988). “Séchage du béton: Analyse et modélisation.” Mat. and Struct., 21, 3–10.
18.
“Régles techniques de conception et de calcul des ouvrages et constructions en béton armé suivant la méthode des états limites.” (1991). Fascicule 62 du CCTG, BAEL, Paris.
19.
Rossi, P., and Wu, X. ( 1992). “Probabilistic model for material behaviour analysis and appraisement of concrete structures.” Mag. Concrete Res., 44(161), 271–280.
20.
Rossi, P., Guerrier, F., Ulm, F.-J., and de Larrard, F. ( 1994a). “Détermination de la résistance à la traction du béton en fonction de l'effort normal réduit.” Res. Rep. LCPC, contract EDF/SEPTEN ND 1494 I/II, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
21.
Rossi, P., Wu, X., Le Maou, F., and Belloc, A. ( 1994b). “Scale effect on concrete in tension.” Mat. and Struct., 27, 437–444.
22.
Rossi, P., Ulm, F.-J., and Hachi, F. (1996). “Compressive behavior of concrete: Physical mechanisms and modeling.”J. Engrg. Mech., ASCE, 122(11), 1038–1043.
23.
Rossi, P., and Ulm, F.-J. ( 1997). Size effects in the biaxial tensile-compressive behaviour of concrete: Physical mechanisms and modelling.” Mat. and Struct., 30(198), 210–216.
24.
Schaller, I. ( 1995). “Etude expérimentale d'une maquette d'un élément d'aéroréfrigérant soumis aux gradients hygrométriques et thermiques.” Res. Rep. LCPC, contract EDF/SEPTEN ND 1494 II/2/1, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
25.
Ulm, F.-J., Rossi, P., and Guerrier, F. ( 1995). “Modélisation de la fissuration due aux gradients d'humidité et de température.” Res. Rep. LCPC, contract EDF/SEPTEN ND 1494 11/2/2, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
26.
Ulm, F.-J., and Rossi, P. ( 1995). “Etude numérique d'un élément d'aéroréfrigérant à l'échelle 1 soumis aux gradients d'humidité et de température.” Res. Rep. LCPC, contract EDF/SEPTEN ND 1494 II/2/3, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
27.
Wittmann, F. H. ( 1982). “Creep and shrinkage mechanisms.” Creep and shrinkage in concrete structures, Z. P. Bažant and F. H. Wittmann, eds., Wiley, New York, 129–161.
28.
Wittmann, F. H. ( 1993). “On the influence of stress on shrinkage of concrete.” CONCREEP 5: Creep and shrinkage of concrete, Z. P. Bažant and I. Carol, eds., E&FN Spon, London, 151–157.
29.
Wittmann, F. H. ( 1998). “Influence of stress on shrinkage of hardened cement paste.” ACI Paris Chapter Workshop on Creep and Shrinkage in Concrete Structures, F.-J. Ulm and I. Carol, eds., American Concrete Institute, Paris chapter, 5–8.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 6 • June 1999
Pages: 693 - 702
History
Received: Jul 20, 1998
Published online: Jun 1, 1999
Published in print: Jun 1999
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.