Numerical Simulation of the Freezing Process of Concrete
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 9
Abstract
Based on the equilibrium, continuity, and energy principles of multiphase porous media, a thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling model was developed for concrete upon freezing. To solve the governing differential equations, a three-dimensional finite-element analysis is performed based on the software program Comsol Multiphysics. Finally, temperature distributions, frozen water contents, and strains as a function of freezing time are predicted. A comparison of the analytical results with available experimental data for concrete mortars illustrates the validity of the proposed model. This numerical model can be used to assess the effect of cooling rate, the role of pore-size distribution, the role of permeability, the effect of cross section size and shape, the effect of superimposed stresses attributable to applied loads, and other factors that cannot easily be evaluated by current tests.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51108413), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2012QNA4016).
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Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 9 • September 2013
Pages: 1317 - 1325
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 16, 2012
Accepted: Aug 14, 2012
Published online: Aug 29, 2012
Discussion open until: Jan 29, 2013
Published in print: Sep 1, 2013
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