Numerical Scheme for Predicting Chloride Diffusivity of Concrete
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 9
Abstract
Owing to the lack of research for evaluating the effect of the aggregate profile on the chloride diffusivity of concrete, this paper presents a numerical scheme for predicting the chloride diffusivity of concrete with practical aggregates. Using Fourier series, practical aggregate models consisting of pixels are established. A computer simulation of the mesostructure of concrete with established aggregates is performed. A random-walk simulation for digitized media is introduced to solve the diffusion equation of chloride ions, and the chloride diffusivity of concrete is determined. To ensure both the simulation accuracy and the operating efficiency of the computer, the first-passage radius and the numbers of random walkers are determined. The accuracy of the numerical scheme is verified via a comparison with experimental results. Finally, the impact factors, e.g., the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) thickness and the aggregate content, shape, angularity, and surface texture, are quantitatively evaluated. The simulation results indicate that the chloride diffusivity is significantly affected by the ITZ thickness, aggregate content, and aggregate shape but is hardly affected by the angularity and surface texture of the aggregate.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
Financial support from the Talent Project of Jiyang College of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University (Grant No. RQ1911B06), the National Natural Science Foundation (Grant Nos. 51879229 and 51878615), the Production and Construction Group’s Programs for Science and Technology Development (2019AB016), and the Zhejiang Basic Public Welfare Research Program (Grant No. LGF19E080014) of the People’s Republic of China is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 9 • September 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 4, 2020
Accepted: Feb 10, 2021
Published online: Jul 8, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Dec 8, 2021
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