Shotcrete Elasticity Revisited in the Framework of Continuum Micromechanics: From Submicron to Meter Level
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 17, Issue 3
Abstract
Understanding the chemomechanical behavior of shotcrete (sprayed concrete) is a prerequisite for better design or failure risk assessment of civil engineering structures. Macroscopic material laws for shotcrete are preferably based on hydration degree–dependent material functions. For a given shotcrete mixture—that is, for a fixed water-cement ratio and aggregate-cement ratio —these functions are determined directly from macroscopic experiments. In a purely macroscopic context, considering changes in the ratio (as often encountered in large tunnel projects), or in the ratio would require additional experiments. As an alternative, such hydration degree–dependent material functions can be predicted by considering quantitative information at the microlevel of the cementitious material, in the framework of continuum micromechanics. In this contribution, we focus on the dependence of the elastic stiffness on the hydration degree. We employ a two-step homogenization procedure: within a representative volume element of 50 to , cement grains (clinker), hydrates, water, and air build up a polycrystal. At a larger scale (5 to 10 cm), the aggregates are represented as spherical inclusions in a matrix built up by the aforementioned polycrystal. The input parameters for the model are and . On the basis of seven microelastic properties that are the same for different shotcretes, the chosen approach allows for the prediction of hydration degree–stiffness relationships for different shotcrete mixtures. The high precision of these predictions is shown by comparing them with experimental values obtained from shotcretes with corresponding and values. Changes of between 0.4 and 0.6, which may be encountered on the tunnel site, result in changes of stiffness differing by a factor of up to two. On a structural level, this may change the estimated (high) level of loading of a shotcrete tunnel shell during the first day after installation by more than 40%.
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Acknowledgments
Christian Hellmich gratefully acknowledges fruitful discussions and informative communications with Professor Franz-Josef Ulm, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., with Dr. Eric Lemarchand, Lille University of Technology, France; and with Professor Luc Dormieux, National School of Civil Engineering, Marne-la-Vallée, France. Furthermore, thanks are owed to Nora Pillar, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil, for the communication of experimental results. Finally, the authors would like to mention that the comments of the three reviewers have led to considerable improvement of the manuscript.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 17 • Issue 3 • June 2005
Pages: 246 - 256
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 6, 2004
Accepted: Apr 6, 2004
Published online: Jun 1, 2005
Published in print: Jun 2005
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Yunping Xi
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