Sandstone-concrete interface transition zone (ITZ) damage and debonding micromechanisms under freeze-thaw

The sufficient bond between concrete and rock is an important prerequisite to ensure the effect of shotcrete support. However, in cold regions engineering protection system, the bond condition of rock and concrete surface is easily affected by freeze-thaw cycles, resulting in interface damage, debonding and even supporting failure. Understanding the micromechanisms of the damage and debonding of the rock-concrete interface is essential for improving the interface protection.Therefore, the micromorphology, micromechanical properties, and microdebonding evolution of the sandstone-concrete interface transition zone(ITZ) under varying freeze-thaw cycles(0, 5, 10, 15, 20) were studied using scanning electron microscope, stereoscopic microscope, and nano-indentation. Furthermore, the distribution range and evolution process of ITZ affected by freeze-thaw cycles were defined. Major findings of this study are as follows:(1) The microdamage evolution law of the ITZ under increasing freeze-thaw cycles is clarified, and the relationship between the number of cracks in the ITZ and freeze-thaw cycles is established;(2) As the number of freeze-thaw cycles increases, the ITZ's micromechanical strength decreases, and its development width tends to increase;(3) The damage and debonding evolution mechanisms of sandstone-concrete ITZ under freeze-thaw cycles is revealed, and its micromechanical evolution model induced by freeze-thaw cycles is proposed.

AR-Glass Fibre-Cement Interfacial Transition Zone

The microstructure of ITZ (Interfacial Transition Zone) in single glass fibre-cement was investigated by SEM ( Scanning Electron Microscope), EPXM ( Electron Probe X-ray Microanalyzer) and ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope) . The surface morphology of glass fibres and the hydration products in the vicinity of the interfaces were observed. Chemical element (Zr, Ca and Si) distributions over the ITZ thickness were determined by line-scanning with EPXM. The results show that a low-density transition zone existed in the vicinity of glass fibres . The shape of the fibre-cement ITZ was non-symmetrical and its thickness was variable . In the present study, the width of the zone ranged from 1 - 5 μm. Locally, it came to 10μm. Occasionally , some hydration products with high alkalinity were embedded inside the ITZ, and attached on the glass surface , making the ITZ denser and causing local glass to corrode. The test results are helpful for the further understanding of the GRC degradation .

Micro-structure and Macro-performance:Surface Layer Evolution of Concrete under Long-term Exposure in Harsh Plateau Climate

We conducted a series tests on surface layers of plateau concrete at the ages of 180 and 540 days,including the most superficial cement paste,the 5 mm thick surface mortar,and the 50 mm thick surface concrete.Thermogravimetry and nitrogen absorption porosimetry on cement past,mercury intrusion porosimetry on mortar,and microhardness test on interface transition zone between mortar and coarse aggregate were conducted to evaluate the hydration degree and characterize the micro-structure.Whilst,tests for the rebound strength,abrasion resistance,and chloride ion impenetrability of concrete were conducted to assess the macro-performance.The experimental results show that,affected by the harsh plateau climate,outward surfaces have lower hydration degrees and worse pore structure than inward surfaces.As the hydration of concrete surface is ongoing after the age of 180 days,both the micro-structure and the macro-performance are continuously improved.In the long-term,either the orientation or the depth towards surface does not significantly affect concrete performance.Surface carbonation brings positive effects on mechanical properties but negative effects on the durability.Additionally,standard test result of chloride ion impenetrability is found significantly affected by the atmospheric pressure.For a same batch of concrete,charge passed in plateau regions is obviously lower than that in common regions.

Meso-scale corrosion expansion cracking of ribbed reinforced concrete based on a 3D random aggregate model

In reinforced concrete structures,corrosion of the rebar produces 2–6 times more corrosion product than the original material,creating pressure on the surrounding concrete,leading to cracking.The study of corrosion and cracking in reinforced concrete structures is therefore of great importance for enhancing the durability of concrete.Unlike many previous studies,we used ribbed rebar similar to that used commercially and considered the mechanical behavior of the interface transition zone(ITZ)between the aggregate and mortar to simulate the processes of corrosion and cracking of reinforced concrete structures.We explored the failure mode of the interface layer under uniform corrosion and the influence of different factors on the corrosion expansion cracking and the shedding mode of a concrete cover.This was achieved by establishing a three-phase meso-scale model of concrete based on secondary development of ABAQUS,simulating the mechanical behavior of the ITZ using a cohesive element,and establishing a rust expansion cracking model for single and multiple rebars.The results showed that:(1)Under uniform rust expansion,concrete cracks are distributed in a cross pattern with a slightly shorter lower limb.(2)When the corrosion rate is low,the ITZ is not damaged.With an increase in the corrosion rate,the proportion of elements with tensile damage in the ITZ first increases and then decreases.(3)In the case of a single rebar,the larger the cover thickness,the higher the corrosion rate corresponding to ITZ failure,and the arrangement of the rebar has little influence on the ITZ failure mode.(4)In the case of multiple rebars,the concrete cover cracks when the rebar spacing is small,and wedge-shaped spalling occurs when the spacing is large.

Effect of Randomness of Interfacial Properties on Fracture Behavior of Concrete Under Uniaxial Tension

Interfacial transition zones （ITZs） between aggregates and mortar are the weakest parts in concrete. The random aggregate generation and packing algorithm was utilized to create a two-phase concrete model, and the zero-thickness cohesive elements with different normal distribution parameters were used to model the ITZs with random mechanical properties. A number of uniaxial tension-induced fracture simulations were carried out, and the effects of the random parameters on the fracture behavior of concrete were statistically analyzed. The results show that, different from the dissipated fracture energy, the peak load of concrete does not always obey a normal distribution, when the elastic stiffness, tensile strength, or fracture energy of ITZs is normally distributed. The tensile strength of the ITZs has a significant effect on the fracture behavior of concrete, and its large standard deviation leads to obvious diversity of the fracture path in both location and shape.