Coupled chemo-mechanical deterioration of cementitious materials. Modeling. (Q1434731)

The authors develop a material model describing the deterioration of cementitious materials such as concrete resulting from coupled calcium leaching and micro-cracking. The model is based on the description of concrete as a porous medium composed of the connected fluid filled pore space and the cementitious skeleton. The model is able to capture degradation of the stiffness and strength following from chemical and mechanical damage as well as the increasing conductivity due to matrix dissolution and the opening of micro-cracks. The properties and the capabilities of the present model are illustrated by a detailed analysis.