Computational modeling of external sulfate attack in concrete at the meso-level

Abstract

This paper presents recent work by the authors along the domain of coupled chemo-mechanical problems in concrete. External sulfate attack is analyzed from a mesoscale point of view, in which the main heterogeneities of the material are explicitly introduced. Zero-thickness interface elements are introduced a priori in order to consider cracking phenomena. The distribution of sulfate ions and ettringite are obtained from a non-linear diffusion-reaction analysis. The results include the analysis of the influence of coupling on the crack patterns and on the sulfate ions and ettringite distribution of within the cracked material.