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It is known that the spalling risk of dense, high-strength concretes (HSC) can be reduced by the addition of polypropylene (PP) fibres and, in particular, PP-fibres that have been pre-treated using electron irradiation. It is presumed that the enhanced reduction in spalling resulting from electron irradiation pre-treatment of the fibres can be attributed to enhanced penetration of the molten fibre material into the micro-cracks around the fibres, due to their significantly decreased viscosity. So far there has been no experimental evidence for this. Against this background, this paper gives a com-parative analysis of the mode of action of PP-fibres with and without pre-treatment using multi-scale test methodology.
Initially, fire tests on small-scale building components with accompanying damage monitoring veri-fied that the amount of PP-fibres can be halved by using pre-treated PP-fibres without reducing the fire performance of HSC. Detailed investigations of PP-fibres carried out in a completed research project funded by DFG (the German Research Foundation) using digital scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry measurements (DSC/TG) as well as viscometer measurements showed that the pre-treatment has no significant influence on the melting temperature of the PP-fibres. However, a drastic reduction of the melt viscosity due to the electron irradiation was detectable. Additional dila-tation tests showed that the expansion behaviour of both fibre types and their melts do not differ significantly [1]. Rather, both fibre types generate high pressures when their thermal expansion is hindered. Further detailed investigations by means of continuous heating tests with a low heating rate were carried out on separately produced concrete cylinders. These tests showed that the pre-treatment of the PP-fibres causes earlier dehydration in conjunction with stagnation of thermal expansion of the concrete cylinders (temperature reduction from 180 °C to 170 °C). This is accompanied by in-creased acoustic emission activity during the thermal expansion tests. This leads to the assumption that the pre-treatment of PP-fibres results in earlier micro-crack development. However, it was not possible to confirm this assumption by microscopic examination of drilling cores with a diameter of 30 mm exposed to defined temperatures in the range between 150°C and 300°C. Microscopic obser-vations and additional X-ray 3D computed tomography (3D-CT) scans on miniaturised drilling cores exposed to temperature cycles showed a similar networking of fibre beds by means of micro-cracks in HSC for both fibre types. However, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and wavelength disper-sive X-ray spectroscopy revealed fundamental differences in the penetration capacity of the fibre melts of the two fibre types. The increased penetration of the pre-treated PP-fibre melt revealed in these tests, confirms the initial working hypothesis.
Unilateral thermal exposure of concrete building components induces moisture transport processes that have a significant influence on the spalling behaviour of dense high-strength concrete (HSC). These transport processes are based on evaporation and condensation mechanisms of liquid and gaseous water in the pores as well as the chemically bound water within the concrete. The low permeability of HSC and the formation of a saturated zone within building components (also known as a moisture clog) leads to high water-vapour pressures, which contributes to explosive spalling. The formation of these pressures has already been verified by means of pore-pressure measurement techniques. In addition, the redistribution of the moisture within concrete specimens subject to unilateral thermal exposure has been demonstrated on fractured surfaces. Investigations by means of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry technique and neutron radiography have shown one-dimensional changes in moisture distribution during thermal exposure.
However, none of these methods has been able to depict the moisture distribution in three dimensions (3D), so the link between pore size, concrete micro-structure and moisture content is missing. The research project presented in this paper aims to fill this gap by developing a new multi-level test methodology to characterise non-destructively the temporal course of spatial moisture distribution during unilateral thermal exposure. The procedure used during this programme included the collection of X-ray 3D-computed tomography (CT) measurements using a miniaturised specimen subjected to in-situ thermal exposure and the comparison of those CT results with the results of one-dimensional NMR-relaxometry before and after the heating process.
In the first step, a mobile heating device was developed, built and tested. To simulate a unilaterally-heated construction component, a cylindrical specimen made of HSC (Ø = 40 mm, L = 100 mm) was cast into an impermeable glass ceramic shell. The ceramic shell ensured a one-dimensional moisture flux and limited the thermal expansion of the concrete. An additional high-temperature wool (HTW) insulating shell ensured a one-dimensional heat flux. The heating device, which operated using infrared radiation (IR), allowed the unilateral heating of the specimens up to 300 °C using variable heating regimes.
In the second step, the mobile heating device was integrated into the CT-scanner, which enabled the collection of measurements before, during and after heating. By subtraction of successive 3D-CT images, X-ray attenuation differences could be resolved three-dimensionally in the specimen and interpreted as changes in the moisture content.
Initial results show that this test methodology can monitor the 3D changes of moisture content inside the specimen during thermal exposure. It enables the researcher to visualise areas with moisture accumulation as well as dehydrated areas inside the specimen. Comparative one-dimensional NMR-relaxometry measurements confirm the results of the CT image analysis.
Thermally-induced moisture transport in high-performance concrete studied by X-ray-CT and 1H-NMR
(2019)
The thermohydraulic damage mechanism is one of the primary causes for explosive spalling of highperformance concrete. This paper presents the spatially- and temporally-resolved analysis of the thermally-induced moisture transport and reconfiguration processes by means of X-ray-CT and 1HNMR.
Thermal testing results for a high-performance concrete, which is sensitive to explosive spalling and which was prepared with and without added polypropylene fibres, are presented in this paper. These results indicate that the addition of fibres leads to a faster and deeper migration of the drying front and, thus, to a lower likelihood of vapour-pressure induced explosive spalling.
Water migration in one-side heated concrete: 4D in-situ CT monitoring of the moisture-clog-effect
(2019)
Explosive spalling due to fire exposure in concrete structures can lead severe damage and, in the worst case, to premature component failure. For this reason, an in situ investigation of water Migration in concrete due to surface heating was undertaken.
During these experiments, a miniaturized concrete specimen within a confining and insulating double-hull was subjected to surface heating during simultaneous X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning. Through the use of subtraction-based Image analysis techniques, it was possible to observe and quantify not only drying within areas of the concrete matrix close to the heated surface, but also the migration of moisture to both pore and matrix regions deeper within the specimen. It was also discovered that the correction of CT images for specimen deformation using DVC and variable detector performance using calibrated image filters significantly improved the quality of the results. This clearly demonstrates the potential of X-ray CT for evaluation of other rapid-density-change phenomena in concrete and other building materials.
This paper describes a novel methodology for quantitative in-situ moisture measurement without tracking agents using X-ray computed tomography (XCT). The high levels of grey-scale precision required for the measurement of moisture without tracking agents resulted in the need for an additional image calibration procedure to correct for water-related X-ray scattering and for equipment-variability related artefacts arising during in-situ testing. This calibration procedure was developed on the basis of existing principles of XCT image cor-rection. Resulting images of moisture distribution exhibit a high level of agreement with expected material behaviour. This research demonstrated that XCT can be successfully used to measure both moisture-front movement over time and changes in 3D moisture distribution within samples. This approach to moisture measurement lays the groundwork for the planned future investigation of the interaction between cracking induced by varying chemical and mechanical processes and water transport in concrete.
In this work, which is part of a larger research program, a framework called “virtual data fusion“ was developed to provide an automated and consistent crack detection method that allows for the cross-comparison of results from large quantities of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) data. A partial implementation of this method in a custom program was developed for use in research focused on crack quantification in Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR)-sensitive concrete aggregates. During the CT image processing, a series of image analyses tailored for detecting specific, individual crack-like characteristics were completed. The results of these analyses were then “fused” in order to identify crack-like objects within the images with much higher accuracy than that yielded by any individual image analysis procedure. The results of this strategy demonstrated the success of the program in effectively identifying crack-like structures and quantifying characteristics, such as surface area and volume. The results demonstrated that the source of aggregate has a very significant impact on the amount of internal cracking, even when the mineralogical characteristics remain very similar. River gravels, for instance, were found to contain significantly higher levels of internal cracking than quarried stone aggregates of the same mineralogical type.
Although concrete itself is not a combustible material, concrete mixtures with high density, such has high-performance concretes (HPCs), are susceptible to significant damage during fires due to explosive spalling. Past research has shown that the inclusion ofpolymer fibres in high density concrete can significantly mitigate this fire damage. The exact mechanisms causing this increased spalling resistance are not yet fully understood, but it is thought that the fibres facilitate moisture transport during fire exposure, which in turn contributes to relief of internal stresses in the spalling-susceptible region. In this study, X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) was applied to observe the interaction between polymer fibres and cracking during thermal exposure. For this purpose, two concrete samples containing different polymer fibre types were subjected to incremental application of a defined thermal exposure. CT images were acquired before and after each thermal exposure and powerful image processing tools were used to segment the various material components. This enabled a detailed analysis of crack formation and propagation as well as the visualization and quantification of polymer fibre characteristics within the concrete. The results demonstrated that the orientation of both fibres and cracks in polymerfibre reinforced concrete tend to be anisotropic. The results also indicated that crack geometry characteristics may be correlated with fibre orientation, with cracks tending to run parallel to fibre beds. Clear quantitative relationships were also observed between heating and increasing cracking levels, expressed in terms of both crack surface area and crack volume.
Although concrete itself is not a combustible material, concrete mixtures with high density, such has high-performance concretes (HPCs), are susceptible to significant damage during fires due to explosive spalling. Past research has shown that the inclusion of polymer fibres in high density concrete can significantly mitigate this fire damage. The exact mechanisms causing this increased spalling resistance are not yet fully under-stood, but it is thought that the fibres facilitate moisture transport during fire exposure, which in turn contributes to relief of internal stresses in the spalling-susceptible region. In this study, X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) was applied to observe the interaction between polymer fibres and cracking during thermal exposure. For this purpose, two concrete samples containing different polymer fibre types were subjected to incremental application of a defined thermal exposure. CT images were acquired before and after each thermal exposure and powerful image processing tools were used to segment the various material components. This enabled a detailed analysis of crack formation and propagation as well as the visualization and quantification of polymer fibre characteristics within the concrete. The results demonstrated that the orientation of both fibres and cracks in polymer-fibre reinforced concrete tend to be anisotropic. The results also indicated that crack geometry characteristics may be correlated with fibre orientation, with cracks tending to run parallel to fibre beds. Clear quantitative relationships were also observed between heating and increasing cracking levels, expressed in terms of both crack surface area and crack volume.
Conventional concrete and UHPC performance-damage relationships identified using computed tomography
(2016)
To make significant advances in concrete engineering, it will be necessary to understand the behavior of cementitious materials at the microscale. To achieve this goal, the nature of damage initiation and growth needs to be understood at very small scales. This Research program sought to increase that understanding through the collection of microscale data using X-ray computed tomography (CT). The tensile and compression behavior of both ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and conventional concrete were investigated as a part of this
program. Relationships were identified between mechanical performance parameters, such as stiffness degradation and work of load, and cracking parameters, such as crack volume and crack surface area, that could be quantified mathematically and implemented into future finite element analysis (FEA) models. The results of this Research program have the potential to improve the accuracy and resiliency of numerical models and to provide insight to the materials engineering community concerning the optimal use of UHPC.
Fiber-reinforced concretes (FRCs) offer significant improvements in tensile strength and durability compared to most other concrete mixes.
However, for safe and efficient use of FRC in large structures, anisotropy of fiber orientation needs to be understood and properly controlled. In this project, both cored samples extracted from a FRC slab and FRC samples cast individually in molds were assessed using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and measurements of fiber orientation were extracted from the resulting CT images. These results showed that fibers within the slab were highly anisotropic in orientation while fibers in individually cast samples showed a much more heterogeneous distribution of orientations.
This indicates that fiber orientation is highly dependent on the casting process and suggests that FRC can only be safely and efficiently utilized if anisotropic fiber orientation is properly accounted for during design and optimized casting methods are used during construction.