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The recommendation is based on the co-authors’ work organized by the RILEM TC 256-SPF “Spalling of concrete due to fire: testing and modelling”. It aims to provide useful information, guidance and best practices in fire spalling assessment to laboratories that perform large-scale tests based on fire resistance test standards. It provides guidance on the spalling observation techniques during testing, as well as post-test spalling quantification/assessment methods. This document is intended to be used in conjunction with the fire resistance test standards, e.g. EN 1363-1 and ISO 834-1.
Concrete pavement surface textures are divided by means of their dimension into four categories: microtexture, macrotexture, megatexture and roughness. They influence the most important performance characteristics of road surfaces, such as friction (also referred to as “skid resistance”), tire/pavement noise, evenness and surface drainage. These properties are relevant for driving safety, comfort and environmental aspects. Up to now, research in Germany has focused on monitoring these characteristics by tire/pavement noise and skid resistance measurements. However, the topography of surface textures has not been sufficiently investigated and evaluated until now. The development and availability of high-performance, hand-held 3D scanning systems during the last years enable measurements of the microtexture and macrotexture of concrete pavement surfaces at short measuring times and high resolution.
This paper shows the ability of modern laser-based technology to record three-dimensional data of different concrete pavement surface textures in situ. For this purpose, a special measuring frame has been developed. The presented results were primarily obtained within the framework of a research project commissioned by the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) and processed by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. Various concrete pavement surface textures by means of diamond grinding and hybrid of diamond grinding and grooving were investigated in situ. In addition, exposed aggregate concretes (EAC), which were introduced as a standard type of concrete for motorway pavements in Germany in 2006, have been analyzed. Based on the gathered 3D data, evaluation routines for qualitative and quantitative analysis have been developed and applied. The aim was to derive the statistical parameters such as the relative and cumulative frequency distribution of the profile depth as well as the roughness coefficient for diamond ground pavements and EAC. Also, the “mean profile depth” (MPD) as a common texture-related parameter was determined.
Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is a chemical reaction within concrete which can lead over time to cracking and spalling. Due to the complexity of the problem, it still causes damage to concrete constructions worldwide.
The publication aims to illustrate the interdisciplinary research of the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) within the last 20 years, considering all aspects of ASR topics from the macro to the micro level. First, methods for characterization and assessment of ASR risks and reaction products used at BAM are explained and classified in the international context. Subsequently the added value of the research approach by combining different, preferably nondestructive, methods across all scales is explained using specific examples from a variety of research projects. Aspects covered range from the development of new test-setups to assess aggregate reactivity, to analysis of microstructure and reaction products using microscopical, spectroscopical and X-ray methods, to the development of a testing methodology for existing concrete pavements including in-depth analysis of the visual damage indicator and the de-icing salt input using innovative testing techniques. Finally, research regarding a novel avoidance strategy that makes use of internal hydrophobization of the concrete mix is presented.
To prevent future alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) damage, which has occurred frequently in the Germanhighway network in recent years, a new regulation has been drafted. This regulation severely limits the use of alkali-sensitive aggregates by requiring that their suitability be verified by certified inspectors using newly developed AAR concrete tests that involve the external supply of alkali. This has led to a significant limitation in the number of aggregates usable for concrete pavements. A novel AAR avoidance strategy is now being pursued, which aims to enable the use of borderline alkali-sensitive aggregates through the application of an internal water-repellent treatment. The addition of water repellents during concrete production should significantly reduce the ingress of water and external de-icing salts into the concrete pavement, thus reducing the potential for AAR damage.
This paper presents the results of laboratory tests to assess the suitability of this new AAR prevention strategy. Representative, highly AAR-susceptible road paving concrete made with an alkali- sensitive greywacke and various water repellents were used as the basis for these experiments. The tests for concrete suitability included determining the conventional fresh and hardened concrete properties as well as concrete prism tests with external alkaline supply. Building on these results, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analyses of de-icing-salt intrusion as well as microscopic examinations for verification of the AAR characteristics were carried out.
The results of the AAR concrete tests with external alkaline supply support the conclusion that, when hydrophobic agents containing a suitable active ingredient are used, the AAR damage process in road paving concrete can be sufficiently prevented.
The durability of concrete structures due to alkali-silica-reaction (ASR) is usually been assessed by ASR concrete prism tests (CPT). Therefore, the expansion of concrete specimens indicates an alkalisensitivity.
In Germany these tests are performed at 40°C or accelerated 60°C. Nevertheless, ASR prism tests are expensive, power and time-consuming. For these reasons, an alternative chemical test (“mod. BTU-test”) was developed in the past. The “mod. BTU-test” was correlated with German standard CPT.
In this test, the solubility of silica and alumina in the liquid phase is measured by ICP-OES.
For special requirements in concrete road construction, stricter test procedures are necessary. The specimens are repeatedly subjected to cyclic alternating storage in NaCl. On the one hand, the presence of NaCl increases the ASR expansion, on the other hand NaCl also changes the dissolution behaviour of silica and alumina.
For now is not possible to correlate the solubilities of “mod. BTU-test” and ASR expansions influenced by NaCl. Therefore, four aggregates with different ASR sensitivities were chosen and ASR concrete prism tests (in addition with NaCl) have been performed. According to the “mod. BTU-test” the solubilities of silica and alumina in presence of different NaCl concentrations were measured.
This paper is about the regression analysis of silica and alumina dissolution and ASR expansion tests in presence of NaCl. The regression analysis shows the influence of a quasi-continuous and an interrupted cyclic alternating storage. Additionally the effects of temperature and NaCl concentration are investigated. In the end, a suitable NaCl concentration of the “mod. BTU-test” for dissolution experiments is recommended. The “mod. BTU-Test” with NaCl might be a serious and reliable test method for ASR classification for concrete road construction.
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.
The long-term exposure of marble objects leads to a successive deterioration of the rock fabric and may cause severe damage on cultural heritage objects. The magnitude of disintegration depends on the rock fabric as well as on the climatic conditions. Some types of marble show no considerable damage even if they have been exposed in northern Europe for several decades or centuries. In contrast, other marble varieties are showing severe damage after a few years of weathering. The present study shows that marble decay, along with the initial thermal degradation, is mainly influenced by the hygric and thermo-hygric load, respectively.
The influence of the rock fabric on the resistivity against weathering is also documented. The factors causing marble decay were compared to extensive climate data, which were collected during a scientific project that was started with the aim to develop a covering system for marble sculptures in Berlin. Based on the hygrothermal material properties of the marble and on the climatic conditions, the heat and moisture Transport inside the material and hence the hygrothermal load changes were calculated with a high spatial resolution. The calculations showed that the temperature and moisture fluctuations inside the material are mainly controlled by the dimensions and orientation of the sculptural elements.
The current state of preservation was investigated by two-dimensional ultrasonic tomography. The results show a good correlation to the calculated distribution of the hygrothermal load. Based on this finding, requirements on a protective winter shelter system for the sculptures were defined.
The project results show that in addition to protective covers, regular inspection and maintenance combined with regular cleaning ensures an effective and sustainable protection of marble objects in northern Europe.
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.
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.
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.
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 concrete pavements, damages occurred which are related to an Alkali-Silica-Reaction (ASR). Although the background for such an ASR has been studied extensively, special conditions in pavements increase this reaction significantly. These are especially the superposition of microstructural degradation caused by cyclic loading with an external alkali supply. Previous investigations of ASR focused mainly on the material itself (aggregates, cements, assessment of the concrete) while these special circumstances have not been considered. Concrete pavements are subjected to cyclic loadings by traffic and climate changes.
Within cooperative research projects the different interdependent influencing factors for a damaging ASR in concrete pavements are studied by experiments as well as by numeric modelling. On the micro-level the ASR-related processes within the aggregate, such as gel-formation or ion-transport, are investigated. On the meso-level, the project focuses on the characterization of degradation effects in the concrete microstructure due to cyclic loading. Further, special attention is paid to the transport behavior of fluids in such pre-damaged concrete structures with and without the effect of overrunning tires as well as the impact on the ASR itself. Finally, on the macro-level the risk of an ASR-damage is assessed.
Fatigue induced degradation in pavement concrete and its effect on the alkali-silica reaction
(2018)
In recent years the German motorway network has seen an increase in the occurrence of damage to concrete road surfaces that can be attributed to the alkali-silica reaction (ASR). In view of the often drastically reduced service life of road surfaces due to ASR, research activity in this field has notably increased. Alongside preventative measures in concrete technology i.e. the usage of low-alkali cements, the main research focus up to now has been on the development of performance-oriented testing procedures for ASR prevention. The effects of mechanicallyinduced damage resulting from cyclic traffic and climatic loading have previously not been taken into consideration.
The assessment of the myriad degradation and transport processes necessary for an understanding of these effects requires close interaction between experiments and corresponding multi-scale models. This contribution is focused on the experiments utilizing innovative testing techniques. The research is founded on a series of fatigue tests performed on large-scale beams with simultaneous tracking of the degradation process using non-destructive evaluation methods. Subsequently, smaller test specimens were extracted from the predamaged beams for further experiments. These experiments included investigation of the influence of fatigue-induced cracks on moisture and alkali transport. Subsequent storage of the small-scale test specimens, with and without cyclic pre-damage, in an ASR-conducive environment then provided initial findings on the influence of fatigue-induced degradation on the ASR.
The results show that the degradation process can be well observed with the test Setup developed for the fatigue experiments. Further, a small but noticeable increase of mass Transport due to fatigue-induced degradation was measured, which correspondingly indicated an increased ASR damage potential.
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.
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.
The accelerated concrete prism test (ACPT-60 °C) facilitates testing of alkali-silica reactivity of aggregates within five months. Manual measurement is usually conducted to determine expansion of test specimen every 28 days. This conventional procedure gives only limited insight to expansion behaviour of ASR-affected prisms. Due to the large time intervals, expansion exceeding the critical value of 0.3 mm/m is likely to be noticed late. Continuous recording resolves this problem and delivers beneficial information on the shape of the expansion curve.
Displacement transducers integrated into a special testing equipment developed at BAM put continuous measurement into practice. Additionally, ultrasonic velocity and acoustic emissions are measured in-situ and provide deeper insights into hydration and crack formation processes during the test.
Aiming for an automated testing method close to the German guideline, the following technical and methodical challenges arise. Changing of the vertical orientation of the prisms with every manual measurement as standardised cannot be implemented. Furthermore, preliminary results already proved true that cooling and heating cycles, as necessarily associated with each manual measurement, can evoke additional expansion. Therefore, interrupted and continuously measured expansions reveal systematic differences, indicating the necessity to adjust the threshold expansion value for automated testing.
Results presented in the paper: Different types of reactive aggregate have been tested applying continuous and manual expansion measurement to the concrete specimens. Development of continuously measured ultrasonic velocity and acoustic emissions of the aggregates tested diverge significantly while the expansion curves vary in shape and maximum strain. Prisms produced from a slowly reacting aggregate do not exhibit noticeable crack formation. It shows that comprehensive measuring helps describing and distinguishing ASR-damage mechanisms.
Models of ASR-induced expansion, available in the open literature, so far are validated with discontinuous data hardly tracing the modelled curve. Continuous measurement improves validation and further model development.
The primary aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of mechanical pre-damage and alkali–silica reaction (ASR) on the fracture mechanical properties of pavement concrete. For this purpose, a four point bending test was applied to large format beams to produce a defined level of cyclic pre-damage. The fatigue-induced concrete degradation process was simultaneously recorded using a testing procedure specifically developed for the purpose. In addition, fatigue-induced cracks on extracted drilling cores were spatially visualized and quantified using micro X-ray 3D-computed tomography (3D-CT). The storage of the small-format test specimens, with and without cyclic pre-damage, in an ASR-conducive environment showed that pre-damage leads to an increase in ASR damage processes. Subsequent structural mechanical investigations on small format specimens with and without pre-damage show that fatigue loading and ASR significantly influence fracture mechanical parameters of the concrete.
According to the objectives of the research group 1498, this paper deals with degradation effects in concrete structures that are caused by cyclic flexural loading. The goal is to determine their influence on the fluid transport processes within the material on the basis of experimental results and numerical simulations. The overall question was, to which extent the ingress of externally supplied alkalis and subsequently an alkali-silica reaction are affected by such modifications in the microstructure. Degradation in the concrete microstructure is characterized by ultrasonic wave measurements as well as by microscopic crack analysis. Furthermore, experiments on the penetration behavior of water into the investigated materials were performed. The penetration behavior into predamaged concrete microstructures was examined by the classical Karsten tube experiment, nuclear magnetic resonance method, and time domain reflectometry techniques. In order to create an appropriate model of the material's degradation on the water transport, the Darcy law was applied to describe the flow in partially saturated concrete. Material degradation is taken into account by an effective permeability that is dependent on the state of degradation. This effective permeability is obtained by the micromechanical homogenisation of the flow in an Representative Elementary Volume (REV) with distributed ellipsoidal microcracks embedded in a porous medium. The data gained in the microscopic crack analysis is used as input for the micromechanical model. Finite element simulations for unsaturated flow using the micromechanical model were compared with the experimental results showing good qualitative and quantitative agreement.
In recent years the German motorway network has seen an increase in the occurrence of damage to concrete road surfaces which can be attributed to the alkali-silica reaction (ASR). In view of the often drastically reduced life expectancy of road surfaces due to ASR, research activity in this field has notably increased. Alongside preventative measures in concrete technology, the main research focus up to now has been the development of performance-oriented testing procedures for ASR prevention. This included more specifically the accelerated simulation of climatic effects and external alkali penetration on road surfaces. The effects of mechanical pre-damage resulting from cyclic traffic loading and climatic impact had previously not been taken into consideration. Since 2011, the five-partner research group 1498 sponsored by the German Research Foundation (DFG) has been pursuing research on how simultaneous cyclic loading and external alkali penetration impacts destructive ASR in road surface concretes. The depiction of the myriad degradation and transport processes necessary for an understanding of these effects requires close interaction between experiments and their multi-scale modelling. This paper aims to focus on the aforementioned experiments by means of innovative testing techniques. The research is founded on a series of cyclic fatigue tests performed on large-format beams, both with and without previous application of a sodium chloride (NaCl) solution, with simultaneous tracking of crack development. Subsequently, smaller test specimens were extracted from the pre-damaged beams for further experiments. These included the spatial visualization and quantification of fatigue-induced cracks using micro X-ray 3D-computed tomography (3D-CT). Additionally, the effects of fatigue-induced cracks on alkali transport were investigated using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). Subsequent storage of the small-format test specimens, with and without cyclic pre-damage, in an ASR-conducive environment then provided initial findings on the influence of fatigue-induced predamage on the ASR.
The susceptibility of different aggregate types used in concrete to ASR is strongly associated with their petrography. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of the aggregate size on the ASR potential, in particular applied to the sand fractions in the size range of 0.125-4 mm. The investigation concept is based on the hypothesis that at a specific particle size reactive aggregates could change their characteristic influence in mitigating ASR instead of promoting it. For the study of the size dependent behaviour mortars are prepared, considering aggregates of different reactivity, including very reactive, slow-late and quasi non-reactive types. The analysis is based on a stepwise substitution concept, in which mortars with a constant overall grain size distribution are compared, while only one size fraction of the non-reactive base aggregate is substituted by a reactive aggregate type of this specific size fraction. For the expansion experiments an accelerated mortar bar test (80°C, immersed in NaOH solution) was applied. The results show that the slow-late reactive greywacke yielded a strong reduction of the expansion below an aggregate size in the range of 0.5-1 mm. On the other side with the very reactive borosilicate glass, the expansions increased steadily with decreasing size. To validate if the acquired expansions were caused by ASR, thin sections were analysed. Mainly, higher expansion values were consistent with extensively more amounts of ASR indicators.
In recent years the German highway network has seen an increase in the occurrence of damage in concrete road surfaces which can be attributed to the alkali-silica reaction (ASR). In view of the often drastic reduction in life expectancy experienced by concrete pavements due to ASR, research activity in this field has notably increased. Until now the main research focus has been, alongside preventative measures in concrete technology, the development of performance-oriented testing procedures for ASR prevention. This included more specifically the accelerated simulation of climatic effects and external alkali supply on concrete pavements. The effects of pre-damage from the additionally interacting cyclic traffic loading had previously not been taken into consideration.
Since 2011, a five-partner research group from the German Research Foundation has been pursuing research on the effects of simultaneous cyclic loading and external alkali supply on the destructive ASR in concrete pavements. The depiction of the myriad degradation and transport processes necessary for an understanding of these effects requires a close interaction between experiments and their multi-scale modelling. This contribution aims to focus on the aforementioned experiments by means of innovative testing techniques. The research is founded on a series of cyclic fatigue tests performed on large-format beams, both with and without previous application of a NaCl solution, with simultaneous tracking of crack development. Thereafter, smaller test specimens were extracted from the pre-damaged beams for further experiments. These included the spatial visualization and quantification of fatigue-induced cracks with X-ray 3D-computed tomography. Additionally, the effects of fatigue-induced cracks on moisture and alkali transport were investigated using 3D-CT and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). Subsequent storage of the small-format test specimens, with and without cyclic pre-damage, in an ASR-conducive environment was then able to shed light on the influence of fatigue-induced pre-damage on the ASR.
A significant number of German concrete motorway pavements have shown damage only a few years after construction. The alkali-silica-reaction (ASR) is often one of the reasons for this damage. German guidelines and regulations focus on the optimisation of the concrete composition to avoid damage due to ASR. Moreover, diverse research projects have dealt with the development and optimisation of ASR performance test methods with and without external alkali supply. However, the influence of other parameters on the occurrence and intensity of a damaging ASR had not yet been taken into account. Such parameters include, e.g., insufficient curing and the modifications of concrete’s porosity due to the use of slip form pavers. Likewise, the increased traffic loading had not yet been considered. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) assesses these parameters and processes in a number of projects. These projects aim primarily to increase the durability of the concrete pavements, in particular by improving preventive measures that may be taken before or after the construction of concrete pavements. This paper gives a short overview of BAM’s projects concerning ASR in concrete pavements. Furthermore, results regarding the influence of the cyclic traffic loading on ASR are presented.
Though, concrete in general is a non-combustible building material, modern High Performance Concrete (HPC) is very susceptible to violent explosive spalling during a fire attack. This requires protective measures for fire safety design of concrete structures. The current most worthwhile method to prevent explosive spalling is the addition of monofilament Polypropylene fibres (PP-fibres). However, since it has become common knowledge that PP-fibres are suitable for fire safety design, a variety of theories concerning the mode of action of PP-fibres have been suggested. The present article summarizes the most important hypothesis and presents an innovative method for the analysis of micro structural processes in heated specimens. The results show that due to the thermal decomposition of PP-fibres capillary channels are created. Simultaneously, a netlike micro crack formation occurs, which connects these capillary channels. This enables the relief of internal stresses (mechanical effect) and the formation of a permeable transport system for the escaping water vapour (permeation effect).
High-strength concrete (HSC) will experience thermal microcracking, explosive spalling, and undesirable chemical changes when exposed to high temperatures, such as during fire, engulfment by lava flow, or nuclear meltdown. Knowledge of the resultant changes in mechanical, physical, and chemical properties is paramount for hazard mitigation. We present a multidisciplinary study on the influence of thermal-stressing on HSC. Our study shows that thermal microcracking in HSC initiates at 180 °C, is more prevalent during cooling, and exhibits the Kaiser 'temperature-memory' effect. We show that residual compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, ultrasonic wave velocities, and Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio decrease, whilst porosity and permeability increase with increasing temperature. We discuss these data in terms of the chemical changes during thermal-stressing, provided by thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction, and from optical microscopic analysis of thermally-stressed samples. We provide implications for thermally-damaged HSC structures and a new method for non-destructive monitoring.
Although concrete in general is a non-combustible material, the fire resistance of concrete structures depends, to a large extent, on the mechanical material behaviour. Fire tests have shown that SCC is often susceptible to explosive spalling due to fire exposure, in a similar manner to HPC. But there are hardly any studies available that report properties of specimens at high temperatures.
This paper presents the results of an
experimental study on the transient strain of high
strength concrete (HSC) under heating up to 750 °C
and the impact of polypropylene (PP) fibers. Concerning
this topic only few results are available in the
literature and systematic investigations are missing.
However, basic knowledge is necessary for the
understanding of the internal damage processes in
the material as well as for heated structures. The
transient strain during heating can be separated in two
basic components: the free thermal strain and the
mechanical strain. They were experimentally determined
exemplarily for one HSC. For the determination
of the mechanisms of transient strain and particularly
the influence of PP fibers different techniques were
applied. In this context the monitoring of the microcracking
was done for the first time with acoustic
emission analysis in combination with ultrasonic
measurements. This new approach helps fundamentally
to explain the impact of PP fibers on free thermal
strain and mechanical strain during heating up.
Furthermore weight loss measurements were carried
out to characterize the moisture transport. It was
shown that the PP fibers cause an acceleration of the
moisture transport in the temperature range from 200
to 250 °C which leads to drying shrinkage in opposite
direction to the free thermal strain. Hence this paper is
a contribution to the general understanding of the
impact of PP fibers in HSC at high temperatures and
emphasizes the important influence of PP fibers on the
thermal and mechanical induced strain of HSC.
It has been shown in fire tests that polypropylene fibres reduce or avoid explosive spalling of high performance concrete. In the critical temperature ränge up to 300 °C the permeability of HPC increases by using polypropylene fibre. Due to this the water vapour, which is the main reason for explosive spalling, can escape. There exist different theories in the literature conceming the micro structural mechanisms, which cause an increase in the permeability. Within the framework of an internal research project at BAM an innovative methodology was developed for experimental verifying of existing theories and to get new insights into this problem The methodology used is unique and has been undertaken here for the first time. This consists of the combination of acoustic emission and ultrasonic measurement during temperature loading and the non-destructive micro structural analysis of cooled down samples with the aid of micro X-ray computed tomography. For the validation of the nondestructive test methods scanning electron microscopic images of prepared samples were undertaken. The results show that due to the thermal decomposition of the polypropylene fibres micro canals emerge. These are connected due to a simultaneous micro cack formation.
This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the influence of polypropylene (PP) fibres on the thermal strain of high strength concrete (HSC) at temperatures up to 750°C. Concerning this topic only few results can be found in the literature and systematic investigations are missing. However, basic knowledge is necessary to understand the internal damage processes as well as for structural design.
To explain the differences in the thermal strain of HSC with and without addition of PP fibres the internal damage processes were investigated with acoustic emission (AE) analysis and ultrasound (US). Furthermore the weight loss was measured continuously during heating to monitor the drying of the specimen. This novel approach by combining these different methods with strain measurements at high temperatures allows the integral description of the internal damage processes. The results reveal significant differences in the thermal strain of HSC when PP fibres are added. Between 200°C and 250°C the thermal strain of HSC with PP fibres is superimposed by shrinkage caused by accelerated drying. Above 250°C it is lower than that of plain HSC without PP fibres. It is supposed that it is caused by a more homogeneous distribution of micro cracks whereby the fibre beds acting as defects in the concrete.
Hence this paper gives a contribution to the general understanding of the impact of PP fibres in HSC at high temperatures and points out the influence of the fibres on the thermal strain of HSC.
Monitoring of fire damage processes in concrete by pore pressure and acoustic emission measurements
(2011)
This paper presents the combined use of acoustic emission (AE), gas pore pressure and temperature measurements (PT). The simultaneous application of both techniques represents a new methodology in the context of fire spalling and contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms of fire spalling, particular with regard to the interaction of micro cracking and pore pressure evolution. The study presents fire tests on normal strength concrete specimens with and without reinforcement at ISO Standard fire and at hydrocarbon (HC) fire. Supported by AE-analysis, it can be shown that due to the higher heating rate of the HC-fire in comparison to the ISO Standard fire the damage processes inside the concrete during the exposure are increased combined with augmenting the concrete permeability. As a consequence lower pore pressures were measured. However, despite the lower pore pressures, explosive spalling was observed.
The present study documents the results of an
inter-disciplinary model project that was planned with the
aim of developing an innovative winter covering system
for marble statuaries located on the Schlossbru¨cke (Berlin).
Such a system would need to fulfil the various requirements
for structural stability, aesthetics, climate and practical
use. This applied research represents the first complex
scientific study of the sustainability of a winter covering
system. The study is characterised by the use of complex
scientific instruments such as special laboratory analysis
and numerical simulation tools. The interaction between
the environment and the artefacts in connection with the
innovative winter covering structures were studied by
extensive climatic monitoring.