@article{HaynackSekandarJithenderetal., author = {Haynack, Alexander and Sekandar, Zadran and Jithender, J. Timothy and Gambarelli, Serena and Kr{\"a}nkel, Thomas and Thiel, Charlotte and Ozbolt, Josko and Gehlen, Christoph}, title = {Can a Hend-Held 3D Scanner Capture Temperature-Induced Strain of Mortar Samples? Comparison between Experimental Measurements and Numerical Simulations}, series = {mathematics}, volume = {11}, journal = {mathematics}, number = {17}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, doi = {10.3390/math11173672}, abstract = {The expected lifespan of cement-based materials, particularly concrete, is at least 50 years. Changes in the pore structure of the material need to be considered due to external influences and associated transport processes. The expansion behaviour of concrete and mortar during freeze-thaw attacks, combined with de-icing salt agents, is crucial for both internal and external damage. It is essential to determine and simulate the expansion behaviour of these materials in the laboratory, as well as detect the slow, long-term expansion in real structures. This study measures the expansion of mortar samples during freeze-thaw loading using a high-resolution hand-held 3D laser scanner. The specimens are prepared with fully or partially saturated pore structures through water storage or drying. During freeze-thaw experiments, the specimens are exposed to pure water or a 3\% sodium chloride solution (NaCl). Results show contraction during freezing and subsequent expansion during thawing. Both test solutions exhibit similar expansion behaviour, with differences primarily due to saturation levels. Further investigations are required to explore the changing expansion behaviour caused by increasing microcracking resulting from continuous freeze-thaw cycles. A numerical analysis using a 3D coupled hygro-thermo-mechanical (HTM) model is conducted to examine the freeze-thaw behaviour of the mortar. The model accurately represents the freezing deformation during the freeze-thaw cycle.}, language = {en} } @article{ThielKratzerGrimmetal., author = {Thiel, Charlotte and Kratzer, Johanna and Grimm, Benedikt and Kr{\"a}nkel, Thomas and Gehlen, Christoph}, title = {Effect of Internal Moisture and Outer Relative Humidity on Concrete Carbonation}, series = {CivilEng}, volume = {4}, journal = {CivilEng}, number = {3}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, doi = {10.3390/civileng3040058}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-56091}, pages = {1039 -- 1052}, abstract = {With steadily rising CO2 concentrations in the ambient air and fast-changing concretecompositions with reduced clinker contents, the availability of reliable and accelerated concrete car-bonation tests is of crucial importance to design durable structures. This paper focuses on the effectsof moisture under accelerated conditions and the effects of different CO2 exposure conditions. Mor-tar prisms incorporating three different cement types were cured and stored at either 50\% or 65\%relative humidity (RH). Afterwards, the prisms were carbonated at different ambient humidities(50, 57 and 65\%), different CO2 concentrations (0.04, 1 and 3 vol.\%) and complemented by a seriesof tests at increased gas pressure (2 barg). High-resolution test methods were used to explain theunderlying carbonation mechanisms. The results show that pre-conditioning for two weeks—ascurrently suggested by the European Standard—seems to be too short because the initial inner mois-ture content severely affects the carbonation rate. Relative humidity during carbonation of 57\% ledto higher carbonation rates compared to 50\% and 65\%. In addition, climate data needs to be period-ically (preferably permanently) recorded in research experiments and in laboratory testing to ensurefair interpretation of experimental results.}, language = {en} }