Relationship Between Mesostructure, Mechanical Behaviour and Damage of Cement Composites Under High-Pressure Confinement

Abstract

This work seeks to determine how the mesostructure of seven types of cement composites containing alumina particles or not controls their deviatoric strength, compaction law, and damage under high-pressure of confinement. First, the method of analysis of quasioedometric compression tests is presented. Accuracy of the method for concrete is discussed by means of numerical simulations. The confined compression tests performed show the effects of adding ceramic aggregates. Furthermore, an application of post-mortem analysis by infiltration technique of each specimen is presented, revealing a highly micro-cracked pattern depending of the mesostructure of these materials. From these observations, a discussion is presented on the influence that the addition of ceramic aggregates exerts on the confined behaviour of these composites. The tests showed a highly beneficial effect of the presence of particles, on both the deviatoric strength and the compaction law of the concretes considered.

Influence of free water on the quasi-static and dynamic strength of concrete in confined compression tests

“…A method was proposed previously to process experimental data of quasi-oedometric compression tests [8,10,11]. Its aim is to compute the mean radial stress and strain levels within the specimen from the records of strain gauges located on the outer surface of the cell.…”

“…Gatuingt [15] performed dynamic tests with cells made of steel or brass. Forquin et al [8,10] proposed an analysis of the experimental data taking account of the shortening of specimen and of a possible plastic deformation of the confining cell. More recently, dynamic QOC tests performed with a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar device were analysed applying the previous methodology [11].…”

Experimental and numerical studies on the structural response of normal strength concrete slabs subjected to blast loading

“…Twenty cube compression tests on the C20/25 concrete showed that the scatter is fairly low. If smaller cubes were produced, either by casting in a smaller mould or by cutting larger samples, then they would surely produce a larger scatter than the larger cubes as the variation from one point in the concrete to the next can be quite large due to the aggregate, air content, degree of hydration and various other parameters [60][61][62]. The C20/25 concrete was also tested at various stages of curing.…”

An experimental method of measuring the quasi-static and dynamic confined behaviour of PMMA

“…Burlion et al [11], for instance, developed an instrumented elastic steel vessel. Forquin et al [12][13][14] proposed a new analysis of experimental data taking account of the shortening of specimen and of a possible plastic deformation of the confining cell. More recently, dynamic QOC tests have been performed with a split-Hopkinson pressure bar device in the range of strain-rates from 80 to 200/s applying the previous methodology [15][16].…”