Meso-scale modelling of fibre reinforced concrete.
We aim to model fracture and mass transport in concrete and other geomaterials using discrete approaches at meso and micro scales. In particular, coupling of fracture and mass transport is of interest. Fracture influences the permeability and rate of ingress of substances in geomaterials, which can have negative effects on durability of these materials. Furthermore, fluid pressure can initiate and propagate fracture.
We have developed two-dimensional coupled discrete approaches based on dual Delaunay and Voronoi tessellations for the coupling of fracture and mass transport, which were presented in Grassl (2008) and Grassl (2009). These two-dimensional approaches were applied later to the modelling of hydraulic fracturing in Grassl et al. (2015) and corrosion induced cracking in Grassl et al. (2017).
In 2009, we extended the dual two-dimensional approaches to three dimensions. The first study demonstrating the concept of the three-dimensional model was presented in Grassl and Bolander (2009). A longer article presenting the details of the dual three-dimensional discrete modelling approach for fracture was presented in Grassl and Bolander (2016). In a recent EPSRC project (SAFE barriers), the three-dimensional dual Delaunay and Voronoi approach was extended to a hydro-mechanical pore-scale model, which was used for the modelling of wetting of bentonite in Athanasiadis et al. (2017).
We have analysed the fracture process in geomaterial with discrete meso-scale analysis in Grassl and Jirásek (2010), Grassl et al. (2012) and D. Grégoire et al.(2015). We also proposed a calibration strategy for the averaging radius in nonlocal models in Xenos et al. (2015). Recently, we performed 3D meso-scale analyses of fracture processes in fibre reinforced composites Grassl and Antonelli (2018).
Our current work focuses on 3D meso-scale modelling of corrosion induced cracking and creep (DOI) and studies on the effect of multiaxial stress states on fracture processes in tension.
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