Abstract
Concrete, like many other materials (whether man-made, geological or biological), is a highly heterogeneous material with heterogeneities that manifest themselves at multiple scales. As new experimental techniques such as nanoindentation have provided unprecedented access to micro-mechanical properties of materials, it becomes possible to identify the mechanical effects of chemical reactions at the micro-scale, where the reactions occur, and trace these micro-chemo-mechanical effects through upscaling techniques to the macro-scale. The focus of this paper is to review recent developments of a microchemomechanics theory which ultimately shall make it possible to capture chemomechanical deterioration processes at the scale where physical chemistry meets mechanics. This is illustrated through application of the theory to early-age concrete and calcium leaching, and an outlook to biologically mediated deterioration processes in solid materials is given.
Résumé
Le béton comme beaucoup d'autres matériaux, soit artificiels, géologiques ou biologiques, est un matériau très hétérogène, dont les hétérogénéités se manifestent à de multiples échelles. Comme des techniques expérimentales nouvelles, telle la nano-indentation, ont donné un accès non-précédent aux propriétés micromécaniques des matériaux, il est possible d'identifier les effets mécaniques des réactions chimiques à l'échelle microscopique, où les réactions ont lieu, et tracer ces effets au travers des méthodes de changement d'échelle vers l'échelle macroscopique. Cet article fait le point sur le développement d'une modélisation micro-chimicomécanique qui a comme but de modéliser la détérioration chimico-mécanique à partir de l'échelle physico-chimique. Ces développements sont illustrés au travers des applications au béton au jeune âge et à la lixiviation des bétons. Enfin, l'extension de cette modélisation aux processus de détérioration bio-chimique des matériaux est mise en perspective.
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Editorial note Prof. Franz-Josef Ulm presented a lecture of this paper at the 2002 RILEM Annual Meeting in Madrid, Spain, when he was awarded the 2002 Robert L'Hermite Medal in recognition of his work in the field of durability mechanics. He is a RILEM Senior Member and Associate Editor forConcrete Science and Engineering.
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Ulm, F.J. Chemomechanics of concrete at finer scales. Mat. Struct. 36, 426–438 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02481522
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02481522