Influence of pore fluid on the compressive strength of high-strength concrete under dynamic loading

Abstract

Abstract Based on the coupled discrete element-finite difference method, we developed a numerical model of the mechanical behavior of water-saturated brittle composite materials with two-scale porosity. The model takes into account the structural, physicomechanical, and rheological parameters of the components and parameters of component interaction. Using the model, we numerically studied the influence of pore fluid on the dynamic strength of water-saturated high-strength concretes with various features of the pore structure. We showed that the value of dynamic compressive strength is a function of the complex parameter, which characterizes the ratio of the strain rate of the porous skeleton to the rate of fluid flow through the pore network. We identified two factors that control the strength of water-saturated concrete in a wide range of variation of the applied strain rate and skeleton permeability.