Effect of Bond Strength Between Aggregate and Cement Paste on the Mechanical Behaviour of Concrete

Abstract

ABSTRACTConcrete is a composite material, consisting of hardened cement paste (HCP), aggregate and pores. The interfacial bond between HCP and aggregate is very important in determining some of the properties of concrete, such as the mechanical behaviour and durability. Recently, the microstructure of the transition zones between different aggregates and HCP has been studied and a mechanism for the formation of the transitional zone has been proposed by Maso. The objective of the present work has been to study the relationship between interfacial bond and mechanical behaviour of concrete in the light of both theoretical and experimental research on the microstructure of the interfacial zone.