Free Water Influence on the Dynamic Tensile Behaviour of Concrete

Abstract

Concrete is a material used all over the world for civil engineering but the mechanisms governing its dynamic behaviour are still not well understood. In this work, spalling tests and edge-on impact experiments have been used to determine the influence of the free-water contained in pores and micro-cracks on the dynamic strength and on the fragmentation process. Moreover, spalling tests have been also used to identify the main mechanisms leading to the difference of behaviour observed between wet and dry concrete.