The application of a curing front model to simulate healing in a cementitious microbial system

Abstract

This study investigates the ability of a coupled finite element model to simulate Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) and associated healing behaviour in cementitious samples. This recent coupled 3D model was first developed for simulating the behaviour of autonomic healing systems in cementitious structural elements. It employs a cohesive zone constitutive model for simulating the damage-healing behaviour of an embedded interface within 3D continuum elements. Fluid flow is simulated using a mass balance equation and Darcy’s law. Healing is computed via a generalised curing front model that simulates the accumulation of healed material within a crack. The research reported in this article demonstrates that the curing front model can be calibrated to predict healing from MICP in cementitious specimens with good accuracy.