Microstructural damage evolution and its effect on fracture behavior of concrete subjected to freeze-thaw cycles

Abstract

Concrete structures in cold regions are exposed to cyclic freezing and thawing environment, leading to degraded mechanical and fracture properties of concrete due to microstructural damage. While the X-ray micro-/nano-computed tomography technology has been implemented to directly observe concrete microstructure and characterize local damage in recent years, the freeze-thawed damage evolution processes and its effect on overall mechanical performance are not well understood. In this paper, the X-ray nano-computed tomography technology and micro-scale cohesive zone model are combined to quantitatively investigate microstructural damage evolution and its effect on fracture behavior of freeze-thawed concrete samples in three-point bending tests. A two-level micro-to-macro scale finite element model is developed based on computed tomography microstructural images with microcracks due to freeze-thaw cycles. The macroscopic load–deflection curves and fracture energies are simulated and compared favorably with experimental results. Simulation results demonstrate that microcracks caused by freeze-thaw actions are the primary reason for degradation of concrete mechanical properties. Fracture behaviors of frost-damaged concrete with different mortar and interfacial transition zone strength and fracture constants are also simulated and discussed. The combined X-ray nano-computed tomography technology and cohesive zone model proposed is effective in characterizing fracture behavior of concrete and capturing freeze-thaw cycle-induced microstructural damage evolution and its effect on fracture process of concrete.