Meso-scale Modeling of Anomalous Moisture Transport in Concrete Considering Microstructural Change of Cement-based Material

Abstract

Moisture transport is the key phenomenon indicating the deterioration of the durability and structural performance of concrete structures. Although various studies have attempted to evaluate moisture transport in concrete, an anomalous behavior, which does not follow the root-t law compared to other porous material, was not explicitly taken into account. To quantitatively evaluate anomalous moisture transport, this study developed a couple of numerical methods between the truss-network model (TNM) and the rigid-body-spring model (RBSM) for this purpose. The colloidal behavior of calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H), which is the major phase of cement-based material, was introduced to consider the anomalous behavior and mechanical response regarding the microstructural change of cement paste as well as cracks that significantly accelerate the moisture transport in concrete. The numerical results indicated that both microstructural change of cement paste and rapid absorption through cracks cause anomalous behavior. In addition, the numerical results suggest that volumetric change of cement paste should rely on water content related to the colloidal behavior of C-S-H in order to reproduce the realistic expansion and the closure of cracks during a rewetting process that affects structural performance and durability of concrete.