Abstract
The healing of cracks formed during high temperature exposure plays an important role in the performance recovery of concrete damaged by fire, but it is necessary to better understand the cracking behavior under heating and re-curing. This research applied X-ray microtomography and image analysis techniques to non-destructively examine the internal microstructure of high-strength cementitious materials and to clarify the changes in crack characteristics due to heating and water re-curing. Results showed that, in cement paste, radial cracks formed during heating due to shrinkage by dehydration and these cracks grew larger and new cracks formed during re-curing due to expansion by rehydration. In concrete, cracks formed around aggregates due to incapability in thermal expansion, but water re-curing reduced the total crack space. Better crack recovery in concrete relative to cement paste may be due to the lower cement content and the restraining effect of aggregates.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e362 |
| Journal | Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies |
| Volume | 2013-August |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 3rd International Conference on Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies, SCMT 2013 - Kyoto, Japan Duration: 2013 Aug 18 → 2013 Aug 21 |
Keywords
- Cracking
- Fire damage
- High-strength concrete
- Water re-curing
- X-ray CT
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Building and Construction
- Mechanics of Materials
- Materials Science(all)