Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) enhance concrete durability by mitigating early cracks and promoting secondary hydration; however, their enhancement effect may be influenced by extreme environments (e.g., high/low temperature, and freeze–thaw cycles) and varying fatigue load levels (0.4, 0.55, and 0....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guiping Ren, Yinchuan Guo, Aiqin Shen, Hansong Wu, Zhenghua Lyu, Hongxu Cui, Jinhua Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Results in Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025024466
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849408674914631680
author Guiping Ren
Yinchuan Guo
Aiqin Shen
Hansong Wu
Zhenghua Lyu
Hongxu Cui
Jinhua Wu
author_facet Guiping Ren
Yinchuan Guo
Aiqin Shen
Hansong Wu
Zhenghua Lyu
Hongxu Cui
Jinhua Wu
author_sort Guiping Ren
collection DOAJ
description Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) enhance concrete durability by mitigating early cracks and promoting secondary hydration; however, their enhancement effect may be influenced by extreme environments (e.g., high/low temperature, and freeze–thaw cycles) and varying fatigue load levels (0.4, 0.55, and 0.7). A four-point bending fracture test combined with acoustic emission (AE) technology was used to assess the fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of environmental and dynamic fatigue loading. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were used to examine crack evolution mechanisms. The results demonstrated that SAPs slow the rate of decline in flexural tensile strength, peak load, and fracture energy under varying fatigue load durations and temperature fields. Specifically, under 0.55 stress-level fatigue load and temperature environments, the fracture energies of the control group decreased by 42.86 %–87.75 %, while those of SAP concrete decreased by only 35.96 %–85.51 %. The impact of environmental factors on concrete can be ranked in the following order: freeze–thaw cycles, high temperature, and low temperature. Moreover, the anti-cracking performance of SAP concrete is more pronounced at low temperatures than at high temperatures. Mechanistically, SAPs optimized the pore structure and enhanced concrete compactness through internal curing, reducing the average pore diameter of the concrete by 12.25 %. This also decreased crack length, width, and density, as the incorporation of SAPs increased the initial damage threshold and inhibited crack propagation. This research provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for the application of SAP concrete in highway engineering.
format Article
id doaj-art-47be6cb5c969445bbcdb6a0e584fda9b
institution Kabale University
issn 2590-1230
language English
publishDate 2025-09-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Results in Engineering
spelling doaj-art-47be6cb5c969445bbcdb6a0e584fda9b2025-08-20T03:35:44ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-09-012710637510.1016/j.rineng.2025.106375Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emissionGuiping Ren0Yinchuan Guo1Aiqin Shen2Hansong Wu3Zhenghua Lyu4Hongxu Cui5Jinhua Wu6School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, Shaanxi, China; Corresponding authors.School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, Shaanxi, China; Corresponding authors.School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, Shaanxi, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Traffic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, ChinaCollege of Ocean Engineering and Energy, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524088, China; Corresponding authors.Shandong Highway Infrastructure Co., Ltd., Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co., Ltd., Jinan 250000, ChinaSchool of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, Shaanxi, ChinaSuperabsorbent polymers (SAPs) enhance concrete durability by mitigating early cracks and promoting secondary hydration; however, their enhancement effect may be influenced by extreme environments (e.g., high/low temperature, and freeze–thaw cycles) and varying fatigue load levels (0.4, 0.55, and 0.7). A four-point bending fracture test combined with acoustic emission (AE) technology was used to assess the fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of environmental and dynamic fatigue loading. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were used to examine crack evolution mechanisms. The results demonstrated that SAPs slow the rate of decline in flexural tensile strength, peak load, and fracture energy under varying fatigue load durations and temperature fields. Specifically, under 0.55 stress-level fatigue load and temperature environments, the fracture energies of the control group decreased by 42.86 %–87.75 %, while those of SAP concrete decreased by only 35.96 %–85.51 %. The impact of environmental factors on concrete can be ranked in the following order: freeze–thaw cycles, high temperature, and low temperature. Moreover, the anti-cracking performance of SAP concrete is more pronounced at low temperatures than at high temperatures. Mechanistically, SAPs optimized the pore structure and enhanced concrete compactness through internal curing, reducing the average pore diameter of the concrete by 12.25 %. This also decreased crack length, width, and density, as the incorporation of SAPs increased the initial damage threshold and inhibited crack propagation. This research provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for the application of SAP concrete in highway engineering.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025024466Acoustic emissionFracture characteristicSAP concreteFatigue load and temperature interaction
spellingShingle Guiping Ren
Yinchuan Guo
Aiqin Shen
Hansong Wu
Zhenghua Lyu
Hongxu Cui
Jinhua Wu
Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission
Results in Engineering
Acoustic emission
Fracture characteristic
SAP concrete
Fatigue load and temperature interaction
title Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission
title_full Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission
title_fullStr Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission
title_full_unstemmed Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission
title_short Fracture behavior of SAP concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission
title_sort fracture behavior of sap concrete under the interaction of fatigue load and extreme environments based on acoustic emission
topic Acoustic emission
Fracture characteristic
SAP concrete
Fatigue load and temperature interaction
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025024466
work_keys_str_mv AT guipingren fracturebehaviorofsapconcreteundertheinteractionoffatigueloadandextremeenvironmentsbasedonacousticemission
AT yinchuanguo fracturebehaviorofsapconcreteundertheinteractionoffatigueloadandextremeenvironmentsbasedonacousticemission
AT aiqinshen fracturebehaviorofsapconcreteundertheinteractionoffatigueloadandextremeenvironmentsbasedonacousticemission
AT hansongwu fracturebehaviorofsapconcreteundertheinteractionoffatigueloadandextremeenvironmentsbasedonacousticemission
AT zhenghualyu fracturebehaviorofsapconcreteundertheinteractionoffatigueloadandextremeenvironmentsbasedonacousticemission
AT hongxucui fracturebehaviorofsapconcreteundertheinteractionoffatigueloadandextremeenvironmentsbasedonacousticemission
AT jinhuawu fracturebehaviorofsapconcreteundertheinteractionoffatigueloadandextremeenvironmentsbasedonacousticemission