Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of Concrete

Subsurface mass concrete infrastructure—including immersed tunnels, dams, and nuclear waste containment systems—frequently faces calcium-leaching risks from prolonged groundwater exposure. An anisotropic stress-leaching damage model incorporating microcrack propagation is developed for underground c...

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Main Authors: Feng Guo, Weijie He, Longlong Tu, Huiming Hou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-08-01
Series:Buildings
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2725
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author Feng Guo
Weijie He
Longlong Tu
Huiming Hou
author_facet Feng Guo
Weijie He
Longlong Tu
Huiming Hou
author_sort Feng Guo
collection DOAJ
description Subsurface mass concrete infrastructure—including immersed tunnels, dams, and nuclear waste containment systems—frequently faces calcium-leaching risks from prolonged groundwater exposure. An anisotropic stress-leaching damage model incorporating microcrack propagation is developed for underground concrete’s chemo–mechanical coupling. This model investigates stress-induced anisotropy in concrete through the evolution of oriented microcrack networks. The model incorporates nonlinear anisotropic plastic strain from coupled chemical–mechanical damage. Unlike conventional concrete rheology, this model characterizes chemical creep through stress-chemical coupled damage mechanics. The numerical model is incorporated within COMSOL Multiphysics to perform coupled multiphysics simulations. A close match is observed between the numerical predictions and experimental findings. Under high stress loads, calcium leaching and mechanical stress exhibit significant coupling effects. Regarding concrete durability, chemical degradation has a more pronounced effect on concrete’s stiffness and strength reduction compared with stress-generated microcracking.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2075-5309
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Buildings
spelling doaj-art-81523f11cd3f437fb5c081f0ba28dda72025-08-20T03:36:03ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-08-011515272510.3390/buildings15152725Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of ConcreteFeng Guo0Weijie He1Longlong Tu2Huiming Hou3Foshan Shunde District Agent Construction Project Center, Foshan 528300, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Safety, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Safety, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Safety, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, ChinaSubsurface mass concrete infrastructure—including immersed tunnels, dams, and nuclear waste containment systems—frequently faces calcium-leaching risks from prolonged groundwater exposure. An anisotropic stress-leaching damage model incorporating microcrack propagation is developed for underground concrete’s chemo–mechanical coupling. This model investigates stress-induced anisotropy in concrete through the evolution of oriented microcrack networks. The model incorporates nonlinear anisotropic plastic strain from coupled chemical–mechanical damage. Unlike conventional concrete rheology, this model characterizes chemical creep through stress-chemical coupled damage mechanics. The numerical model is incorporated within COMSOL Multiphysics to perform coupled multiphysics simulations. A close match is observed between the numerical predictions and experimental findings. Under high stress loads, calcium leaching and mechanical stress exhibit significant coupling effects. Regarding concrete durability, chemical degradation has a more pronounced effect on concrete’s stiffness and strength reduction compared with stress-generated microcracking.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2725anisotropic damagestress-chemical couplingconcretenumerical simulation
spellingShingle Feng Guo
Weijie He
Longlong Tu
Huiming Hou
Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of Concrete
Buildings
anisotropic damage
stress-chemical coupling
concrete
numerical simulation
title Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of Concrete
title_full Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of Concrete
title_fullStr Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of Concrete
title_full_unstemmed Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of Concrete
title_short Numerical Study of Chemo–Mechanical Coupling Behavior of Concrete
title_sort numerical study of chemo mechanical coupling behavior of concrete
topic anisotropic damage
stress-chemical coupling
concrete
numerical simulation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2725
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AT weijiehe numericalstudyofchemomechanicalcouplingbehaviorofconcrete
AT longlongtu numericalstudyofchemomechanicalcouplingbehaviorofconcrete
AT huiminghou numericalstudyofchemomechanicalcouplingbehaviorofconcrete