Ettringite formation under varying storage
conditions and mechanical loads

Damage to structural concrete components with high compressive strengths was investigated at the Institute of Building Materials Research at RWTH AachenUniversity. A combination of raw material characteristics, micro-cracking caused by dynamic loading, and weather impact was assumed to be the damaging mechanism.

Damage to dynamically loaded structural concrete components was investigated at the Institute of Building Materials Research at RWTH AachenUniversity (ibac). Despite their high compressive strengths, the affected components showed signs of cracking and spalling. Using scanning electron microscopy, relatively large amounts of ettringite were detected in the cement paste matrix. The damaging mechanism was assumed to arise from a combination of raw material characteristics (particularly from the relatively high sulfate and alkali contents of the Portland cement used), micro-cracking caused by...

Related articles:

Issue 02/2017 New findings and forecast models

Freeze-thaw attack and damage

The freeze-thaw damage pattern of concrete is primarily linked to the water contained in the pore system, which is also referred to as the saturation level. If a certain critical saturation level is...

more
Issue 01/2011 Particle Models

Damage simulation in heterogeneous materials

On the macroscale, the key dimensions of the structural component define the characteristic dimension of the model. Since these dimensions are usually considerably larger than the dimensions of the...

more
Issue 02/2013 Evaluation and choice of suitable measures of protection

Chemical attack on concrete

Concrete is exposed to external chemical attack in various areas of application. This can seriously impair the durability and performance of a structure. The reactive component of the concrete to...

more
Issue 02/2014 Controlled damage instead of coating?

Construction of load-bearing underground car park foundation slabs from an economic standpoint

Topic This paper exclusively deals with underground car park foundation slabs, rather than vehicle-accessed intermediate and top decks of parking garages and underground car parks. Besides the fact...

more
Issue 03/2020

System and method for forming prefabricated building panels

(10) NZ726871 (A) (22) 31.01.2020 (57) Prefabricated building panels are commonly formed with surface relief patterns, typically by casting concrete over architectural components prepositioned in...

more