Water Permeability of Reinforced Concrete Subjected to Cyclic Tensile Loading

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Title: Water Permeability of Reinforced Concrete Subjected to Cyclic Tensile Loading

Author(s): Clelia Desmettre and Jean-Philippe Charron

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 110

Issue: 1

Appears on pages(s): 67-78

Keywords: crack width; cyclic loading; fiber reinforcement; reinforced concrete; self-healing; water permeability.

DOI: 10.14359/51684368

Date: 1/1/2013

Abstract:
A large proportion of reinforced concrete structures are cracked and subjected to cyclic loading in service. The presence of cracks enhances the ingress of aggressive agents into the concrete, resulting in faster structure deterioration. On the other hand, crack self-healing and inclusion of fibers in concrete can improve structure durability. Self-healing under constant loading is a well-known phenomenon; however, the possibility for self-healing to occur under cyclic loading has received insufficient attention. This study used an innovative permeability device to investigate the water permeability of reinforced normal-strength concrete (NSC) and fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) simultaneously subjected to tensile cyclic loading. Complementary mechanical tests were performed under the same loading procedure to assess the crack-pattern evolution. The experimental results showed that, at an equivalent stress level in the reinforcement, the water permeability was significantly lower in the FRC than in the NSC—both under constant and cyclic loading. Moreover, two opposite phenomena occurred during cyclic loading: crack propagation and self-healing. In the NSC, the self-healing, which occurred under cyclic loading, compensated for the increase of permeability resulting from the crack propagation. In the FRC, crack growth was minor; therefore, the self-healing was not affected by the cyclic loading and may have even been promoted in comparison to self-healing under constant loading. The results emphasize the benefit of using FRC in structures.


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