Analysis of the Effect of Pore Structure on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete Based on the Meso Numerical Model

Abstract

In the research on the influence of pore structure on the macroscopic mechanical properties of concrete, the experimental method cannot realize the accurate control of the pore structure parameters, and the research based on the numerical simulation method is insufficient in the scientific simulation and parameterization of the complex pore structure. A new numerical concrete modeling method is proposed, which introduces the total porosity, pore gradation, pore size, and sub-porosity of each gradation segment to realize the accurate simulation and parameterization of the pore structure. Based on the control variable method, 25 concrete mesoscopic models with the same aggregate structure and different pore structures are established, and uniaxial tensile experiments are performed. The pore structure accelerates the process of damage expansion from the periphery to the center of the specimen and makes the damage inside the cement mortar more localized. There are obvious exponential function relationships of three pairs: total porosity and elastic modulus, PSSA and elastic modulus, and tensile strength and total porosity. There is an obvious quadratic polynomial function relationship between tensile strength and specific surface area. For specimens with the same aggregate structure and total porosity, the elastic modulus increases with the increase of the macropore content, and the tensile strength and elastic modulus are basically not affected by the average pore radius. The effect of pore space distribution and sub-porosity on peak strain is greater than that of total porosity, but no obvious regularity is shown. For pores with a radius in the range of 0.15–0.8 mm, the smaller the pores, the greater the effect of their porosity on the elastic modulus and tensile strength, and the less effect on the peak strain.