Experimental methodology for characterising microwave damaged concrete

Abstract

Concrete is a complex material with a large parameter space for variation. Microwave induced damage through differential thermal heating causes a change in ballistic failure behaviour from fracture propagation and fragmentation to fracture coalescence and granular flow. Predicting when this change of behaviour occurs is challenging. This paper presents a method for developing an empirical model by using experiments designed to constrain a numerical output. Abaqus is used as the numerical code, and both plate impact and spherical impact experiments are used to provide experimental data. The material model parameters are fitted so the numerical output matches the experimental data, and examples for plate impact experiments on aluminium and cement paste are shown. Finally a technique for quantifying experimental fracture and granular flow is developed to allow future numerical models to optimise fracture and damage parameters.