A phase-field chemo-mechanical model for corrosion-induced cracking in reinforced concrete

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive chemo-mechanical phase-field model for simulating corrosion-induced cracking in reinforced concrete, integrating reactive transport, rust precipitation, fracture mechanics, and damage-dependent diffusion.

Contribution

It is the first to combine reactive transport, rust precipitation eigenstrain, phase-field fracture, and damage-dependent diffusivity in a unified model for concrete corrosion.

Findings

Model predictions align well with experimental data.

The framework captures the progression of corrosion and cracking.

It provides a mechanistic understanding of corrosion-induced damage.

Abstract

We present a new mechanistic framework for corrosion-induced cracking in reinforced concrete that resolves the underlying chemo-mechanical processes. The framework combines, for the first time, (i) a model for reactive transport and precipitation of dissolved Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in the concrete pore space, (ii) a precipitation eigenstrain model for the pressure caused by the accumulation of precipitates (rusts) under pore confinement conditions, (iii) a phase-field model calibrated for the quasi-brittle fracture behaviour of concrete, and (iv) a damage-dependent diffusivity tensor. Finite element model predictions show good agreement with experimental data from impressed current tests under natural-like corrosion current densities.