Adaptive discretization refinement for discrete models of coupled mechanics and mass transport in concrete

TL;DR

This paper introduces an adaptive discretization method for coupled mechanics and mass transport models in concrete, improving computational efficiency while maintaining accuracy during simulations of hydraulic fracturing and bending tests.

Contribution

It presents a novel adaptive refinement strategy for mesoscale models coupling poromechanics and crack-induced permeability effects in concrete.

Findings

Significant reduction in computational time with adaptive refinement.

High agreement between adaptive and fine discretization models.

Effective simulation of hydraulic fracturing and bending scenarios.

Abstract

An adaptive discretization refinement strategy for steady state discrete mesoscale models of coupled mechanics and mass transport in concrete is presented. Coupling is provided by two phenomena: the Biot's theory of poromechanics and an effect of cracks on material permeability coefficient. The model kinematics is derived from rigid body motion of Voronoi cells obtained by tessellation of the domain. Starting with a coarse discretization, the density of Voronoi generator points is adaptively increased on the fly in regions where the maximum principal stress exceeds a chosen threshold. Purely elastic behavior is assumed in the coarse discretization, therefore no transfer of history/state variables is needed. Examples showing (i) computational time savings achieved via the adaptive technique and (ii) an agreement of the outputs from the fine and adaptive models during simulations of hydraulic fracturing and three-point bending combined with a fluid pressure loading are presented.