Acta Scientiarum Polonorum

Abstract: Durability of engineering structures depends on the structure itself and environmental conditions. Aggressive substances can penetrate concrete matrix causing chemical degradation of material skeleton. At the same time the material is exposed to mechanical exertion which contributes to additional deterioration. This work attempts to analyze chemo-mechanical degradation of concrete from phenomenological point of view using numerical simulation. Diffusion of corrosive species was determined through local diffusion parameters and balance equations with sources and outflows prescribed by stoichiometry of chemical equations and reaction extent constant. Degradation of concrete was described with use of an additive scalar damage parameter adopting adequate evolution equations. The cellular automata method used is shown to be an effective calculation method. Contour lines of species concentration and partial damage parameter values were obtained using numerical simulation of the processes in 2D space. As expected, progressive degradation of concrete decreased bearing capacity of the RC section. Numerical simulation of residual cross-section strength was obtained by use of short-time destructive loading tests.