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When a reinforced concrete member is put in tension, after cracking, the member elongates by widening of cracks and by formation of new cracks. Figure 1 Formation of internal cracks. Ignoring the small elastic strain in the concrete between the cracks, we can relate the crack width to the strain of the member by:
A fairly well-defined reaction front can often be observed in thin sections; ahead of the front the concrete is normal, or near normal. Behind the reaction front, the composition and the microstructure of concrete are modified. These changes may vary in type or severity but commonly include: Extensive cracking; Expansion
Example of flat piece of concrete having dislodged with corroded rebar underneath, Welland River bridge across Queen Elizabeth Way in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The expansion of the corrosion products (iron oxides) of carbon steel reinforcement structures may induce internal mechanical stress (tensile stress) that cause the formation of cracks and disrupt the concrete structure.
All concrete structures will crack to some extent, due to shrinkage and tension. Concrete which is subjected to long-duration forces is prone to creep. The density of concrete varies, but is around 2,400 kilograms per cubic metre (150 lb/cu ft). [1] Reinforced concrete is the most common form of concrete.
A concrete slab is a common structural element of modern buildings, consisting of a flat, horizontal surface made of cast concrete. Steel- reinforced slabs, typically between 100 and 500 mm thick, are most often used to construct floors and ceilings, while thinner mud slabs may be used for exterior paving ( see below ).
Changes of pore water content due to drying or wetting processes cause significant volume changes of concrete in load-free specimens. They are called the shrinkage (typically causing strains between 0.0002 and 0.0005, and in low strength concretes even 0.0012) or swelling (< 0.00005 in normal concretes, < 0.00020 in high strength concretes).
The mechanical stresses induced by the thermal cycles create micro-cracks in the concrete matrix and so facilitate the accessibility to water of the reactive mineral phases in the treated samples. [48] The concrete microbar test was proposed by Grattan-Bellew et al. (2003) as a universal accelerated test for alkali-aggregate reaction. [49]
Frost damage can occur as cracks, stone splinters and swelling of the material. When water freezes, the volume of water increases by 9 %. [citation needed] When the volumetric moisture content exceeds 91 %, then the volume increase of water in the pores of the material caused by freezing cannot be absorbed by sufficient empty pores. This causes ...