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www.elsevier.com/locate/mechmat
a,b
a,*
, K. Sab
, R. Le Roy
Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees, LAMI, Institut Navier, 6 et 8, Avenue Blaise Pascal, Cite Descartes,
Champs-sur-Marne, 77455 Marne-La-Vallee, France
b
Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees, Division BCC, 58, BD Lefebvre, 75732 Paris cedex 15, France
Received 5 July 2005; received in revised form 20 April 2006
Abstract
It had been observed [Parant, E., Le Roy, R., 1999. Optimisation des betons de densite inferieure a` 1. Tech. rep., Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees, Paris, France; Le Roy, R., Parant, E., Boulay, C., 2005. Taking into account the
inclusions size in lightweight concrete compressive strength prediction. Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (4), 770775; Ganesh Babu,
K., Saradhi Babu, D., 2002. Behaviour of lightweight expanded polystyrene concrete containing silica fume. Cem. Concr.
Res. 2249, 18; Laukaitis, A., Zurauskas, R., Keriene, J., 2005. The eect of foam polystyrene granules on cement composite properties. Cem. Concr. Compos. 27 (1), 4147] that the compressive strength of expanded polystyrene (EPS) lightweight concrete increases signicantly with a decrease in EPS bead size (/), for the same concrete (macro) porosity (p)
(EPS volume fraction). To conrm that this scaling phenomenon is an intrinsic particle size eect which is related to
the EPS bead size (/) and not aected by a volume size eect related to the specimen size (D), compressive tests have been
carried out on homothetic EPS concrete specimens containing homothetic EPS beads. Moreover, ve concrete (macro)
porosities ranging from 10% to 50% have been investigated. Compressive tests results have conrmed the presence of a
particle size eect on the EPS concrete compressive strength. Further, it is observed that this size eect is very pronounced
for low porosity concretes and becomes negligible for very high porosity concretes. Based on EPS concrete failure modes
analysis, a phenomenological model has been proposed with a view to explaining the EPS concrete particle size eect
and
predicting its normalized compressive strength according to the concrete (macro) porosity (p) and to the ratio l/c , where
(lc) is the width of the EPS concrete matrix fracture process zone (FPZ). The model predictions have been then compared
with experimental results, showing a good agreement.
2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Lightweight concrete; Particle size eect; Volume size eect; Characteristic material length; Macro porosity
1. Introduction
*
0167-6636/$ - see front matter 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.mechmat.2006.05.008
for the same concrete density. This scaling phenomenon was observed rst in 1999 by Parant and Le
Roy on the basis of an experimental investigation aiming to formulate and optimize an EPS
concrete of a density ranging from 600 kg/m3 to
1400 kg/m3 and possessing structural strength quality. Three sizes of polystyrene beads were used in
this investigation (1, 3 and 6 mm) with a very high
strength mortar matrix. Results of compressive
tests, performed on EPS concrete cylindrical specimens of 110 mm diameter and 220 mm height and
of 1400 kg/m3 density and containing 1 mm EPS
beads, had showed an increase of 50% in the EPS
concrete compressive strength in comparison with
strengths given by specimens of the same dimensions and the same density but containing 6 mm
EPS beads. However, for lower EPS concrete densities (or higher EPS volume fractions), Parant and Le
Roy observed that EPS bead size inuence on the
lightweight concrete compressive strength becomes
negligible.
This phenomenon was then conrmed by Ganesh
Babu and Saradhi Babu (2002) with structural EPS
concretes of higher densities (ranging from 1440 kg/
m3 to 1850 kg/m3) and with two EPS bead sizes:
6.3 mm and 4.75 mm. Further, by Laukaitis et al.
(2005) who observed the same scaling phenomenon
on ultra lightweight EPS concrete (of density ranging from 150 kg/m3 to 300 kg/m3) made of a foam
matrix (mortar with embedded polystyrene) and
EPS beads of diameters ranging from 2.5 mm to
10 mm. In fact, for the same concrete density, compressive tests results showed an increase of 40% in
the compressive strength given by 2.55 mm EPS
beads concrete in comparison with the one given
by 510 mm EPS beads concrete.
The main purpose of this paper is to conrm rst
that this scaling phenomenon is an intrinsic particle
size eect which is related to the EPS bead size (/)
and not aected by a volume size eect related to
the specimen size (D). Thereafter, to identify the
physical origin of this size eect and to determine
the law governing it. The paper is organised as follows. In Section 2, the results of an experimental
investigation performed on 15 EPS concrete mixes
are presented. Section 3 is devoted to the explanation of the physical origin of this size eect on the
basis of the analysis of EPS concrete failure modes.
In Section 4, a phenomenological model is proposed
to predict the EPS concrete normalized compressive
strength according to the concrete (macro) porosity
(p) (EPS volume fraction) and to the EPS bead size
223
Proportion (kg/m3)
961.9
786.00
288.60
8.30
244.30
2289.1
224
Fig. 1. (110 220 mm) EPS concrete cylinders containing respectively 1 mm, 2.5 mm and 6.3 mm EPS beads.
Table 2
Mix designs (kg/m3) of 1 mm EPS beads concretes
Mix
M1 10
M1 20
M1 30
M1 40
M1 50
Cement
Sand
Silica fume
Superplasticizer
Water
EPS beads (/1 = 1 mm)
p (%)
qconcrete (kg/m3)
839.35
685.86
251.83
7.24
213.17
2.55
12.8
2000
754.56
616.58
226.39
6.51
191.64
4.31
21.7
1800
669.78
547.30
200.96
5.78
170.11
6.07
30.5
1600
585.00
478.02
175.52
5.05
148.58
7.84
39.4
1400
500.22
408.74
150.08
4.32
127.04
9.60
48.3
1200
The latter decreases when the EPS bead size increases. In fact, q1 = 33 kg/m3 for /1 = 1 mm,
q2 = 19 kg/m3 for /2 = 2.5 mm and q3 = 17 kg/m3
for /3 = 6.3 mm (Le Roy et al., 2005). The 15 mix
designs are summarised in Tables 24.1 These mixes
were prepared in a standard concrete mixer; water,
superplasticizer, silica fume, sand and cement are
successively introduced in the mixer. After 5 min
of mixing, when the mortar became homogeneous,
EPS beads were introduced and the mixing was
maintained two more minutes at low speed. Further, the EPS concrete was poured in the moulds
without vibration to avoid segregation. Specimens
were demoulded after 48 h and protected from dessication with an aluminium paper, and then stored in
laboratory conditions (22 3 C) for 28 days. For
each EPS concrete (macro) porosity, each EPS bead
size and each specimen size, four samples were cast.
Moreover, for each concrete porosity, it was
decided to report each value and not the average
value because porosity of the samples varies slightly
1
M1, M2 and M3 represent mixes containing respectively 1 mm,
2.5 mm and 6.3 mm EPS beads. The following number indicates
the (macro) porosity (p) ranging from 10% to 50%.
225
Table 3
Mix designs (kg/m3) of 2.5 mm EPS beads concretes
Mix
M2 10
M2 20
M2 30
M2 40
M2 50
Cement
Sand
Silica fume
Superplasticizer
Eau
EPS beads (/2 = 2.5 mm)
p (%)
qconcrete (kg/m3)
839.40
685.90
251.85
7.24
213.19
2.42
12.7
2000
754.66
616.65
226.42
6.51
191.66
4.09
21.5
1800
669.91
547.41
200.99
5.78
170.14
5.77
30.4
1600
585.17
478.16
175.57
5.05
148.62
7.44
39.2
1400
500.42
408.91
150.14
4.32
127.09
9.12
48.0
1200
Table 4
Mix designs (kg/m3) of 6.3 mm EPS beads concretes
Mix
M3 10
M3 20
M3 30
M3 40
M3 50
Cement
Sand
Silica fume
Superplasticizer
Water
EPS beads (/3 = 6.3 mm)
p (%)
qconcrete (kg/m3)
839.40
685.99
251.88
7.24
213.22
2.16
12.7
2000
754.66
616.80
226.48
6.51
191.71
3.66
21.5
1800
669.91
547.62
201.07
5.78
170.21
5.16
30.3
1600
585.17
478.43
175.67
5.05
148.70
6.65
39.1
1400
500.42
409.24
150.26
4.32
127.20
8.15
47.9
1200
Fig. 2. The variation of EPS concrete modulus of elasticity with concrete (macro) porosity (p), for each EPS bead size.
the inclusion size (/), but depends only on the concrete (macro) porosity (p) and decreases with
increasing (p) (which is expected). Moreover, its variation with (p) seems to be linear (Fig. 2).
226
already reached, it is necessary to verify if compressive tests results are aected or not by a volume
size eect, which is related to the specimen
size
D
(D) and more precisely to the ratio / . In fact, it
had been observed that the nominal compressive
strength (rN) (as well as the nominal tensile
strength) of quasi-brittle materials
like concrete
D
decreases when the ratio / increases (Kadlecek
and Spetla, 1967; Wu, 1991),
seems that
andita
D
(rN) follows a power law rN / / ; a > 0 .
However, it had been proved numerically (Sab
and Laalai, 1993; Laalai and Sab, 1994) that a crit-
110
(Fig.
5).
Thus, for 1 mm EPS beads con/
crete compressive strength, the RVE is already
reached with a specimen
size of (44 88 mm) correD
sponding to a ratio
/ equal to 44. Therefore, it is
Dc
concluded that / 6 44.
However, with 2.5 mm EPS beads concretes, it
was observed a slight decrease (notably for high
porosity concretes) in compressive strengths
Fig. 4. (110 220 mm) and (44 88 mm) EPS concrete homothetic cylinders.
Fig. 5. Normalized compressive strengths obtained with 1 mm EPS beads concrete homothetic cylinders
Fig. 6. Normalized compressive strengths obtained with 2.5 mm EPS beads concrete homothetic cylinders
obtained
with specimens of size (110 220 mm)
D
44 , in comparison with those determined
/
from specimens of size (44 88 mm) D/ 17:6
(Fig. 6). Therefore, it is concluded that specimens
227
D
/
D
/
110 and
44 and
D
/
D
/
44 .
17:6 .
228
D
/
17:6 conrmed the presence of a particle size
Fig. 7. Normalized compressive strengths obtained with 2.5 mm and 1 mm EPS beads concretes homothetic cylinders
D
/
44 .
Fig. 8. Normalized compressive strengths obtained with 6.3 mm and 2.5 mm EPS beads concretes homothetic cylinders
229
D
/
17:6 .
Fig. 9. EPS concrete normalized compressive strengths obtained with (110 220 mm) cylinders for each EPS bead size, versus concrete
(macro) porosity (p).
230
Fig. 10. Longitudinal sections of two broken (110 220 mm) EPS concrete specimens characterized by low porosities, and containing
respectively 6.3 mm and 2.5 mm EPS beads: a quasi-brittle and localised failure.
Fig. 11. Longitudinal sections of two broken (110 220 mm) EPS concrete specimens characterized by a high porosity, and containing
respectively 6.3 mm and 2.5 mm EPS beads: a ductile failure mode.
231
1
;
D2
D3
ft
2D2 lc
2
where D1, D2 and D3 are coecients to be determined experimentally. From formula
clear
(2), it is
1 D3
that (rN ! D1) as (L ! 0) and rN ! D2D
as
2
(L ! 1). In other words, the structure nominal
strength (rN) attains nite asymptotic values at both
size extremes. Moreover, Karihaloo et al. (2006)
have proved experimentally and theoretically that
the deterministic structural size eect becomes
stronger as the size of the crack increases relative
to the size of the structure but weakens as the size
of the crack reduces.
Finally, other structural size eect laws for concrete-like materials have been proposed by Carpinteri and his co-workers in the last decade based on
multi-scale fractal analysis (Carpinteri, 1994; Carpinteri and Chiaia, 1997). Moreover, Carpinteri
and Pugno (2005) have recently proposed simple
analytical laws to predict the strength of structures
232
where rinit
N p represents the normalized stress required to initiate the rst micro-crack for a given
concrete (macro) porosity (p), whereas rad
N p; bm
represents the normalized additional stress required
for the second phase of micro-cracking (and/or)
macro-crack propagation.
3.3. The mesoscopic brittleness number bm
To determine bm, it is necessary to identify the
geometric length lg(p, /) and the characteristic material length lc. The latter is naturally identied as the
width of the EPS concrete matrix FPZ, which is
apparently related to the maximum size lm of the
matrix heterogeneities. Moreover, since for concrete
structures, the FPZ width is often equal to three
times the maximum size of material inhomogeneities
(Pijaudier-Cabot and Bazant, 1987), the EPS concrete characteristic material length lc, at the mesoscopic scale, has also been xed at three times the
maximum size lm of the mortar matrix heterogeneities. The latter corresponds here to the maximum
size of sand grains which has been identied owing
to SEM observations and xed at 0.25 mm. Thus, lc
is xed at 0.75 mm.
The geometric length lg is a dimension characterizing the EPS concrete micro-structure. It depends
on the EPS bead size (/) and varies also with the
concrete (macro) porosity (p). Since lg(p, /) governs
the second failure phase of micro-cracking (and/or)
macro-crack propagation, it is assumed that lg(p, /)
controls the size of these micro-cracks and macrocracks. For very low porosities (p ! 0), the EPS
concrete micro-structure is characterized by a few
very largely spaced EPS beads embedded in the
matrix (Fig. 12). In this case, it was observed that
failure occurs by propagation of a few localised longitudinal splitting macro-cracks initiating from EPS
beads. Therefore, it is stipulated that the size of
these macro-cracks is governed by the EPS bead size
(/), and thus lg(0+, /) = limp ! 0lg(p, /) = /.
However, for very high porosity concretes which
failure occurs by progressive diuse micro-cracking
within the whole matrix around EPS beads, it is
stipulated that the size of micro-cracks is controlled
233
Fig. 12. The geometric length lg(p, /) for very low and very high
porosity EPS concretes.
de
pmax dp
pmax 3p1 . Thus, the brittlemax
ness mesoscopic number bm will be given by the following formula:
/ ~
bm
6
lg p:
lc
Fig. 13. The variation of the non-dimensional geometric length l~g p with EPS concrete (macro) porosity (p).
234
When (bm 6 1), it is concluded that the EPS concrete particle size eect vanishes. In fact, for very
high porosity concretes (p ! pmax) and for a given
inclusion size (/), there is a porosity (p*) for which
the geometric length lg(p*, /) (corresponding in this
case to the average EPS beads spacing e(p*, /))
becomes smaller than the characteristic material
length lc (corresponding to the matrix FPZ width).
Consequently, micro-cracks appear progressively
in a diuse way within the matrix FPZ which width
will be forced to not exceed the EPS beads spacing.
Thus, the FPZ at failure will cover the whole mortar
matrix which explains the ductile failure mode
observed experimentally for very high porosity concretes and the absence of particle size eect in this
case. Further, for very low porosity concretes
(p ! 0) when the geometric length lg(0+, /) (corresponding in this case to the EPS bead size /) will
be in the same range of the matrix heterogeneities
maximum size lm, the material can be considered
as size-homogeneous at the microscopic scale, and
thus it does not exhibit a particle size eect on its
compressive strength. That is why it is concluded
that when (lg(p, /) 6 lc), there is no particle size
eect on the EPS concrete compressive strength.
In this case, the normalized additional stress
rad
N p; bm , required for the EPS concrete second
failure phase of micro-cracking (and/or) macrocrack propagation, attains its maximum value and
thus the EPS concrete normalized compressive
strength
rp;/
rmatrix
rN
7
where f(bm) is the EPS concrete particle size eect
law. This law is ranging between 1 when (bm 6 1)
and zero when (bm ! 1). The expressions of
g0(p), g1(p) and f(bm) have been determined based
on the experimental results and on theoretical and
numerical calculations.
4.1. The upper bound g0(p)
This function must tend to 1 close to zero porosity, that is: limp!0g0(p) = 1. In other words, the EPS
concrete strength must tend to its mortar matrix
strength. However, this function is minimal for
(p = pmax). In this case, it is assumed that there is
percolation of EPS beads and thus the material is
supposed to loose completely its strength, that is:
g0(pmax) = 0. An hyperbolic function has been considered to approach g0(p), with respect to the two
previous conditions. This form had already been
used by Le Roy et al. (2005) in their EPS concrete
compressive strength modelling:
c0 1 p p
max
0 6 p 6 pmax ;
g0 p
8
p
c0 p
max
235
Fig. 14. The upper bound g0 versus EPS concrete (macro) porosity (p).
Fig. 15. A spherical void embedded in an innite (3D) elasticbrittle matrix subjected to a uniform compressive stress R1 at
innity.
236
cr
max
M Mmatrix ;
10
where cr
Mmatrix is the critical extension strain supported by the 3D innite homogeneous matrix.
Thus, to determine the EPS concrete normalized
strength, it is necessary to compute for the same
compressive loading R1 the maximum elastic extension strain in the matrix Mmatrix and also in the innite medium around the spherical void max
M . In fact,
for a unit compressive loading (R1 = 1) for example, it follows that:
lim g1 p
p!0
Mmatrix
:
max
M
11
where i, i = 1 3 are the principal strains. It follows from (12) that:
p
R1
Mmatrix 2mm
;
13
Em
where Em is the matrix modulus of elasticity and mm
is the matrix Poisson coecient.
The maximum elastic extension strain in the 3D
innite medium around the void max
M is given by:
q
14
x A2 z A2 ;
max
M
where x(A) and z(A) are extension deformations at
point A around the hole (which are respectively
equal to x(B) and z(B) at point B (Fig. 15)). These
deformations had already been derived analytically
by Southwell and Gough (Southwell and Gough,
1926; Wang and Shrive, 1999):
31 4mm 5m2m R1
x A z A
:
15
14 10mm
Em
Thus,
max
M
p
3 21 4mm 5m2m R1
:
14 10mm
Em
16
mm 14 10mm
:
31 4mm 5m2m
17
18
lim
p!0
dg1 p
40:
dp
20
237
Fig. 16. Distribution of the elastic extension strain M in the (1/8) of a BCC lattice unit cell having a porosity p1 = 5 1004: the maximum
is reached around the hole.
When (bm > 1), a power law of bm has been proposed to predict the particle size eect on the EPS
concrete compressive strength:
fbm bm a ;
21
rp; /
rmatrix
g0 p
if bm 6 1;
g1 p bm 1=3 g0 p g1 p
if bm P 1;
with
Fig. 17. The model predictions for the three EPS bead sizes concretes considered in the experimental investigation.
238
Fig. 18. Comparison between the model predictions and the experimental normalized compressive strengths obtained with
(110 220 mm) specimens for the three EPS bead sizes concretes.
0:45 1 p p
max
;
g0 p
p
0:45 p
max
1 pp
max
and
g1 p
2 1 58:14 p p
max
!
2
/
p
5
p
p
1
1 ;
bm
lc
pmax
3 pmax
pmax
pmax 0:74
Fig. 17 shows the model predictions for 1 mm,
2.5 mm and 6.3 mm EPS beads concretes. It is so
clear that for a given (p) and (/), the size eect
model is governed by the matrix FPZ width lc. This
characteristic material length is assumed here to be
equal to three times the matrix heterogeneities maximum size lm. Moreover, to optimize the EPS concrete compressive strength (i.e. to attain the upper
bound g0), it will be recommended based on this
model to use an heterogeneous mortar matrix of
heterogeneities maximum size which must be in
the same range of that of EPS beads.
Finally, the model predictions have been compared with the normalized compressive strengths
obtained with (110 220 mm) specimens for the
D
/
P 44
239
240
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