Inclusion based Modeling of Concrete with Various Aggregate Volume Fractions

Abstract

Circular inclusions were arranged with respect to the regular hexagonal symmetry in an infinite plate. The inclusions were all of equal radii and their centers were located at the center of the hexagons. In a representative region of the plate, stress distributions were calculated using the collocation theory under far field uniform loads. It was seen that the results calculated according to the theory were very close to the results obtained by the exact solution in case of single inclusion. The specific fracture energies, tensile strengths and the moduli of Enasticity of concretes were also calculated using the meso-mechanical relationships. It was shown that the hardened cement paste transforms into a more ductile composite (i.e. concrete) as the volume fraction of aggregate is increased without altering the grading.