Limitations of FEM modelling of chloride diffusion
when considering different parameters of binary
and ternary concrete mixtures
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VSB-Technical University of Ostrava |
Publication date: 2021-02-12
BoZPE 2020;(2):61–69
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ABSTRACT
The numerical modelling of chloride diffusion in concrete structures requires an appropriate
description of input parameters. The main inputs for the model are the diffusion
coefficient of concrete and derived aging factor. The model itself can be susceptible to the
values of these parameters because of the size of the finite elements and size of the time
step. Due to the potential use in probabilistic calculations, which requires millions of simulations,
it is desirable to create a highly optimized model. It is important to pay attention
to the accuracy of the calculation, but also to its calculation time. The presented results
show the possible limits of the finite element model of the diffusion in a concrete
structure. This is demonstrated on the reference ordinary Portland cement mixture and 32
various binary and ternary concrete mixtures, which show a significant effect of different
diffusion coefficients and aging factors on the overall convergence. This study provides
guidance on which extreme material parameters, out of the potential range, may adversely
affect model results.