An upscaling method for predicting the behavior of concrete structures under brine attack

Concrete contains layers of complexity and considered as a heterogeneous material,
thus assessing the concrete response through multiscale analysis, requires a
development of up scaling approach. Concrete being a composite material that contain
more than two finely mixed constituents, results a complex modelling procedure. The
multiscale approach is achieved by retrieving the macroscopic properties from the
cement and mortar scales. The overarching goal of this paper is to apply the Lattice
model developed in Delft in order to obtain the compression numerical parameters,
required for the evaluation of the Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM) Pore
Collapse and Material Compaction parameters. This aim was successfully achieved in
the Microlab/Section of Materials and Geosciences, under the co-workers of Prof.
Klaas van Breugel, Prof. Erik Schlangen and Dr. Ye Guang. Towards this goal, the
specific scientific objective of this paper is to formulate, calibrate, and validate multiscale models based on the homogenization of a recently developed discrete meso-scale
model known as the Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM). Furthermore, in this
paper, a multiscale analysis procedure is proposed for modelling concrete structures,
in which material properties at the macro scale are retrieved from the components and
their geometrical distribution in the micro structure. In addition, we implemented the
up-scaling method in order to analyses the stability, longevity, and durability of a
concrete wall located at the Dead Sea. The models were calibrated and validated using
experimental results and the results looks promising as microscopic calibrated
parameters were able to predict accurate macroscopic results.