Comparative study of a chemo-mechanical modeling for alkali silica reaction (ASR) with experimental evidences

Modeling ASR and the resulting expansions is necessary to obtain relevant predictions of the structural responses of distressed concrete elements. Thus, to be efficient and reliable, models should take into account both chemical and physical ASR aspects. The LMDC developed a chemo-mechanical micromodel which predicts concrete expansions and damages over time. However, the output results of this model were only compared to damaged mortars but never to damaged concrete cast and measured in the laboratory. This paper presents and analyzes the LMDC chemo-mechanical micromodel in regard to experimental evidences. Analyses were carried out on three types of concrete (25, 35 and 45 MPa) incorporating two different highly-reactive aggregates (New Mexico gravel and Texas sand). Both the assumptions and the input/output parameters used/obtained in/from the model are discussed. The results showed that the LMDC modeling is reliable and effective in the ASR expansion/damage predictions.