Mechanical Properties of Saturated Concrete Depending on the Strain Rate

This study investigates the influence of condensed water in concrete on the fracture mechanism of a concrete structure. The focus of this study is water pressure in concrete pores under loading with a high strain rate. First, uniaxial compression tests of saturated cylinder specimens containing various types of micro pore structures were conducted with different strain rates. The saturated concretes, especially those of low water-cement ratios, increased compression strength with increasing strain rate. Second, bending tests of rectangular beam specimens with and without rebar were conducted with different strain rates. As the strain rate increased, plain concretes and reinforced concretes showed an increase in tensile strength. These results suggest that dynamic responses of concrete structures are influenced by the strain rate dependency of material that is correlated with water content and micro pore structure.