Effect of mechanical damage on moisture transport in concrete

This paper is devoted to the influence of mechanical damage on moisture transport in quasi-brittle materials, such as concrete. The mechanical analysis is based on the isotropic damage model with the equivalent strain suitable for concrete. The mechanical model is formulated in the rate form in order to connect it with the nonstationary moisture transport which is modeled by a simple diffusion model derived from convection approach. The moisture transport is based on the volumetric moisture content. Three different formulas are used for description of the change of permeability with respect to growing damage parameter. Numerical approach is tested on an example of four-point shear test.