Fracture mechanics of air-entrained concrete subjected to compression

Air voids are entrained in concrete for protection of constructed elements, especially highway pavements, against freeze–thaw damage. Entrained air void systems inadvertently reduce the compressive strength of the concrete. The present study describes development of an analytical model for evaluation of the effects of entrained air void system on the compressive strength of concrete. The model developed here will assist in predicting the compressive strength of concrete for specified mix designs. The constitutive relationships for air-entrained concrete were established by considering a micro cracked porous material with randomly distributed circular air voids and uniformly oriented cracks from the air voids. Linear elastic fracture mechanics was employed to explain the evolution of damage due to the individual voids and cracks that emanate from such voids. The damage model considers the interactions among the voids and cracks during various stages of loading. The analytical results from this study were evaluated through an experimental program for comparison of the computed and measured compressive strengths. A wide range of samples were examined that included concretes with air contents ranging from 2% to 13% air by volume of concrete. The experiments involved microscopic determination of air content and spacing factors as well as compressive strength tests for all the concrete samples.