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A Dissolution-Precipitation Mechanism Is At The Origin Of Concrete Creep In Moist Environments, Isabella Pignatelli, Aditya Kumar, R. Alizadeh, Yann Le Pape, Mathieu Bauchy, Gaurav Sant

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Long-term creep (i.e., deformation under sustained load) is a significant material response that needs to be accounted for in concrete structural design. However, the nature and origin of concrete creep remain poorly understood and controversial. Here, we propose that concrete creep at relative humidity ≥ 50%, but fixed moisture content (i.e., basic creep), arises from a dissolution-precipitation mechanism, active at nanoscale grain contacts, as has been extensively observed in a geological context, e.g., when rocks are exposed to sustained loads, in liquid-bearing environments. Based on micro-indentation and vertical scanning interferometry data and molecular dynamics simulations carried out on calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H), …