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Interaction Between Micro-Cracking, Cracking, And Reduced Durability Of Concrete: Developing Methods For Considering Cumulative Damage In Life-Cycle Modeling, Zhifu Yang, W. Jason Weiss, J. Olek

JTRP Technical Reports

It is becoming increasingly popular to utilize numerical simulation models to predict the long-term performance of concrete pavements and structures. The majority of these models have been developed using laboratory test data that considers concrete in an uncracked state. While uncracked concrete exists as the best case scenario, frequent cracking occurs in real structures that could have a profound impact on life cycle performance. Cracks from several sources may accumulate and interact thereby accelerating the deterioration of concrete. For example, the distributed cracking caused by freeze/thaw damage can substantially increases the rate of water absorption and reduces the load carrying …