Numerical simulation of microcracking induced by drying shrinkage in early age cement pastes

Abstract

A modelling approach is proposed to simulate drying shrinkage and shrinkageinduced microcracking in cement paste. The proposed approach takes into consideration the heterogeneous nature of the cement paste as well as the development of the microstructure due to fast-paced hydration at early-ages. Simulations show that the development of microcracking depends on the initial conditions, the drying depth and the drying threshold age.