Numerical investigation of mechanisms affecting alkali-silica reaction advancement by reactive transport simulations

Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is a long-term chemical degradation induced in concrete by the difference in pH between the aggregate and the cement paste. ASR advancement is thus driven by the combination of the ionic species diffusion and the dissolution of reactive silica. In this paper, the reactive transport model is based on the principal sequence of the ASR-mechanisms: hydroxide, alkali and calcium diffusion, silica dissolution and reaction products precipitation. First, the proposed model highlights the impact of the competition between diffusion and dissolution kinetic on the formation of products in the depth of the aggregate particles according to the calcium concentration. Secondly, the numerical study on the size effect of the aggregate particles highlights the efficacy of this approach to reproduce the dependence of the products type formed during precipitation, allowing for the competition between ASR and pozzolanic effect to be reproduced.