| Evaluation of the structural condition of deteriorated concrete infrastructure and evaluation of new sustainable cementitious materials require an understanding of how the material will respond to applied loads and environmental exposures. A fundamental understanding of how microstructural changes in these materials relate to changes in mechanical properties and changes in fluid penetrability is needed. The ability to provide rapid, inexpensive assessment of material characteristics and relevant engineering properties is valuable for decision making and asset management purposes. In this investigation, the effects of changes in dynamic elastic properties with water content and fluid penetrability properties before and after a 300°C exposure were investigated based on estimates of the crack density parameter from dry and saturated cracked media. The experimental and analytical techniques described in this dissertation allow calculation of a value for the crack density parameter using nondestructive determination of wet and dry dynamic shear modulus of relatively thin disks. The techniques were used to compare a conventional concrete mixture to several mixtures with enhanced sustainability characteristics. The three enhanced sustainable materials investigated were a very high fly ash mixture, a magnesium phosphate cement based mortar, and a magnesium phosphate cement based concrete, and were compared to a conventional concrete mixture. The analysis provided both quantitative assessment of changes with high temperature damage and autogenous healing, and estimates of changes in mean crack trace lengths. The results showed that water interaction, deterioration due to damage, and autogenous healing recovery were different for the magnesium phosphate cement based mixtures than the portland cement based concrete mixtures. A strong correlation was found between log-transformed Air Permeability Index, dynamic shear modulus, and crack density parameter. The findings imply that the test method and related analysis can be used to evaluate the validity of current standard test methods to new "green" construction materials and therefore be a useful screening tool as well as providing important insight into microstructural changes in concrete under various exposures. |
