Parametric analysis of AAR influent factors on thin-walled columns

The chemical reaction involving the alkalis of the cement and some minerals of the concrete aggregates, the Alkali-Aggregate Reaction or, simply, the AAR, promotes swelling and material damages. Despite the development stage of the researches on this pathology effects, its solution modeling still lacks refinement. The numerical simulation is an important resource for the structural damages evaluation due to AAR, and their repairs. The aim of this work is the numerical simulation of concrete thin-walled columns, affected by the AAR, from the finite element approximation on an orthotropic nonlinear framework, and a thermodynamic model designed to the assessment of the AAR swelling, with highlight on the compressive stress, the reinforcement and the temperature influences on the phenomenon. The obtained results revealed that the AAR induced the concrete strength decrease and the consequent reduction in preventive safety margin to the material failure, being more precocious at higher temperatures.