International Journal for Multiscale Computational Engineering

Creep of a C-S-H Gel: Micromechanical Approach

ABSTRACT

Both clays and calcium silicate hydrates (the main hydration products of Portland cements) exhibit a microstructure made up of lamellar particles. The microscopic mechanism responsible for the macroscopic creep of such materials is often described as the sliding of the sheets one onto the other. This paper proposes a micromechanical approach to estimate the macroscopic creep behavior rising from this microscopic mechanism. The asymptotic evolution of effective creep at both short and large times is especially investigated. The influence of the shape of the particles is also quantitatively discussed.

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