%0 Journal Article %A Wu, Weidong %A Al-Ostaz, Ahmed %A Cheng, Alexander H.-D. %A Song, Chung R. %D 2010 %I Begell House %K multiscale, concrete simulation, mechanical properties, C-S-H, molecular dynamics, microporomechanics %N 6 %P 585-595 %R 10.1615/IntJMultCompEng.v8.i6.30 %T Concrete as a Hierarchical Structural Composite Material %U https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/61fd1b191cf7e96f,0df1454b52421632,1cdfb10c3b70e9b6.html %V 8 %X A multiscale modeling methodology that relates the nanostructure of concrete to its micro and macro properties is presented. This work attempts to establish a framework for understanding the relations among chemical composition, microstructure morphology, and the macroscale mechanical properties of concrete constituents. The simulation is based on four levels of a hierarchal structural model, starting from the molecular dynamics simulation of hydrated cement solid nanoparticles (e.g., C{S{H, and calcium hydroxide), all the way up to concrete. To validate the theoretical model, a nondestructive testing technique, resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS), is used to measure the elastic constants of hydrated cement paste. The results showed good agreement between theoretically predicted and experimentally measured properties. %8 2010-12-15