Session: 12-02-02: Modeling of the Fracture, Failure, and Fatigue in Solids

Paper Number: 112979

112979 - A Numerical and Experimental Investigation About Tensile Fracture in Epoxy Composite Grout Under Thermo-Mechanical Load 

A grout is a constructional material used for sealing and filling gaps between tiles, walls, and other cavities in between crane rails, machine bedding plates, anchors, starter bars, bridge bearing, etc. It is usually made up of a mixture of cement, sand, and other additives that help increase its strength and durability. Grouts are designed to provide high load-bearing capability and chemical/material compatibility in crevices, cracks and gaps of building structures. Recently, much research has been carried out concerning replacing the conventional cementitious grout with ones made from polymer-based materials. This study primarily aims to understand how newly developed epoxy grout composites behave when compared to conventional cementitious composites under thermo-mechanical loading conditions. The present study investigates the fracture behavior of epoxy composite grout under tensile loading and different temperatures. The tensile fracture will be the primary fracture mechanism considered in this study. The XFEM combined with experimentation will be used to study the influence of thermo-mechanical flexural load on the fracture behavior of epoxy grout. The XFEM method simulates deformation, stresses, strains, cracking behavior without the need for remeshing and any equation inputs. The numerical simulation is carried out for the epoxy and the cementitious samples at and . Experiments are performed for the benchmark flexural problem and its results are further validated by comparing them with the XFEM simulation. The XFEM model developed is successful in capturing the thermo-mechanical effects on crack growth for newly developed epoxy grout composites. The flexural strength of epoxy grout is significantly higher than that of the cementitious one at . Significant micro-cracking in cementitious grouts is observed; thus, further decreasing its capacity to withstand high loads. The strength of the epoxy grout decreases with increasing temperature. The presence of voids increases with increase in temperature leading to the weakening of the epoxy material structure under high temperatures. Selecting a more compatible filler material type, shape and size can be used to enhance the fracture toughness of epoxy composite grout. Therefore, the epoxy grout is incapable of withstanding high load at elevated temperatures. Cracking under these conditions causes the material to break down into small fine powders which is responsible for the reduction in flexural strength of the new grout material. Much needs to be done to enhance the load-bearing ability of epoxy grout for high temperature applications. New epoxy can be designed to include filler compositions which can help to avoid the growth of cracks in the grout composite by controlling void production.

Presenting Author: Nahri Waseetuddin King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Presenting Author Biography: SYED WASEETUDDIN NAHRI is a master's student at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia. In his home country, India, the student completed his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering with honors. He is completing his thesis on a topic which relates to cracking in solid materials. He is also interested in working in areas related to fracture mechanics in solid, crack pattern investigation in solid materials including composites, 3D printed materials etc.

Authors:

Nahri S. Waseetuddin King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
Abba A. Abubakar King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals