ECCOMAS 2024

MS195 - Bridging Disciplines and Scales for Sustainable Cement and Concrete

Organized by: T. Matschei (RWTH Aachen University, Germany), B. Pichler (TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology), Austria), M. Vořechovský (Brno University of Technology, Czechia) and R. Chudoba (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)
Keywords: engineering science, multiscale mechanics, physical chemistry, probabilistic mechanics, reinforced concrete structures, cementitious materials
The rising global demand for engineering infrastructure and the urgency to minimize the carbon footprint pose great scientific challenges regarding the development of sustainable concretes. As far as computational methods are concerned, models are needed to link the chemical/microstructural composition of cementitious materials to the behavior of engineering structures made from plain and reinforced concrete. Such models help to understand and quantify how physico-chemical processes occurring at nanoscopic and microscopic scales interplay with the macrostructural behavior of engineering infrastructure. Interdisciplinary approaches are expected to be particularly well suited to bridge all relevant spatial and temporal scales. The objective of this minisymposium is to discuss recent advances in computational modeling of concrete and concrete infrastructure. Computational models addressing various length and time scales and physical phenomena relevant for the behavior of concrete and concrete infrastructure subjected to different environmental and loading conditions are welcome. Innovative approaches providing insight into complex phenomena, predictive models increasing safety, durability, and sustainability in practical applications, and models leading to new design concepts in the field of structural engineering science are especially encouraged. Contributions linking different fields of research, e.g., physical chemistry, material science, multiscale and probabilistic mechanics, as well as structural engineering science are also particularly welcome.