Multiscale modelling of damage in cementitious materials can be performed through either a downscale or an upscale approach. The drawback of downscale modelling is that it requires the recalibration of model parameters whenever the material composition changes. Therefore, an upscale…
Multiscale modelling of damage in cementitious materials can be performed through either a downscale or an upscale approach. The drawback of downscale modelling is that it requires the recalibration of model parameters whenever the material composition changes. Therefore, an upscale approach is preferred. This article proposes a method of multiscale modelling of damage starting from the microscale. Once the intrinsic parameters of the cement paste phases are identified, the microscopically-informed modelling approach can theoretically be used for different concrete mixtures. The numerical simulations show that the transition from the scale of the cement matrix to the scale of mortar requires that the interfacial transition zone be modelled as a separate phase with different properties than the bulk matrix.