Reinforced concrete structures are frequently exposed to aggressive environmental conditions. Most notably, chloride ions from sea water or de-icing salts are dangerous for the reinforcement. Good concrete cover can ensure its protection. However, it is necessary to study the effects…
Reinforced concrete structures are frequently exposed to aggressive environmental conditions. Most notably, chloride ions from sea water or de-icing salts are dangerous for the reinforcement. Good concrete cover can ensure its protection. However, it is necessary to study the effects of material heterogeneity and cracking on chloride ingress in concrete. This is done herein by proposing a three-dimensional lattice model capable of simulating chloride transport in saturated sound and cracked concrete. Means of computationally determining transport properties of individual phases in heterogeneous concrete (aggregate, mortar, and interface), knowing the concrete composition and its averaged transport properties, are presented and discussed. Based on numerical experimentation and available literature, a relation between the effective diffusion coefficient of cracked lattice elements and the crack width was adopted. Finally, these findings were validated on experimental results from the literature and discussed.