Phase‐Field Fracture Simulation of Pressurized Concrete Microstructure

ABSTRACT Pressurized cracks in concrete have a significant impact on the safety and durability of concrete structures. The peak strength of concrete is reduced in the presence of pressurized cracks. However, conducting pressure‐coupled strength evaluation experiments requires extensive effort, and simulation tools can complement the time‐consuming and labor‐intensive experiments for performance assessment. In this study, a poromechanics‐based phase‐field fracture model with softening behavior was implemented. The model was calibrated to the pressurized water interaction experiments and used to evaluate the properties of concrete with microstructures. The strength reduction of concrete due to pressure can be predicted, and the effects of microstructural features, such as the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and aggregate volume ratio, were investigated. Further, differences in responses between the softening and brittle material models could be identified. The analysis confirmed the applicability of the proposed approach for conducting fluid fracture interaction simulations of pressurized concrete with microstructural features.