Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.

Non-UMass Amherst users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.

Dissertations that have an embargo placed on them will not be available to anyone until the embargo expires.

ORCID

N/A

Access Type

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

thesis

Degree Program

Civil Engineering

Degree Type

Master of Science (M.S.)

Year Degree Awarded

2015

Month Degree Awarded

February

Abstract

Hydrated cement paste (HCP), which is present in various cement-based materials, includes a number of constituents with distinct nano-structures. The elastic properties of the HCP crystals are calculated using molecular dynamics (MD) methods. The accuracy of estimated values is verified by comparing them with the results from experimental tests and other atomistic simulation methods. The outcome of MD simulations is then extended to predict the elastic properties of the C-S-H gel by rescaling the values calculated for the individual crystals. To take into account the contribution of porosity, a detailed microporomechanics study is conducted on low- and high-density types of C-S-H. The obtained results are verified by comparing the rescaled values with the predictions from nanoindentation tests. Moreover, the mechanical behavior of the HCP crystals is examined under uniaxial tensile strains. From the stress-strain curves obtained in the three orthogonal directions, elastic and plastic responses of the HCP crystals are investigated. A comprehensive chemical bond and structural damage analysis is also performed to characterize the failure mechanisms of the HCP crystals under high tensile strains. The outcome of this study provides detailed information about the nonlinear behavior, plastic deformation, and structural failure of the HCP phases and similar atomic structures.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/6464569

First Advisor

Behrouz Shafei

Download
COinS