Experimental and numerical investigation of the alkali-silica reaction in the cement-based materials

he main subject of this paper is the investigation of the influence of the alkali-silica reaction on the microstructure and the transport properties of the cement-based materials. In the experimental research, mortar bars prepared with two different aggregates and stored in conditions of various alkali content were examined. Influence of the reaction on the microstructure of the material was investigated using mercury intrusion porosimetry, water capillary suction test and water vapour adsorption test. Mathematical model of the alkali diffusion and the reaction development is presented. It allows to take into consideration the influence of alkali concentration and aggregate sizes on the reaction development. The numerical code was developed using the finite element, finite difference and Newton-Raphson methods. Good accordance of the results obtained using the proposed model with the experimental data available in literature was obtained.