Prediction of modulus of elasticity based on micromechanics theory and application to low-strength mortars

The purpose of this article is to present a micro-mechanical modeling approach for multiphase materials made of various inclusions and a matrix. This method is generalized to a composite made of a matrix in which are embedded various inclusions of different radii and properties. ain size distribution of each type of inclusion is divided into 1 000 elements which volume fractions are determined by linear interpolation. llowing input data needs to be known: the elastic properties, the volume fractions of each phase, and the grain size distribution of each aggregate type. The effective properties of the composite are obtained thanks to a loop-type computation of the analytical models described in this article. neralized method is presented for both Mori–Tanaka and self-consistent estimates. ct application of this modeling approach to cementitious composites is presented. For the Mori–Tanaka estimate, the aggregates are surrounded by a layer of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and a layer of cement paste, while air bubbles are considered as mono-sized inclusions with no elastic behavior. For the self-consistent estimate, the cement paste and the air bubbles are both considered as additional single-dimensioned spherical inclusions. arison between the experimental and predicted moduli of elasticity is made for typical sand, expanded clay and rubberized mortars with varying volume fractions of aggregates. The predictions show a good agreement with the experimental results for all of the three mortars.