Influence of Moisture and Temperature on Mechanical Properties of the Concrete

Abstract : The scenario of a severe accident in the containment building of a nuclear plant results in an increase in pressure, temperature and relative humidity that can reach respectively 5 bars, 140 C and the water vapour saturation. Accurate knowledge of the thermal and mechanical behaviour of materials and more specifically of concrete is required to carry out more precise numerical simulations, in order to be able improve the precision of regulatory calculations. Our study aims to investigate the mechanical behaviour of concrete under homogeneous conditions of moisture and temperature. An experimental apparatus was designed in order to assess the evolutions of the fracture energy, the modulus of elasticity and the traction resistance of concrete. Different temperature levels up to a maximum of 140 C and at different values of the controlled moisture content were investigated. The equipment was used to perform DCT (Disk-shape Compact Tension) tests at 30, 90, 110 and 140 C. Five levels of degree of liquid water saturation ( Sw) were investigated for each temperature level between 36 and 100 %.