Homogenization of Concrete Microstructures in Nuclear Power Plants

Published

December 31, 2020

Author(s)

Christa Torrence, Aishwarya Baranikumar, Zachary Grasley, Edward Garboczi

Abstract

Nearly all nuclear power plants in the United States are operating past their intended lifetimes or are requesting lifetime extensions, therefore understanding changes to the concrete containment structure over time is crucial to evaluate the structure's viability. Concrete materials are heterogeneous particulate composites known to have viscoelastic material properties, which can lead to slow deformation over time, causing stress redistribution and creep cracking. A code to create 3D concrete microstructures has been developed and paired with finite element analysis to assess long-term properties of concrete. This is used to recreate laboratory experiments, both for validation and simulation of experiments that are not feasible to perform in laboratory conditions.

Citation

Nuclear Engineering and Design

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111051

Local Download

Keywords

concrete, nuclear power plant, creep, degradation, spherical harmonics

Citation

Torrence, C. , Baranikumar, A. , Grasley, Z. and Garboczi, E. (2020), Homogenization of Concrete Microstructures in Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear Engineering and Design, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111051, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=927903 (Accessed October 17, 2025)