Concrete Deformation
Concrete Deformation - Related Videos
10:09
Tests of Hardened Concrete in Tension
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2023
Source: Roberto Leon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA In a previous laboratory focused on concrete in compression, we observed that concrete can withstand very large stresses under uniaxial compressive forces. However, the failures observed were not compressive failures but failures along shear planes where maximum tensile forces occur. Thus, it is important to understand the behavior of concrete in tension and particularly its maximum strength...
08:08
Compression Tests on Hardened Concrete
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2023
Source: Roberto Leon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA There are two distinct stages in a construction project involving concrete. The first stage involves batching, transporting, and casting fresh concrete. At this stage, the material is viscous, and the workability and finishability are the key performance criteria. The second stage occurs when the hydration process begins shortly after the concrete is placed in the form, and the concrete will...
11:23
Tests on Fresh Concrete
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2017
Source: Roberto Leon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Concrete consists of two phases, a cement paste phase comprised of cement, water, and air, and an aggregate phase comprised of coarse and fine aggregates. There are two key considerations when designing a concrete mix. First, the concrete must be workable and easy to cast in the forms in its fresh condition, even when the forms are packed with steel reinforcement. In this condition, it is the...
10:10
Aggregates for Concrete and Asphaltic Mixes
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2023
Source: Roberto Leon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Concrete and asphalt are by far the most common construction materials used today. Concrete is a composite material consisting of cement, water, air, coarse aggregate, and fine aggregates. Fine aggregates are typically sands and coarse aggregates are natural or crushed rocks. Chemical admixtures to modify certain specific properties are also commonly used (i.e., superplasticizers to make the...
08:31
Effects of Thinking Abstractly or Concretely on Self-control
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2023
Source: Diego Reinero & Jay Van Bavel—New York University Whether it's refraining from having a second serving of ice cream, studying instead of attending a fun party, or deciding to put money away in a savings account, sacrificing short-term outcomes in favor of long-term outcomes (i.e., delaying gratification) is a central tenant of self-control. When people apply self control, they engage numerous psychological processes to help them achieve their goal. These self-regulatory processes...
FAQs
Immediate strain can be recoverable, whereas creep develops gradually when a load remains applied. Shrinkage follows moisture loss, and temperature or chemical changes can also alter dimensions. These responses may occur together rather than independently, so engineers evaluate both short-term movement and long-term change when estimating deflection or assessing cracking and service performance.
The three material regions do not carry deformation in isolation. Under stress, cement paste, aggregates, and the interfaces between them redistribute strain through the concrete element. This internal interaction is important when engineers interpret measured stress–strain behavior, because the observed response reflects the combined material system rather than a single constituent.
When concrete is restrained, it cannot freely accommodate a change in volume caused by moisture loss or temperature variation. The restraint therefore interacts with the developing deformation, and cracking can result. This relationship makes restraint a key consideration in interpreting crack development, rather than treating shrinkage or thermal movement as isolated material effects.
Stress–strain testing provides a direct way to characterize how a concrete element responds as stress is applied. Used alongside long-term monitoring, it helps distinguish immediate behavior from changes that develop with time. Engineers use these observations to support models of deformation and to assess expected structural performance.
A practical investigation combines stress–strain testing with long-term monitoring. Testing captures the response under applied stress, while monitoring follows changes during sustained service conditions. Engineers then use the collected behavior to model deformation and anticipate consequences such as deflection, prestress losses, crack development, and changes in service life.
Findings about deformation inform structural design, material selection, and durability planning. In buildings, bridges, pavements, and other infrastructure, engineers use them to anticipate deflection, prestress losses, and crack development over the service life. The resulting assessment supports safer designs and helps address long-term performance rather than only initial load response.