Nearly all nuclear power plants in the United Statesare operating past their intended lifetimes. Therefore,understanding changes to the concrete containmentstructure over time is crucial to evaluate the structure’sviability. One important parameter to understand iscreep, as it can lead to stress redistribution and creepcracking. This research uses a combination of X-Ray CTand finite element analysis techniques to generate virtualconcrete microstructures and simulate creep tests. A codeto create these microstructures using real aggregateshapes has been developed with novel algorithms toimprove efficiency. A custom meshing code was written toproduce finite element models of these microstructureswith periodic boundary conditions. This approach allowsfor the modelling of a wide range of mix designs, materialproperties, and time scales. As a result, investigation intovariables including mechanical properties of aggregates,long term performance, and stress redistribution can beexplored. In comparison to long-term creep tests, thesecodes offer a faster, cheaper method to assess timedependentmaterial phenomena, which are of highimportance when evaluating long-term structuralperformance.
展开▼
