Mechanical behavior of a capsule embedded in cementitious matrix-macro model and numerical simulation

The self-healing cementitious composites by using microcapsules have been developed in Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Durability for Marine Civil Engineering. The diameters of the microcapsules were located from tens to several hundred micro meters. Since it is usually difficult to measure the stress distribution and the fracture behavior in detail on this microscope scale, in this study, macro capsule model experiments were designed to simulate the behavior of a micro-capsule embedded in cementitious materials. Then, numerical analysis was conducted to study the interaction between a crack and a microcapsule. A criterion for judgment of the failure pattern: rupture or debonding of a microcapsule was obtained.