A PHYSICAL PHENOMENON WHICH CAN EXPLAIN THE MECHANICAL-BEHAVIOR OF CONCRETE UNDER HIGH-STRAIN RATES

The free water in concrete underlies the various physical mechanisms that shape the mechanical behaviour of the material. In this article we attempt to show, through an experimental observation and a theoretical assumption, that the mechanical behaviour of concrete under high strain rates could be explained by a coupling between one of these physical effects and the process of cracking in the material. The assumption about the physical mechanism involved is made more to understand what happens inside the material than to lead to quantitative predictions.