Analytical prediction of aggregates' effects on the ITZ volume fraction and Young's modulus of concrete

In order to evaluate analytically the ITZ volume fraction (f_ITZ) in concrete, a three phase model is proposed for the random concrete microstructure using the Voronoï tessellation. Within this model, the ITZ local thickness is a statistical variable depending on the local paste thickness available between each couple of neighbouring aggregates. The f_ITZ is found to not exceed 7% for typical concretes. Then, the concrete Young's modulus is predicted analytically using a four‐phase generalized self consistent model but in which the proposed f_ITZ is considered. It is found that the concrete Young's modulus increases when increasing aggregates volume fraction, aggregates maximum size and the proportion of coarse aggregates and when decreasing the ITZ thickness and Young's modulus. Finally, the validity of the proposed model is discussed based on a comparison between its predictions and three sets of experimental results related to normal and high strength concretes taken from literature. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.