ABSTRACT
Micro-cracks can appear at the surface of concrete specimens due to differential drying along their depth. The influence of those micro-cracks on the mechanical behavior is studied. The proposed sequential analysis is composed of two steps: hydric modeling via a finite element model and mechanical modeling via a beam-particle model. This latter model provides an explicit description of cracking and the associated mechanisms: initiation, propagation and contact during closing. The approach allows a weak coupling between the hydric and mechanical phenomena achieved in a non-intrusive way in both models. The study of cracking under drying conditions followed by three-points bending test is realized. Numerical results are compared with an available experimental campaign.
