Abstract Multiscale modelling of damage in cement-based materials is mostly done through a downscale approach and constitutive laws are developed based on quasi-brittleness or cracking process within these materials. However, the microscopic characteristics of each phase in these materials need to be considered in order to accurately predict the durability. This article presents an experimentally-validated multiscale approach to model damage in mortar which takes into account the microscale fracture properties of the cement paste, the grain and the interface in-between them. This numerical study, on the one hand, shows that the failure is significantly dependent on the interface properties between cement paste and sand grains, which should be modelled as a separate phase with different properties than the bulk matrix. On the other hand, this study reveals that sand grain failure and grain size effect are the key phenomena to consider for the precise prediction of damage in the cement-based materials.

中文翻译：

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通过考虑基质-颗粒界面和颗粒微裂缝特征的微观信息高级方法模拟砂浆中的损伤

摘要 水泥基材料损伤的多尺度建模主要是通过缩小尺度的方法完成的，并且本构定律是基于这些材料的准脆性或开裂过程开发的。然而，为了准确预测耐久性，需要考虑这些材料中各相的微观特征。本文提出了一种经过实验验证的多尺度方法来模拟砂浆中的损伤，该方法考虑了水泥浆、颗粒和它们之间的界面的微观断裂特性。一方面，该数值研究表明，破坏在很大程度上取决于水泥浆和砂粒之间的界面特性，应将其建模为具有与块体基质不同特性的单独相。另一方面，