Study on the Material Properties of Microconcrete by Dynamic Model Test.

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Structural Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Seismic safety of hydraulic aqueducts is critical due to fluid-structure interaction.
• Existing numerical methods struggle to accurately simulate fluid-solid coupling.
• Shaking table tests are used, but research on model similarity and material properties is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of mix proportions on microconcrete mechanical properties for scaled model tests.
• To identify key factors controlling density, compressive strength, and elastic modulus.
• To provide data for designing similarity ratios and selecting materials for fluid-solid coupling structure models.

Main Methods:

• Orthogonal experimental design was employed to study microconcrete.
• Key variables included barite sand content, water-cement ratio, fine sand ratio, and lime ratio.
• Mechanical properties (density, compressive strength, elastic modulus) were measured.

Main Results:

• Microconcrete performance varied significantly (19%–102%) with different mix ratios.
• Barite sand content was the primary factor influencing density (2.37–2.81 g/cm³).
• Water-cement ratio most significantly affected compressive strength (18.37–36.94 MPa) and elastic modulus (2.11 × 10⁴–3.28 × 10⁴ MPa).

Conclusions:

• Optimized microconcrete mix designs are essential for accurate scaled model testing of hydraulic aqueducts.
• Understanding material property variations is crucial for reliable seismic response analysis.
• This research supports the design of similarity ratios and material selection for fluid-solid coupling structure models.