Morphometric analysis of a porous geopolymer and simulation of its compressive behavior through a RVE generation

Abstract

The increasing use of geopolymers in the construction industry, driven by the need for eco-friendly production processes and the gradual replacement of Portland cement in such applications, leads to new scientific challenges. In particular, the availability of reliable tools to predict the mechanical response of this class of materials is becoming increasingly crucial for their application in a wider range of engineering solutions. In the context of this research work, and as a contribution to addressing these needs, a modeling framework based on a morphologically informed Representative Volume Element was developed and proposed. To this end, an X-ray tomographic technique was employed on geopolymer samples, and internal defects were quantified through morphometric image analysis. The resulting data were subsequently integrated into a Finite Element Method (FEM) code to build a Representative Volume Element incorporating a distribution of equivalent porosity. Therefore, numerical simulations were carried out using an explicit FEM code to reproduce a compressive mechanical test, and the results were compared with experimental data. Good agreement was observed between the experimental and numerical results, both in the linear elastic regime and during the damage initiation and failure phases of the specimens.