Research Brief: Investigating the Mechanisms of ASR Using Atomistic Methods

Abstract

With 20% of highway pavements in the U.S. in poor condition, mitigating pavement failure has become increasingly important. However, the mechanisms of the alkali-silica-reaction (ASR), a leading cause of damage in concrete pavements, remain unclear. Although it is well known that ASR can lead to cracking over many decades, a need still exists to under­stand the reaction at the atomic scale—in particular, the dissociation and formation of silicates in water. For this, it is necessary to have an atomistic approach.