Electrochemical deposition induced continuum damage-healing framework for the cementitious composite

The electrochemical deposition method is a promising approach to repair the deteriorated concrete in the aqueous environment. In this paper, a continuum damage-healing framework is presented for the electrochemical deposition method based on the multi-field coupling growth process of the electrochemical deposition products. The ion transportation and the electrode reactions are characterized by employing the Nernst-Planck equation and the current conservation equation. The level set method is adopted to capture the growth of the deposition products. Based on the deposition process, a new empirical healing law is presented, with which a new continuum damage-healing framework is presented for electrochemical deposition method. Numerical examples are conducted by applying the presented framework to the damaged cementitious composite under the tensile loadings. The presented framework is compared with the classic continuum damage-healing theory and the experimental data. The results show that the presented models can describe the electrochemical deposition method induced damage-healing for the cementitious composite. Furthermore, the effects of the healing time, the solution concentration and the external voltage on the damage-healing behaviors are investigated based on our proposed framework.