Influence of concrete fracture on the rain infiltration and thermal performance of building facades

International audienceWater infiltration is known to play an important part in the degradation process of construction materials. Over time, microscopic and macroscopic cracks progressively develop under the effects of mechanical loading and sorption/desorption cycles: their influence is to be accounted for in long-term hygrothermal performance assessments of the building envelope. The present work aims at showing the potential consequences of cracking on the heat and moisture transfer across building facades, in order to justify the need for the identification of damage to prevent durability and thermal issues. Specific simulation cases of insulated and non-insulated building facades were defined, and submitted to atmospheric boundary conditions for simulation times of one month. Some of the simulation geometries included previous measurements of crack patterns in concrete. The comparison of fractured and non-fractured building facades showed the effects of cracks on the moisture accumulation and thermal performance of these wall configurations, thus giving an estimate of what these effects might be in real conditions. A methodology is thus proposed for the identification of renovation needs, which may be applied for the purpose of durability assessments as well

Influence of diffuse damage on the water vapour permeability of fibre reinforced mortar

International audienceThe study of moisture transfer inside building materials is an important issue in building physics. The hygric characterization of such materials has become a common practice for the estimation of the hygrothermal performance of buildings. However, their aging caused by mechanical loading and environmental factors inevitably affects their permeability to moisture ingress, and the knowledge of how this permeability is affected by damage and cracks is still incomplete. The effects of diffuse damage caused by mechanical loading on the water vapour permeability of fibre-reinforced mortar were studied. A full experimental setup is presented including observation of the porous structure, me-chanical, and hygric characterization. Uniaxial tensile loading was applied on prismatic samples while their damage level was measured. Then, the moisture content of damaged and undamaged samples was monitored during variations of ambient relative humidity. Two numerical methods are presented and used for the comparison of the water vapour permeability of multiple samples presenting various levels of damage. By this methodology, dif-fuse damage caused by mechanical loading is shown to have an impact on the water vapour transfer inside the material

Damage monitoring in fibre reinforced mortar by combined digital image correlation and acoustic emission

International audienceThe present work aims at developing a methodology for the detection and monitoring of damage and fractures in building materials in the prospects of energetic renovation. Digital image correlation (DIC) and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring were simultaneously performed during tensile loading tests of fibre reinforced mortar samples. The full-field displacement mappings obtained by DIC revealed all ranges of cracks, from microscopic to macroscopic, and an image processing procedure was conducted as to quantify their evolution in the course of the degradation of the samples. The comparison of these measurements with the acoustic activity of the material showed a fair match in terms of quantification and localisation of damage. It is shown that after such a calibration procedure, AE monitoring can be autonomously used for the characterisation of damage and fractures at larger scales

Characterization of fracture patterns and hygric properties for moisture flow modelling in cracked concrete

International audienceSeveral years after their installation, building materials such as concrete present signs of ageing in the form of fractures covering a wide range of sizes, from microscopic to macroscopic cracks. All sizes of fractures can have a strong influence on heat and moisture flow in the building envelope, but their distribution is difficult to predict due to the variety of environmental factors which cause them. This paper aims at applying experimental non-destructive techniques for the observation of fracture patterns and of fluid flow in fractures, in order to provide this data to models for fluid transfer in fractured porous media. Digital image correlation was performed during the fracturing of concrete samples, in which moisture uptake was then monitored using X-ray radiography. Finite-element simulations were then performed based on the measurements of the fracture patterns, in order to recreate the measured moisture concentration profiles. Digital image correlation was found suitable as a mean to obtain a complete mapping of the deformations at the surface of the samples, and a first step was made towards the use of non-destructive fracture characterization for the purpose of moisture transfer modelling

Mutation analysis and characterization of ATR sequence variants in breast cancer cases from high-risk French Canadian breast/ovarian cancer families

BACKGROUND: Ataxia telangiectasia-mutated and Rad3-related (ATR) is a member of the PIK-related family which plays, along with ATM, a central role in cell-cycle regulation. ATR has been shown to phosphorylate several tumor suppressors like BRCA1, CHEK1 and TP53. ATR appears as a good candidate breast cancer susceptibility gene and the current study was designed to screen for ATR germline mutations potentially involved in breast cancer predisposition. METHODS: ATR direct sequencing was performed using a fluorescent method while widely available programs were used for linkage disequilibrium (LD), haplotype analyses, and tagging SNP (tSNP) identification. Expression analyses were carried out using real-time PCR. RESULTS: The complete sequence of all exons and flanking intronic sequences were analyzed in DNA samples from 54 individuals affected with breast cancer from non-BRCA1/2 high-risk French Canadian breast/ovarian families. Although no germline mutation has been identified in the coding region, we identified 41 sequence variants, including 16 coding variants, 3 of which are not reported in public databases. SNP haplotypes were established and tSNPs were identified in 73 healthy unrelated French Canadians, providing a valuable tool for further association studies involving the ATR gene, using large cohorts. Our analyses led to the identification of two novel alternative splice transcripts. In contrast to the transcript generated by an alternative splicing site in the intron 41, the one resulting from a deletion of 121 nucleotides in exon 33 is widely expressed, at significant but relatively low levels, in both normal and tumoral cells including normal breast and ovarian tissue. CONCLUSION: Although no deleterious mutations were identified in the ATR gene, the current study provides an haplotype analysis of the ATR gene polymorphisms, which allowed the identification of a set of SNPs that could be used as tSNPs for large-scale association studies. In addition, our study led to the characterization of a novel Δ33 splice form, which could generate a putative truncated protein lacking several functional domains. Additional studies in large cohorts and other populations will be needed to further evaluate if common and/or rare ATR sequence variants can be associated with a modest or intermediate breast cancer risk

Contribution à l'élaboration d'un système d'aide à la formulation de liants hydrauliques pour la stabilisation/solidification de déchets

There is a lack of complete and consistent data on waste/cement composite interactions. This Phd work proposed a design tools including research history as well as experimental data focused on heavy-metal / cementitious composite (HM/C) interactions. The laboratory part enlighted the mechanisms involved in heavy metal solidification/stabilization by cementitious binders. The experimental protocol design relies on two substrates: (i) HM/C suspension characterized by Ionic conductimetry, XRD, FTIR, DTA, SEM-EDAX, ICP and ionic chromotography ; (ii) HM/C composite characterized by lixivation followed by microstructural analysis (XRD, FTIR, DTA, SEM-EDAX). Result confirmed wether heavy metal modified the hydration products and cinetic, and gave access to both the extent of 'binder stabilization' and the extent of 'binder solidification' part. A cement / waste intecraction chart is drawn and associated to an index of solidification/stabilization efficiency. Synthetic forms of heavy metals (lead, chromium and cadmium) as well 8 commercial cement (3 portland and 5 slag cement) are selected to validate the methodology. Cement Specific Surface, and Ionic Concentration within the first hours of hydration as well as connectivity and tortuosity of the porous network arising from hydration are key parameters to design adequate binder for waste solidification/stabilization. MEB studies revealed the complex architecture of modified hydration product at the nanoscale, further 3D studies are needed to image this multiscale nanoporous media.L'objectif principal était de développer un outil de formulation dédié à l'inertage des déchets par des liants minéraux (laitiers, fondus, portland..) pour un stockage en décharge classée ou pour valorisation sous la forme d'Eco-matériaux. Deux voies de recherches se sont déroulées en parallèle, d'une part la caractérisation multi-échelles du 'composite liant/déchet' pour qualifier l'efficacité de l'inertage,d'autre part, la mesure des propriétés rhéologiques et mécaniques du 'composite liant/déchet' pour mieux cibler son domaine d'emploi. Il est apparu rapidement que pour fonder l'outil de formulation, une description fine du réseau poreux obtenu (diamètre et connectivité des capillaires, distribution de taille et morphologie des pores) associée à une étude des microstructures formées seraient impératives. Pour ce faire des expériences multi-échelles à caractère novateur ont été mises en place (ICP-OES couplée avec de la conductimètrie, cartographie MEB) et appliquées à 8 couples liant/ polluant. Elles ont confirmé une intégration des polluants sous diverses formes microstructurales dans de nouveaux composés Pour mieux prédire les cinétiques de rejet, dans le cadre d'une mise en décharge, les lois classiques de diffusion ont été revisitées sur une période d'étude de [3min-24mois] et les coefficients de diffusion de Fick ont été calculés globalement ou par partie

Outils de formulation pour les matériaux thermo-structurés dédiés à la rénovation thermique du bâti

Le secteur du bâtiment représente le principal gisement d'économies d'énergie exploitable immédiatement, en effet il consomme plus de 40 % de l'énergie finale et contribue pour près du quart aux émissions françaises de gaz à effet de serre. Un plan de rénovation énergétique et thermique des bâtiments existants, réalisé à grande échelle et cadré par le Grenelle de l'Environnement, vise à réduire durablement les dépenses énergétiques. Avec près de 20 millions de logements construits avant 1975, sans aucune isolation thermique, la surface de parois à isoler est donc considérable et met en évidence une problématique de volume d'isolant et la nécessiter de proposer de nouveaux matériaux isolants en appliquant une approche système. Les travaux présentés ont pour objectif d'améliorer la compréhension des interactions microstructures / propriétés et à partir de ces connaissances de produire des outils d'aide à la formulation pour la rénovation du bâti ancien. L'exercice de la formulation de matériau est abordé avec une approche composite expérimentale et numérique à plusieurs échelles. En effet l'optimisation d'un matériau nécessite de décrire et de connaître finement les interactions entre les composants (liant organique et/ou minéral, fibres, squelette granulaire, structure poreuse). Nous nous intéressons dans une première partie à l'intégration d'un renfort dans un matériau poreux organo-minéral, afin de mieux comprendre comment conserver les propriétés hydriques du matériau (perméabilité vapeur) tout en améliorant ses propriétés mécaniques en traction. Les mesures expérimentales confirment la nécessité de coupler la rhéologie et la mécanique des composites pour proposer un outil d'aide à la formulation dédié à l'Isolation Thermique par l'Extérieur. La seconde partie aborde le verrou scientifique de la formulation de la matrice des matériaux isolants et plus particulièrement leur caractère non fissurant dans une gamme de température et d'hygrométrie classiquement rencontrée lors d'une exposition réelle sur site. Nous cherchons une meilleure illustration des propriétés mécaniques élastiques du matériau en lien avec les observations microstructurales effectuées en microscopie environnementale. Ceci se traduit par une meilleure compréhension de la structure organo-minérale formée. La troisième partie se focalise sur l'étude des renforts utilisés dans ces matériaux composites et vise à définir des outils statistiques pour caractériser leurs performances. Nous proposons un couplage AFM / Essai sur fil, et une analyse via une loi normale pour caractériser les renforts, et définir des indices de performances utilisables dans des modèles de formulation. La dernière partie se place à l'échelle d'une paroi composite de bâtiment et cherche à développer des outils aptes à qualifier les performances d'un matériau fracturé, en lien avec une évaluation non destructive du matériau. Le caractère fragile et fissurant des matériaux de construction est ainsi intégré des la conception du matériau et pris en compte dans un modèle thermique et hydrique couplé. In fine des seuils de performance devraient pouvoir être proposés et déclencher des maintenances préventives à l'image des procédures déjà en place sur les structures génie civil

Characterization of cement paste by dynamic mechanical thermo-analysis: Part I: Operative conditions

International audienceThe present study presents dynamic mechanical thermoanalysis (DMTA) of cement pastes and promotes the specificity of this non-destructive technique. Operative conditions and their impact on results are reviewed. A set of silicate rich cement pastes (HTS) vapour cured at 80 °C for 48 h, is submitted to a very small sinusoidal torsion strain. Dynamic mechanical behaviour of the sample is studied within a [- 150 °C, 226 °C] temperature range. A rate of temperature increase of 2 K min- 1 is fixed. The sinusoidal strain imposed has a frequency of 1 Hz in further tests. Different temperature paths are defined to characterize a sample: single run/double run and step run. Results show that DMTA is useful to characterize porosity, silicates hydration and silicates degradation. Moreover DMTA is able to check whether polymer is well dispersed in the cement matrix or not

moisture infiltration in fractures and consequences on the hygrothermal performance of building facades

International audienc