Modeling the Thermoelastic Bending of Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3) Nanoparticles-Enhanced RC Slabs

Abstract

Nanoparticles, by virtue of their amorphous nature and high specific surface area, exhibit ideal pozzolanic activity which leads to the formation of additional C-S-H gel by reacting with calcium hydroxide, resulting in a denser matrix. The proportions of ferric oxide (Fe2O3), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in the clay, which interact chemically with the calcium oxide (CaO) during the clinkering reactions, influence the final properties of the cement and, therefore, of the concrete. Through the phases of this article, a refined trigonometric shear deformation theory (RTSDT), taking into account transverse shear deformation effects, is presented for the thermoelastic bending analysis of concrete slabs reinforced with ferric oxide (Fe2O3) nanoparticles. Thermoelastic properties are generated using Eshelby’s model in order to determine the equivalent Young’s modulus and thermal expansion of the nano-reinforced concrete slab. For an extended use of this study, the concrete plate is subjected to various mechanical and thermal loads. The governing equations of equilibrium are obtained using the principle of virtual work and solved using Navier’s technique for simply supported plates. Numerical results are presented considering the effect of different variations such as volume percent of Fe2O3 nanoparticles, mechanical loads, thermal loads, and geometrical parameters on the thermoelastic bending of the plate. According to the results, the transverse displacement of concrete slabs subjected to mechanical loading and containing 30% nano-Fe2O3 was almost 45% lower than that of a slab without reinforcement, while the transverse displacement under thermal loadings increased by 10%.