RILEM Multi-scale Modelling Course for Concrete (MMC2)

The RILEM Multi-scale Modelling Course for Concrete (MMC2) provides the opportunity for participants to become familiar with modelling cementitious materials at four different levels of detail. Different ways of schematization and numerical approaches are considered to simulate the chemical, physical and mechanical behaviour of cementitious materials. The main back-bone of the course are the different modelling levels at which heterogeneous and composite cementitious materials can be schematized and how these different levels can “communicate” by means of parameters passing methods or through upscaling models. The modelling levels that will be teached in this course are the macro-, meso-, micro-, and nano-level. The course emphasizes the different modelling approaches for each scale level and shows a couple of conceptual techniques on how “numerical gaps” between scale levels can be bridged. The course is commencing at the macro-scale level where emphasis is on early-age temperature and stresses development of hardening concrete, and how commercial FEM software can be applied. The meso-level deals with fracture mechanics and brittleness with emphasis on the Lattice model, followed by the micro-level which is on the hydration and microstructure properties using pixel and vextor-based approaches, and finally, the nano-level dealing wih the backgrounds of CSH gel using molecular dynamics and ab initio schemes.
 
For the course participants, the MMC2 course provides a chance to acquire a glance of the varieties of numerical possibilities in an intensive course week of lectures and workshops. The course is set-up in such a way that theoretical lectures and practical workshops alternate day by day and, besides this, course participants are also invited to present themselves and their own work during an elevator pitch talk. There will be a mix of events and topics centred around the theme of multi-scale modelling that makes the course very “dynamic”.
 
Following the success of the past seven MMC2 courses organized so far (Delft 2008, Nanjing 2009, Bilbao 2010, Delft 2011, Nanjing 2012, Delft 2013, Beijing 2014), this year the course will be organized in Darmstadt, next to Frankfurt. The course will be co-organized by the Microlab of Delft University of Technology and the Technical University of Darmstadt. Lecturers will be provided by teachers from Delft University of Technology (Macro, meso and micro), Tecnali Spain (Nano modeling), and the Technical University of Darmstadt (micro and transport modeling). The upscaling lectures will be a joint contribution of teachers from TU Delft and TU Darmstadt. Models will be presented that address all scale levels which makes the course a real multi-scale modelling course, i.e. from macro - to - nano!

Summary :

Addressing lectures for macro- to nano- scale modelling.
Theoretical and practical workshops on multi-scale modelling.
Modelling mechanical, physical and chemical behaviour at different scale levels.
Emphasizing different approaches of modelling and how “numerical gaps” can be bridged.

Lecture material:

Lecture material consists of a USB-stick containing all slides in PDF as presented during the course, literature, practical examples, a copy of the basic software that will also be used during the practical sessions.