Experimental investigation of adhesive-based self-healing of cementitious materials

This paper presents the results of a series of self-healing experiments conducted on reinforced mortar beams containing adhesive-filled glass reservoirs. An overview of the findings of the preliminary investigation stage of experiments is given in addition to the results of a parametric study which investigates the effect of the level of reinforcement and loading rate on the amount of self-healing. Results show that both primary and secondary healing occurs during the first and second loading cycles respectively. Qualitative results also show clear evidence of the occurrence of crack-healing following the first loading cycle and new crack formation during the second loading cycle. The long-term motivation for this work is to provide data suitable for the development of a numerical material model for the autonomic healing process in cementitious materials.