Ultra-High-Performance Concretes (UHPCs) are a promising class of cementitious materials possessing mechanical properties superior to those of Normal Strength Concretes (NSCs). However, UHPCs have been slow to transition from laboratory testing to insertion in new applications, partly due to an intuitive trial-and-error materials development process. This research seeks to addresses this problem by implementing a materials design process for the design of UHPC materials and structures subject to blast loads with specific impulses between 1.25- and 1.5-MPa-ms and impact loads resulting from the impact of a 0.50-caliber bullet travelling between 900 and 1,000 m/s. The implemented materials design process consists of simultaneous bottom-up deductive mappings and top-down inductive decision paths through a set of process-structure-property-performance (PSPP) relations identified for this purpose. The bottom-up deductive mappings are constructed from a combination of analytical models adopted from the literature and two hierarchical multiscale models developed to simulate the blast performance of a 1,626-mm tall by 864-mm wide UHPC panel and the impact performance of a 305-mm tall by 305-mm wide UHPC panel. Both multiscale models employ models at three length scales – single fiber, multiple fiber, and structural – to quantify deductive relations in terms of fiber pitch (6-36 mm/revolution), fiber volume fraction (0-2%), uniaxial tensile strength of matrix (5-12 MPa), quasi-static tensile strength of fiber-reinforced matrix (10-20 MPa), and dissipated energy density (20-100 kJ/m²). The inductive decision path is formulated within the Inductive Design Exploration Method (IDEM), which determines robust combinations of properties, structures, and processing steps that satisfy the performance requirements. Subsequently, the preferred material and structural designs are determined by rank order of results of objective functions, defined in terms of mass and costs of the UHPC panel.

The load-carrying and energy-dissipation capacities of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) under dynamic loading are evaluated in relation to microstructure composition at strain rates on the order of 10⁵ s⁻¹ and pressures of up to 10 GPa. Analysis focuses on deformation and failure mechanisms at the mesostructural level. A cohesive finite element framework that allows explicit account of constituent phases, interfaces, and fracture is used. The model resolves essential deformation and failure mechanisms in addition to providing a phenomenological account of the effects of the phase transformation. Four modes of energy dissipation are tracked, including pressure-sensitive inelastic deformation, damage through the development of distributed cracks, interfacial friction, and energy released through phase transformation of the quartz silica constituent. Simulations are carried out over a range of volume fractions of constituent phases to quantify trends that can be used to design materials for more damage-resistant structures. Calculations show that the volume fractions of the constituents have more influence on the energy-dissipation capacity than on the load-carrying capacity, that inelastic deformation is the source of over 70% of the energy dissipation, and that the presence of porosity changes the role of fibers in the dissipation process. The results also show that the phase transformation has a significant effect on the load-carrying and energy-dissipation capacities of UHPC for the conditions studied. Although transformation accounts for less than 2% of the total energy dissipation, the phase transformation leads to a twofold increase in the crack density and yields nearly an 18% increase to the overall energy dissipation. Microstructure-behavior relations are established to facilitate materials design and tailoring for target-specific applications.