Some large civil engineering structures, principally certain concrete dams, are subject to the structural effects of Alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Due to the directions of loading and reinforcement, the stress state is mostly anisotropic. The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of applied stresses and restraint due to reinforcement or boundary conditions on ASR-expansion and induced anisotropic cracking. After the definition and validation of the poromechanical modelling, the paper gives a detailed description of the effects of different aspects of stress (in one, two or three directions) and reinforcement on ASR-expansion for engineers in charge of damaged structures. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.