• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1726-1746
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• 2022

This paper presents fracture mechanics analysis results for various cracks located at pressurized water reactor pressure vessel nozzle crotch corners taking into consideration constraint effect. Technical documents such as the ASME B&PV Code, Sec.XI were reviewed and then a fracture mechanics analysis procedure was proposed for structural integrity assessment of various nozzle crotch corner cracks under normal operation conditions considering the constraint effect. Linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis was performed by conducting finite element analysis with the proposed analysis procedure. Based on the evaluation results, elastic-plastic fracture mechanics analysis taking into account the constraint effect was performed only for the axial surface crack of the reactor pressure vessel outlet nozzle with cladding. The fracture mechanics analysis result shows that only the axial surface crack in the reactor pressure vessel outlet nozzle has the stress intensity factor exceeding the low bound of upper-shelf fracture toughness irrespectively of considering the constraint effect. It is confirmed that the J-integral for the axial crack of the outlet nozzle does not exceed the ductile crack initiation toughness. Hence, it can be ensured that the structural integrity of all the cracks is maintained during the normal operation.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.159-164
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• 2000

The fracture behaviors of aluminum foils and sheet papers were analyzed on the basis of linear elastic fracture mechanics(LEFM). The fracture loads of the similarly shaped specimens were calculated by dimensional analysis. The actual fracture loads were measured using the simple tension equipment. The predicted fracture loads were compared with the experimental results.

• Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-50
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• 1996

In this paper, a finite element analysis based on the local approach concept to fracture in the continuum damage mechanics is performed to analyze ductile fracture in two dimensional quasi-static state. First an isotropic damage model based on the generalized concept of effective stress is proposed for structural materials in the context of large deformation. In this model, the stiffness degradation is taken as a measure of damage and so, the fracture phenomenon can be explained as the critical deterioration of stiffness at a material point. The modified Riks' continuation technique is used to solve incremental iterative equations. Crack propagation is achieved by removing critically damaged elements. The mesh size sensitivity analysis and the simulation of the well known shearing mode failure in plane strain state are carried out to verify the present formulation. As numerical examples, an edge cracked plate and the specimen with a circular hole under plane stress are taken. Load-displacement curves and successively fractured shapes are shown. From the results, it can be concluded that the proposed model based on the local approach concept in the continuum damage mechanics may be stated as a reasonable tool to explain ductile fracture initiation and crack propagation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.301-310
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• 2008

Applications of fracture mechanics in the strength analysis of ceramic materials have been lately studied by many researchers. Various test specimens have been proposed in order to investigate the fracture resistance of cracked bodies under mixed mode conditions. Double Cleavage Drilled Compression (DCDC) specimen, with a hole offset from the centerline is a configuration that is frequently used in subcritical crack growth studies of ceramics and glasses. This specimen exhibits a strong crack path stability that is due to the strongly negative T-stress term. In this paper the maximum tensile stress (MTS) criterion is employed for investigating theoretically the initiation of brittle fracture in the DCDC specimen under mixed mode conditions. It is shown that the T-stress has a significant influence on the predicted fracture load and the crack initiation angle. The theoretical results suggest that brittle fracture in the DCDC specimen is controlled by a combination of the singular stresses (characterized by KI and KII) and the non-singular stress term, T-stress.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.171-177
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• 1995

Fracture mechanics does work for concrete, provided that one uses a proper, nonlinear form of fracture mechanics in which a finite nonlinear zone at fracture front is being considered. The fracture process zone is a region ahead of a traction-free crack, and the development of model of fracture process zone is most important to describe fracture phenomena in concrete. This paper is about fracture behavior of concrete cylinder under lateral pressure. Concrete cylinders were made of high strength normal connote, steel fiber reinforced concrete and steel fiber reinforced polymer-impregnated concrete and concrete and the fracture behavior such as cracking propagation and ultimate load are observed. The fracture process zone is modelled by a Dugdale-Barenblatt type model with linear tension-softening curve and are implemented to the boundary element technique for the fracture analyses of the cylinders. The experimental results are compared with analysis results and tension-softening curves for the steel fiber reinforced concrete and steel fiber reinforced polymer-impregnated concrete are obtained by back analyses.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.18 no.3E
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• pp.145-150
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• 2006

An experiment with the objective of providing guidelines for joint depth determination and timing of contraction joint sawcutting to avert uncontrolled cement concrete pavement cracking has been conducted. Theoretical analysis and laboratory tests were performed to help in understanding and analyzing the field observation. Using two-dimensional elastic fracture mechanics, the influence of several parameters on crack propagation was delineated by a parametric study, involving initial notch ratio, joint spacing, Young's modulus and thermal expansion coefficient of concrete, temperature gradient, and modulus of subgrade reaction. Bimaterials made of rock plus cement mortar and rock plus polymer mortar were applied to the concrete in a field test section, and they were subjected to fracture tests. These tests have shown that fracture mechanics is a powerful tool not only in judging the quality of the jointed cement concrete pavement but also in providing a criterion for crack propagation and delamination. Based on fracture mechanics, a method is proposed to determine the joint depth, sawcut timing, and spacing of the jointed cement concrete pavement. This method has successfully been applied to a test section in Seohaean expressway. This study also summarizes the research results obtained from a field test for jointed plain concrete pavement, which was also carried out on the Seohaean expressway.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.587-587
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• 1989

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.237-247
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• 2001

In this study, the fracture mechanics model as well as the elastic model was reviewed theoretically and four field case studies were conducted to investigate the feasibility of fracture mechanics model for hydraulic fracturing test. There was a difference between the result by fracture mechanics model and the one by elastic model. And the smaller initial crack length is, the larger the difference is. It is considered that the fracture mechanics model can be applied to the specific case of which the crack length is known. In this study, the rock tensile strength is measured using fracture mechanics model, brazilian test and elastic model. The measured tensile strength by the fracture mechanics model is the largest and the elastic model is the smallest. This result is due to the size effect of the each test. And the tensile strength from the elastic model for hydraulic fracturing test can be used to estimate the in-situ rock tensile strength.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 2017

The field of fracture mechanics has gained significance because of its ability to address the behaviour of cracks. Predicting the fracture properties of concrete based on experimental investigations is a challenge considering the quasi-brittle nature of concrete. So, there is a need for developing a standard numerical tool which predicts the fracture energy of concrete which is at par with experimental results. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the fracture energy and characteristic length for different grades of concrete using Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model. Indian Standard and EUROCODE are used for the basic input parameters of concrete. Numerical evaluation is done using Finite Element Analysis Software ABAQUS/CAE. Hsu & Hsu and Saenz stress-strain models are adopted for the current study. Mesh sensitivity analysis is also carried to study the influence of type and size of elements on the overall accuracy of the solution. Different input parameters like dilatation angle, eccentricity are varied and their effect on fracture properties is addressed. The results indicated that the fracture properties of concrete for various grades can be accurately predicted without laboratory tests using CDP model.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.81-92
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• 1990

Concrete, a mixed material, has heterogeniety, anisotrophy and nonlinearity. Therefore, in its 'racture analysis, it is more reasonable to evaluate its fracture toughness by applying the concept of 'racture mechanics rather than the strength concept. Up to the present the concepts of fracture mechanics which were applied to concrete have been divided into two main classes. The one is the concept of linear elastic fracture mechanics and the other is the concept of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics. But it has been pointed out that there are many problems and irrationalities in applying the concept of linear elastic fracture mechanics to concrete. In this study, the J -integral method and the COD method mainly used in the analysis of nonlinear fracture mechanics, were introduced and the three point bending test was carried out for investigating the effects of the variation of the maximum aggregate size and notch depth on the fracture behavior and the crack growth of concrete, and the relationships of fracture energy and crack opening displacement. According to the results of this study the more the maximum aggregate size and the notch depth increased, the more the nonlinearity of load-deflection behavior was remarkable. The increase of the coarse aggregate size created the more ductility of concrete. Thus concrete showed the more stable fracture. As for the path of the crack growth, the more the coarse aggregate size increased, the more it was irregulary deviated from the straight line but it was not almost affected by the variation of the notch depth. Also, the fracture energy increased according as the coarse aggregate size increased and the notch depth decreased.