• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.565-576
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• 2007

The article describes a technique for the measurement of the level of complexity of fracture surfaces by the method of vertical sections, and a performed statistical analysis of the effect of profile lines on the fractographic and fractal parameters of fractures, i.e. the profile line development factor, $R_L$, and the fracture surface development factor, $R_S$, (as defined by the cycloid method), as well as the fractal dimension, $D_C$, (as determined by the chord method), and the fractal dimension, $D_{BC}$, (as determined by the box method). The above-mentioned parameters were determined for fracture surfaces of basalt and gravel concretes, respectively, which had previously been subjected to fracture toughness tests. The concretes were made from mixtures of a water/cement ratio ranging from 0.41 to 0.61 and with a variable fraction of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate, $C_{agg.}/F_{agg.}$, in the range from 1.5 to 3.5. Basalt and gravel aggregate of a fraction to maximum 16 mm were used to the tests. Based on the performed analysis it has been established that the necessary number of concrete fracture profile lines, which assures the reliability of obtained testing results, should amount to 12.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.459-475
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• 2009

This paper presents analytical methodologies for remaining life prediction of plain concrete structural components considering tension softening and size effects. Non-linear fracture mechanics principles (NLFM) have been used for crack growth analysis and remaining life prediction. Various tension softening models such as linear, bi-linear, tri-linear, exponential and power curve have been presented with appropriate expressions. Size effect has been accounted for by modifying the Paris law, leading to a size adjusted Paris law, which gives crack length increment per cycle as a power function of the amplitude of a size adjusted stress intensity factor (SIF). Details of tension softening effects and size effect in the computation of SIF and remaining life prediction have been presented. Numerical studies have been conducted on three point bending concrete beams under constant amplitude loading. The predicted remaining life values with the combination of tension softening & size effects are in close agreement with the corresponding experimental values available in the literature for all the tension softening models.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.47-60
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• 2004

The influence of the fracture process zone (FPZ) on the fracture properties is one of the hottest topics in the field of fracture mechanics for cementitious materials. Within the FPZ in front of a traction free crack, cohesive forces are distributed in accordance with the softening stress-separation constitutive relation of the material. Therefore, further crack propagation necessitates energy dissipation, which is the work done by the cohesive forces. In this paper $g_f$, the local fracture energy characterizing the energy consumption due to the cohesive forces, is discussed. The computational expression of $g_f$ in the FPZ can be obtained for any stage during the material fracture process regarding the variation of FPZ, whether in terms of its length or width. $G_{fa}$, the average energy consumption along the crack extension region, has also been computed and discussed in this paper. The experimental results obtained from the wedge splitting tests on specimens with different initial notch ratios are employed to investigate the property of the local fracture energy $g_f$ and the average value $G_{fa}$ over the crack extension length. These results can be used to indicate the influence of the FPZ. Additionally, changes in the length of the FPZ during the fracture process are also studied.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.119-127
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• 1999

The objective of this study is to simulate the fracture behavior of composite structure bonded with more than 2 different cementitious materials. For this, concrete and cement were stacked and bonded in a direction perpendicular to loading and specimens were tested. Each constituent material of concrete and cement was fabricated independently also, and three point bending and indirect tensile tests were carried out for the acquisition of measured values applicable to the proposed model. As a result of comparing theoretical results and experimental ones, it was found that the proposed model derived from fictitious crack theory can be used to predict the fracture behavior of composite structures on the vases of well agreement with experimental results. It was also noted that the degree of improvement of fracture energies and strengths is greatly dependent on the stacking sequence of layers composing of a composite structure. Thus, it can be concluded that brittleness or ductility of a composite structure can be accomplished by a proper arrangement of layers on one's purpose throughout the proposed analysis.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.589-600
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• 2000

This paper attempts to provide a theoretical basis for the design of high-strength concrete columns in terms of the spacing of lateral reinforcement. In order to achieve this, important concepts had to be addressed such as the choice of a measure of ductile behaviour and a realistic high-strength concrete stress-strain model, as well as limiting factors such as longitudinal steel buckling and lateral steel fracture. A design method incorporating above factors are suggested in the paper. It is shown that both buckling of longitudinal steel and hoop fracture will not demand a reduction in spacing of lateral ties with increase in compressive strength of concrete.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.359-373
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• 2008

The present parametric study deals with the meso-scale modelling of concrete subjected to cyclic compression, which exhibits hysteresis loops during unloading and reloading. Concrete is idealised as a two-dimensional three-phase composite made of aggregates, mortar and interfacial transition zones (ITZs). The meso-scale modelling approach relies on the hypothesis that the hysteresis loops are caused by localised permanent displacements, which result in nonlinear fracture processes during unloading and reloading. A parametric study is carried out to investigate how aggregate density and size, amount of permanent displacements in the ITZ and the mortar, and the ITZ strength influence the hysteresis loops obtained with the meso-scale modelling approach.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.29-36
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• 1987

In most of the structural members with initial cracks, the strength tends to decrease as the member size increases. This phenomenon is known as size effect. Among the structural materials of glass, metal or concrete, etc., concrete represents the size effect even without initial crack. According to the previous size effect law, the concrete member of very large size can resist little stress. Actually, however, even the large size member can resist some stress if there is no initial notch. This means that the fracture mechanism of very small or very large size member follows strength criterion, but the medium size member follows non-linear fracture mechanics (NLFM). In this study, the empirical models which are derived based on nonlinear fracture mechanics are proposed according to the regression analysis with the existing test data of large size specimens for uni-axial compression test, splitting tensile test and shear test of reinforced concrete beams.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.235-243
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• 1996

The mechanical behavior ot concrete is strongly influenced by various scenarios of crack initiation and crack propagation. Recently. the study of the interface fracture and cracking in interfacial regions is emerged as an important field, in the context of the developement of high performance concrete composites. The crack path criterion for elastically homogeneous materials is not valid when the crack advances at an interface because. in this case, the consideration of the relative magnitudes of the fracture toughnesses between the constituent materials and the interface are involved. In this paper, a numerical method is presented to obtain the values of two interfacial fracture parameters such as the energy release rate and the phase angle at the tip of an existing interface crack. Criteria based on energy release rate concepts are suggested for the prediction of crack growth at the interfaces and an hybrid experimental-numerical study is presented on the two-phase beam composite models containing interface cracks to investigate the cracking scenarios in interfacial regions. In general, good agreement between the experimental results and the prediction from the criteria is obtained.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.418-423
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• 1998

This paper is intended to investigate the behavior of flexural-shear cracking in reinforced concrete beams without web reinforcement with FEM incorporated into a linear elastic fracture mechanics approach(LEFM). Each crack was propagated progressively by a finite length, then the quantitative reponses were examined. The results show that the horizontal crack was initiated by the bond-jnduced shear stress due to horizontal shearing action of the T-C force couple after the formation of the critical flexural crack. Also, the horizontal crack is considered to be a major factor of shear failure in slender reinforced concrete beams without web reinforcement.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

This paper describes laboratory tests carried out to evaluate the influence of class F fly ash (FA) on fracture toughness of plain concretes, specified at the third model fracture. Composites with the additives of: 0%, 20% and 30% siliceous FA were analysed. Fracture toughness tests were performed on axial torsional machine MTS 809 Axial/Torsional Test System, using the cylindrical specimens with dimensions of 150/300 mm, having an initial circumferential notch made in the half-height of cylinders. The studies examined effect of FA additive on the critical stress intensity factor $K_{IIIc}$. In order to determine the fracture toughness $K_{IIIc}$ a special device was manufactured.The analysis of the results revealed that a 20% FA additive causes increase in $K_{IIIc}$, while a 30% FA additive causes decrease in fracture toughness. Furthermore, it was observed that the results obtained during fracture toughness tests are convergent with the values of the compression strength tests.