• 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.48 no.1
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• pp.17-39
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• 2013

In the present paper, a coaxial rotating smeared crack model is proposed for mass concrete in three-dimensional space. The model is capable of applying both the constant and variable shear transfer coefficients in the cracking process. The model considers an advanced yield function for concrete failure under both static and dynamic loadings and calculates cracking or crushing of concrete taking into account the fracture energy effects. The model was utilized on Koyna Dam using finite element technique. Dam-water and dam-foundation interactions were considered in dynamic analysis. The behavior of dam was studied for different shear transfer coefficients considering/neglecting fracture energy effects. The results were extracted at crest displacement and crack profile within the dam body. The results show the importance of both shear transfer coefficient and the fracture energy in seismic analysis of concrete dams under high hydrostatic pressure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.147-161
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• 2006

Recent developments in fractal theory suggest that fractal may provide a more realistic representation of characteristics of cementitious materials. In this paper, the roughness of fracture surfaces in cementitious material has been characterized by fractal theory. A systematic experimental investigation was carried out to examine the dependency of fracture parameters on the aggregate sizes as well as the loading rates. Three maximum aggregate sizes (4.76 mm, 12.7 mm, and 19.1 mm) and two loading rates (slow and fast loading rate) were used. A total of 25 compression tests and 25 tension tests were performed. All fracture parameters exhibited an increase, to varying degrees, when aggregates were added to the mortar matrix. The fracture surfaces of the specimens were digitized and analyzed. Results of the fractal analysis suggested that concrete fracture surfaces exhibit fractal characteristics, and the fractal geometry provide a useful tool for characterizing nonlinear fracture behavior of concrete. Fractal dimension D was monotonically increased as maximum aggregate sizes increase. A new fractal fracture model was developed which considers the size and shape of aggregate, and the crack paths in the constituent phases. Detailed analyses were given for four different types of fracture paths. The fractal fracture model can estimate fractal dimension for multiphase composites.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.503-512
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• 1995

Groundwater flow in fracture networks is simulated using a discrete fracture (DF) model which assume that groundwater flows only through the fracture network. This assumption is available if the permeability of rock matrix is very low. It is almost impossible to describe fracture networks perfectly, so a stochastic approach is used. The stochastic approach assumes that the characteristic parameters in fracture network have special distribution patterns. The stochastic model generates fracture networks with some characteristic parameters. The finite element method is used to compute fracture flows. One-dimensional line element is the element type of the finite elements. The simulation results are shown by dominant flow paths in the fracture network. The dominant flow path can be found from the simulated groundwater flow field. The model developed in this study provides the tool to estimate the influences of characteristic parameters on groundwater flow in fracture networks. The influences of some characteristic parameters on the frcture flow are estimated by the Monte Carlo simulation based on 30 realizations.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.552-559
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• 2009

The effect of porosity on the crack propagation is studied by using the cohesive zone model. Standard mode I fracture test were done by using compact tension specimens with various porosities. Load-load line displacement curves and ${\delta}_5$-crack resistance curves for various porosities were obtained from experiments. The cohesive zone model proposed by Xu and Needleman was employed to describe the crack propagation in porous media, and the Gurson model is used for constitutive relation of porous materials. These models were implemented into user subroutines of a finite element program ABAQUS. The fracture mode changes from ductile fracture to brittle fracture as the porosity increases. Numerical calculations agree well with experimental results.

• 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.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.189-207
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• 2023

In the present study, the thermoshearing experiment on a rough rock fracture were modeled using a three-dimensional grain-based distinct element model (GBDEM). The experiment was conducted by the Korea Institute of Construction Technology to investigate the progressive shear failure of fracture under the influence of thermal stress in a critical stress state. The numerical model employs an assembly of multiple polyhedral grains and their interfaces to represent the rock sample, and calculates the coupled thermo-mechanical behavior of the grains (blocks) and the interfaces (contacts) using 3DEC, a DEM code. The primary focus was on simulating the temperature evolution, generation of thermal stress, and shear and normal displacements of the fracture. Two fracture models, namely the mated fracture model and the unmated fracture model, were constructed based on the degree of surface matedness, and their respective behaviors were compared and analyzed. By leveraging the advantage of the DEM, the contact area between the fracture surfaces was continuously monitored during the simulation, enabling an examination of its influence on shear behavior. The numerical results demonstrated distinct differences depending on the degree of the surface matedness at the initial stage. In the mated fracture model, where the surfaces were in almost full contact, the characteristic stages of peak stress and residual stress commonly observed in shear behavior of natural rock joints were reasonably replicated, despite exhibiting discrepancies with the experimental results. The analysis of contact area variation over time confirmed that our numerical model effectively simulated the abrupt normal dilation and shear slip, stress softening phenomenon, and transition to the residual state that occur during the peak stress stage. The unmated fracture model, which closely resembled the experimental specimen, showed qualitative agreement with the experimental observations, including heat transfer characteristics, the progressive shear failure process induced by heating, and the increase in thermal stress. However, there were some mismatches between the numerical and experimental results regarding the onset of fracture slip and the magnitudes of fracture stress and displacement. This research was conducted as part of DECOVALEX-2023 Task G, and we expect the numerical model to be enhanced through continued collaboration with other research teams and validated in further studies.

• Advances in biomechanics and applications
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2014

In this paper, a simple and accurate finite element model coupled to quasi-brittle damage law able to describe the multiple cracks initiation and their progressive propagation is developed in order to predict the complete force-displacement curve and the fracture pattern of human proximal femur under quasi-static load. The motivation of this work was to propose a simple and practical FE model with a good compromise between complexity and accuracy of the simulation considering a limited number of model parameters that can predict proximal femur fracture more accurately and physically than the fracture criteria based models. Different damage laws for cortical and trabecular bone are proposed based on experimental results to describe the inelastic damage accumulation under the excessive load. When the damage parameter reaches its critical value inside an element of the mesh, its stiffness matrix is set to zero leading to the redistribution of the stress state in the vicinity of the fractured zone (crack initiation). Once a crack is initiated, the propagation direction is simulated by the propagation of the broken elements of the mesh. To illustrate the potential of the proposed approach, the left femur of a male (age 61) previously investigated by Keyak and Falkinstein, 2003 (Model B: male, age 61) was simulated till complete fracture under one-legged stance quasi-static load. The proposed finite element model leads to more realistic and precise results concerning the shape of the force-displacement curve (yielding and fracturing) and the profile of the fractured edge.

• 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.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.245-261
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• 1998

In order to validate the variable aperture channel model that can deal with the non-uniform How rate in flow domain, migration experiments of conservative tracer were performed in two artificial fractures, a parallel and a wedge-shaped fracture. These different fracture shapes were designed to give different flow pattern. The fractures were made from a transparent acrylic plastic plate and a granite slab with dimensions of 10 $\times$ 61 $\times$ 61 cm. Uranine (Fluorescein sodium salt) was used as a conservative tracer. The volumetric flow rates of uranine feed solution were 30 mL/ hr, giving a mean residence time in the fracture of approximately 24 hours for the parallel fracture and 34 hours for the wedge-shaped fracture. The migration plumes of uranine were photographed to obtain profiles in space and time for movement of a tracer in fractures. The photographed migration plume was greatly affected by the geometric shape of fractures. The variable aperture channel model could have predicted the experimental results for the parallel fracture with a large accuracy. It is expected that the variable aperture channel model would be effective to predict the transport of the contaminant, especially, with the flow rate variation in a fracture.