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Outline 4
Fracture Concepts
Fracture mechanics:
o Failure of concrete structures typically involves crack propagation and
growth of large cracking zones before the maximum load is reached.
Fracture mechanics, for design of concrete structures, has been
introduced for a realistic prediction of crack stability.
o Some reasons for introducing fracture mechanics into the design of
concrete structures:
1. Energy required for crack formation,
2. The need to achieve objectivity of finite element solutions,
3. Lack of yield plateau,
4. The need to rationally predict ductility and energy absorption
capability, and
5. The effect of structure size on the nominal strength, ductility, and
energy absorption capability.
o Fracture problem
P
2a
P
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
The focus of the problems in fracture mechanics is to study the
stress distribution around the crack and the propagation of the
crack.
Æ Cracks are prescribed geometrically in the material.
Æ Energy-based crack propagation (failure) criterion is usually
applied in the approach.
Æ The method allows investigation of the following phenomena during
the propagation of cracks:
1. Strain-softening due to distributed cracking,
2. Localization of cracking into large fractures prior to failure, and
3. Bridging stresses at the fracture front.
Æ Traditionally, the size effect has been explained by statistical
theories, in terms of the randomness of strength distribution.
Prob ( P ) = 1 − exp ⎨− ∫ ⎢ ⎥ ⎬
⎪⎩ ⎣ σ 0 ⎦ Vr ⎪⎭
V
P 1 ∞
σN = = ∫ ⎡⎣1 − Prob ( P ) ⎤⎦ dP
bd bd 0
P = mean load,
V = volume of structure,
Vr = representative volume of material,
m = Weibull modulus of the material,
σ 0 = scaling parameter, and
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
σ ( P, x ) = a function representing the stress caused by load P at
point x.
Æ The Weibull-type statistical explanations of the size effect cannot be
applied to concrete structures because:
1. It ignores the size effect caused by the redistribution of stress
prior to failure, and
2. It ignores the consequent energy release from the structure.
2Eγ
σ=
πa
where E = Young’s modulus, 2a = characteristic length of the crack, γ
= surface energy. r is the function of material property and crack
geometry.
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
o Cracking modes:
o Stress singularity
In a sufficiently close neighborhood of the sharp crack tip, the stress
components are the same regardless of the shape of the body and the
manner of loading.
K I f ijI (θ ) K II fijII (θ ) K III fijIII (θ )
σ ijI = , σ ijII = , σ ijIII =
2π r 2π r 2π r
where I, II, III refer to the elementary modes,
θ = the polar angle,
K I , K II , K III = stress intensity factors, and
fijI , fijII , fijIII functions are the same regardless of the body
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
o Energy criterion
As the crack tip propagates, energy flows into the crack tip where it is
dissipated by the fracture process. The energy flow is characterized by
the energy release rate:
∂Π ( a ) 1 ⎡ ⎛ ∆a ⎞ ⎛ ∆a ⎞ ⎤
Gb = − ≅− ⎢ Π⎜a + ⎟−Π⎜a − ⎟
∂a ∆a ⎣ ⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎥⎦
cP 2
Ue =
2
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
thus,
d (cP) d ⎛ cP 2 ⎞
Gb = P − ⎜ ⎟
da da ⎝ 2 ⎠
d ( cP ) 1 d ( cP )
2
⇒ Gb = P −
da 2 da
dc 1 2 dc 1 2 dc
⇒ Gb = P 2 − P = P
da 2 da 2 da
P 2 dc
⇒G =
2b da
Gc corresponds to that at fracture. The method is known as
o Stress intensity
Y r
φ
X
K1 ⎛φ ⎞⎡ ⎛ φ ⎞ ⎛ 3φ ⎞ ⎤
σx = cos ⎜ ⎟ ⎢1 − sin ⎜ ⎟ sin ⎜ ⎟ ⎥
2π r ⎝ 2⎠⎣ ⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠⎦
K1 ⎛φ ⎞⎡ ⎛ φ ⎞ ⎛ 3φ ⎞ ⎤
σy = cos ⎜ ⎟ ⎢1 + sin ⎜ ⎟ sin ⎜ ⎟ ⎥
2π r ⎝ 2⎠⎣ ⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠⎦
K1 ⎛φ ⎞⎡ ⎛φ ⎞ ⎛φ ⎞ ⎛ 3φ ⎞ ⎤
τ xy = cos ⎜ ⎟ ⎢sin ⎜ ⎟ cos ⎜ ⎟ cos ⎜ ⎟ ⎥
2π r ⎝ 2⎠⎣ ⎝ 2⎠ ⎝ 2⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠⎦
where K1 is stress intensity factor for Mode I. Dimensional analysis
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
o Calculation of Gi
K I2
For Model I, GI = .
E'
K II2
For Model II, GII = .
E'
K III2
For Model III, GIII = .
µ
where E ' = E = Young’s modulus, and µ = elastic shear modulus.
For the case of plane strain,
E
E' =
1 −ν 2
where ν = Poisson’s ratio.
Æ For general loading, the total energy release rate is
G = GI + GII + GIII
o Calculation of KI
The stress intensity factor K I can be calculated from σ ij (or τ ij )
P P a
KI = π a f (α ) = d ϕ (α ) , α =
bd bd d
where α = the relative crack length,
d = characteristic structure dimension, and
ϕ (α ) = f (α ) π a = a nondimensional function.
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
Æ The nominal stress at failure is
K Ic 1
σN = ⇒ log σ N = − log d + const.
π a f (α ) 2
log σ N
2 LEFM
1
log d
o Fracture process zone
In concrete, microcracks develop ahead of crack tip creating a
“fracture process zone”. Characteristics of this zone is of
fundamental importance in the development of nonlinear
fracture mechanics of concrete. Experimental methods are
continuously developed.
In the HSC the tensile strength can be 2-5 times greater than
NSC. However, the increase in fracture energy or elastic
modulus is not much. Consequently, HSC may be brittle.
o Applicability of LEFM:
In fracture mechanics, the fracture process zone must be
having some finite size. The size is characterized by material
properties, such as the maximum aggregate size d a .
d a , respectively.
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1.054/1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures Spring 2004
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk Outline 4
LEFM is applicable when the length of the fracture process zone
is much smaller than the cross section dimension of the
structure, which is not satisfied for most of the concrete
structures.
Brittleness Æ Brittleness is the function of fracture energy.
Nonhomogeneity of cracked concrete
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