Concrete has traditionally been known as a material used widely in the construction of roads, bridges and buildings. Since cost effectiveness has always been one of the more important aspects of design, concrete, when reinforced and/or prestressed, is finding more use in other areas of application such as floating marine structures, storage tanks, nuclear vessel containments and a host of other structures. Because of the demand for concrete to operate under different loading and environmen tal conditions, increasing attention has been paid to study concrete specimens and structure behavior. A subject of major concern is how the localized segregation of the constituents in concrete would affect its global behavior. The degree of nonhomogeneity due to material property and damage. by yielding and/or cracking depends on the size scale and loading rate under consideration. Segregation or clustering of aggregates at the macroscopic level will affect specimen behavior to a larger degree than it would to a large structure such as a dam. Hence, a knowledge of concrete behavior over a wide range of scale is desired. The parameters governing micro-and macro-cracking and the techniques for evaluating and observing the damage in concrete need to be better understood. This volume is intended to be an attempt in this direction. The application of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics to concrete is discussed in several of the chapters.

This new book on the fracture mechanics of concrete focuses on the latest developments in computational theories, and how to apply those theories to solve real engineering problems. Zihai Shi uses his extensive research experience to present detailed examination of multiple-crack analysis and mixed-mode fracture.Compared with other mature engineering disciplines, fracture mechanics of concrete is still a developing field with extensive new research and development. In recent years many different models and applications have been proposed for crack analysis; the author assesses these in turn, identifying their limitations and offering a detailed treatment of those which have been proved to be robust by comprehensive use. After introducing stress singularity in numerical modelling and some basic modelling techniques, the Extended Fictitious Crack Model (EFCM) for multiple-crack analysis is explained with numerical application examples. This theoretical model is then applied to study two important issues in fracture mechanics - crack interaction and localization, and fracture modes and maximum loads. The EFCM is then reformulated to include the shear transfer mechanism on crack surfaces and the method is used to study experimental problems. With a carefully balanced mixture of theory, experiment and application, Crack Analysis in Structural Concrete is an important contribution to this fast-developing field of structural analysis in concrete. - Latest theoretical models analysed and tested - Detailed assessment of multiple crack analysis and multi-mode fractures - Applications designed for solving real-life engineering problems

This book presents the latest research findings of the fast developing applications of fracture mechanics to concrete structures. Key papers from leading experts in the field describe existing and new modelling techniques in the analysis of materials and structures. The book explains the practical application of fracture mechanics to structural modelling, bending, shear, bond and anchorage. The proceedings of this RILEM Workshop will be an important reference for those engaged in design, development, research and teaching in the field of concrete structures.

This conference is the first in a series of conferences dedicated to Fracture Mechanics of Concrete Structures. Due to the recent explosion of interest in research on fracture in concrete, the conference has brought together the world's leading researchers in fracture of concrete and this book contains the proceedings.

This volume emphazises the most recent advances in fracture mechanics as specifically applied to steel bar reinforced concrete. Fracture mechanics has been applied to plain and fibre reinforced concrete with increasing success over recent years. This workshop extended these concepts to steel bar reinforced and pre-stressed concrete design. Particularly for high strength concrete, which is a very brittle material, and in the case of large structural members, the application of fracture mechanics appears to be very useful for improving the present design rules. The pre-eminent participants at the Turin workshop contributed extensive expert opinions in four selected areas for which a rational approach, using fracture mechanics, could introduce variations into the concrete design codes: size effects; anchorage and bond; minimum reinforcement for elements in flexure; and shear resistance. The 23 chapters logically address these themes and demonstrate the unique ability of fracture mechanics to capture all the experimentally observed characteristics. The book is primarily directed to the researchers in universities and institutions and will be of value to consultants and engineering companies.

FRACTURE MECHANICS OF CONCRETE AND ROCK This book offers engineers a unique opportunity to learn, frominternationally recognized leaders in their field, about the latesttheoretical advances in fracture mechanics in concrete, reinforcedconcrete structures, and rock. At the same time, it functions as asuperb, graduate-level introduction to fracture mechanics conceptsand analytical techniques. Reviews, in depth, the basic theory behind fracture mechanics * Covers the application of fracture mechanics to compressionfailure, creep, fatigue, torsion, and other advanced topics * Extremely well researched, applies experimental evidence ofdamage to a wide range of design cases * Supplies all relevant formulas for stress intensity * Covers state-of-the-art linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM)techniques for analyzing deformations and cracking * Describes nonlinear fracture mechanics (NLFM) and the latestRILEM modeling techniques for testing nonlinear quasi-brittlematerials * And much more Over the past few years, researchers employing techniques borrowedfrom fracture mechanics have made many groundbreaking discoveriesconcerning the causes and effects of cracking, damage, andfractures of plain and reinforced concrete structures and rock.This, in turn, has resulted in the further development andrefinement of fracture mechanics concepts and tools. Yet, despitethe field's growth and the growing conviction that fracturemechanics is indispensable to an understanding of material andstructural failure, there continues to be a surprising shortage oftextbooks and professional references on the subject. Written by two of the foremost names in the field, FractureMechanics of Concrete fills that gap. The most comprehensive bookever written on the subject, it consolidates the latest theoreticalresearch from around the world in a single reference that can beused by students and professionals alike. Fracture Mechanics of Concrete is divided into two sections. In thefirst, the authors lay the necessary groundwork with an in-depthreview of fundamental principles. In the second section, theauthors vividly demonstrate how fracture mechanics has beensuccessfully applied to failures occurring in a wide array ofdesign cases. Key topics covered in these sections include: * State-of-the-art linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM)techniques for analyzing deformations and cracking * Nonlinear fracture mechanics (NLFM) and the latest RILEM modelingtechniques for testing nonlinear quasi-brittle materials * The use of R-Curves to describe cracking and fracture inquasi-brittle materials * The application of fracture mechanics to compression failure,creep, fatigue, torsion, and other advanced topics The most timely, comprehensive, and authoritative book on thesubject currently available, Fracture Mechanics of Concrete is botha complete instructional tool for academics and students instructural and geotechnical engineering courses, and anindispensable working resource for practicing engineers.

This book discusses the basic principles and traditional applications of fracture mechanics, as well as the cutting-edge research in the field over the last three decades in current topics like composites, thin films, nanoindentation, and cementitious materials. Experimental methods play a major role in the study of fracture mechanics problems and are used for the determination of the major fracture mechanics quantities such as stress intensity factors, crack tip opening displacements, strain energy release rates, crack paths, crack velocities in static and dynamic problems. These methods include electrical resistance strain gauges, photoelasticity, interferometry techniques, geometric and interferometry moiré, and the optical method of caustics. Furthermore, numerical methods are often used for the determination of fracture mechanics parameters. They include finite and boundary element methods, Green’s function and weight functions, boundary collocation, alternating methods, and integral transforms continuous dislocations. This third edition of the book covers the basic principles and traditional applications, as well as the latest developments of fracture mechanics. Featuring two new chapters and 30 more example problems, it presents a comprehensive overview of fracture mechanics, and includes numerous examples and unsolved problems. This book is suitable for teaching fracture mechanics courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A “solutions manual” is available for course instructors upon request.

The last decade has seen a significant growth in the processing and fabrication of advanced composite materials. This volume contains the up-to-date contributions of those with working experience in the automotive, marine, aerospace and construction field. Starting with modern technologies concerned with assessing the change in material microstructure in terms of the processing parameters, methodologies are offered to account for tradeoffs between the fundamental variables such as temperature and pressure that control the product quality. The book contains new ideas and data, not available in the open literature.

Many modern engineering structures are composed of brittle heterogenous, or quasibrittle, materials. These include concrete, composites, tough ceramics, rocks, cold asphalt mixtures, and many brittle materials at the microscale. Understanding the failure behavior of these materials is of paramount importance for improving the resilience and sustainability of various engineering structures including civil infrastructure, aircraft, ships, military armors, and microelectronic devices. Designed for graduate and upper-level undergraduate university courses, this textbook provides a comprehensive treatment of quasibrittle fracture mechanics. It includes a concise but rigorous examination of linear elastic fracture mechanics, which is the foundation of all fracture mechanics. It also covers the fundamental concepts of nonlinear fracture mechanics, and introduces more advanced concepts such as triaxial stress state in the fracture process zone, nonlocal continuum models, and discrete computational models. Finally, the book features extensive discussion of the various practical applications of quasibrittle fracture mechanics across different structures and engineering disciplines, and throughout includes exercises and problems for students to test their understanding.