Fracture and Size Effect in Concrete and Other Quasibrittle Materials / Edition 1

by Zdenek P. Bazant, Jaime Planas

Overview

Fracture and Size Effect in Concrete and Other Quasibrittle Materials is the first in-depth text on the application of fracture mechanics to the analysis of failure in concrete structures. The book synthesizes a vast number of recent research results in the literature to provide a comprehensive treatment of the topic that does not give merely the facts - it provides true understanding.

The many recent results on quasibrittle fracture and size effect, which were scattered throughout many periodicals, are compiled here in a single volume. This book presents a well-rounded discussion of the theory of size effect and scaling of failure loads in structures. The size effect, which is the most important practical manifestation of fracture behavior, has become a hot topic. It has gained prominence in current research on concrete and quasibrittle materials.

The treatment of every subject in Fracture and Size Effect in Concrete and Other Quasibrittle Materials proceeds from simple to complex, from specialized to general, and is as concise as possible using the simplest level of mathematics necessary to treat the subject clearly and accurately. Whether you are an engineering student or a practicing engineer, this book provides you with a clear presentation, including full derivations and examples, from which you can gain real understanding of fracture and size effect in concrete and other quasibrittle materials.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849382840
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/29/1997
Series:	New Directions in Civil Engineering , #16
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	640
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Zdenek P. Bazant, Jaime Planas

Table of Contents

Why Fracture Mechanics?, Historical Perspective, Reasons for Fracture Mechanics Approach, Sources of Size Effect on Structural Strength, Quantification of Fracture Mechanics Size Effect, Experimental Evidence for Size Effect, Essentials of LEFM, Energy Release Rate and Fracture Energy, LEFM and Stress Intensity Factor, Size Effect in Plasticity and in LEFM, Determination of LEFM Parameters, Setting Up Solutions from Closed-Form Expressions, Approximate Energy-Based Methods, Numerical and Experimental Procedures to Obtain KI and G, Experimental Determination of KIc and Gf, Calculation of Displacements from KI-Expressions, Advanced Aspects of LEFM, Complex Variable Formulation of Plane Elasticity Problems, Plane Crack Problems and Westergaard's Stress Function, The General Near Tip Fields, Path-Independent Contour Integrals, Mixed Mode Fracture Criteria, Equivalent Elastic Cracks and R-Curves, Variability of Apparent Fracture Toughness for Concrete, Types of Fracture Behavior and Nonlinear Zone, The Equivalent Elastic Crack Concept, Fracture Toughness Determination Based on Equivalent Crack Concepts, Two Parameter Model of Jenq and Shah, R-Curves, Stability Analysis in the R-Curve Approach, Determination of Fracture Properties from Size Effect, Size Effect in Equivalent Elastic Crack Approximations, Size Effect Law in Relation to Fracture Characteristics, Size Effect Method: Detailed Experimental Procedures, Determination of R-Curve from Size Effect, Cohesive Crack Models, Basic Concepts in Cohesive Crack Model, Cohesive Crack Models Applied to Concrete, Experimental Determination of Cohesive Crack Properties, Pseudo-Boundary-Integral Methods for Mode I Crack Growth, Boundary-Integral Methods for Mode I Crack Growth, Crack Band Models and Smeared Cracking, Strain Localization in the Series Coupling Model, Localization of Strain in a Softening Bar, Basic Concepts in Crack Band Model

Editorial Reviews

Focuses on the theory of scaling of the failure loads of structures, and particularly the size effect on the strength of structures. The discussion of quasibrittle materials centers on concrete, but also addresses rocks, toughened ceramics, ice, composites, and other materials. The authors consider the statistical and fractal aspects of size effect. The work is intended to serve as both a textbook for graduate level engineering courses and a reference volume for engineers and scientists. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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