Experimental Study on Fracture Properties of Cementitious Materials

2007 ◽  
Vol 348-349 ◽  
pp. 157-160
Author(s):  
Yu Zhu ◽  
Shi Lang Xu

For micro-fiber reinforced strain-hardening cementitious materials, in addition to the basic characteristics and mechanical properties of fiber and interfacial properties between fiber and matrix, mechanical properties of matrix such as strength and crack resistance are essential parameters for material design, too. Therefore, the fracture properties of cement paste and mortar which are two most basal cementitious materials were studied, using three-point bending beams of which strength and depth are varied. Complete load versus crack mouth opening displacement (P-CMOD) curve directly obtained, and double-K fracture parameters ini Ic K and un Ic K were subsequently determined. The initial cracking load Pini was determined using resistant strain gauges. The results show that an apparent stable crack propagation before unstable failure was observed both in cement paste and in mortar. For cement paste, due to the influence of shrinkage crack, the divergence of the unstable fracture toughness un Ic K is more evident than initial fracture toughness ini Ic K .

2011 ◽  
Vol 374-377 ◽  
pp. 1974-1978
Author(s):  
Hai Long Wang ◽  
Chun Ling Guo ◽  
Xiao Yan Sun

The effect of calcium leaching by nitric acid on fracture properties of concrete was experimentally studied. The double-K fracture parameters were investigated using three-point bending beams, and the deterioration regularity of fracture properties of concrete chronically attacked by nitric acid was gotten on basis of these results. The load-crack mouth opening displacement curves under different nitric attack periods were obtained by pasting some strain gauges onto the pre-crack tip. On basis of the double-K criterion, the unstable fracture toughness as well as the initial fracture toughness was calculated according to the critical crack mouth opening displacement, the unstable fracture load and initial cracking load which can be obtained from the test. The experimental results indicated that the ratio of the initial fracture toughness to the unstable fracture toughness varied between 0.47 and 0.61 approximately. Both of the unstable fracture toughness and the initial fracture toughness decrease with attack period especially during the early 60 days, then drop to a stable trend gradually. In addition, the initial fracture toughness is less sensitive to acid attack compared with the unstable fracture toughness.


Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Ding ◽  
Yu-Lei Bai

Adding short steel fibers into slag-based geopolymer mortar and concrete is an effective method to enhance their mechanical properties. The fracture properties of steel fiber-reinforced slag-based geopolymer concrete/mortar (SGC/SGM) and unreinforced control samples were compared through three-point bending (TPB) tests. The influences of steel fiber volume contents (1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%) on the fracture properties of SGC and SGM were studied. Load-midspan deflection (P-δ) curves and load-crack mouth opening displacement (P-CMOD) curves of the tested beams were recorded. The compressive and splitting tensile strengths were also tested. The fracture energy, flexural strength parameters, and fracture toughness of steel fiber-reinforced SGC and SGM were calculated and analyzed. The softening curves of steel fiber-reinforced SGC and SGM were determined using inverse analysis. The experimental results show that the splitting tensile strength, fracture energy, and fracture toughness are significantly enhanced with fiber incorporation. A strong correlation between the equivalent and residual flexural strengths is also observed. In addition, the trilinear strain-softening curves obtained by inverse analysis predict well of the load-displacement curves recorded from TPB tests.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5200
Author(s):  
Yao Ding ◽  
Yu-Lei Bai ◽  
Jian-Guo Dai ◽  
Cai-Jun Shi

This paper aimed to determine the softening laws and fracture toughness of slag-based geopolymer (SG) concrete and mortar (SGC and SGM) as compared to those of Portland cement (PC) concrete and mortar (PCC and PCM). Using three-point bending (TPB) tests, the load vs. mid-span displacement, crack mouth opening displacement, and crack tip opening displacement curves (P-d, P-CMOD, and P-CTOD curves) were all recorded. Bilinear softening laws of the PC and SG series were determined by inverse analysis. Furthermore, the cohesive toughness was predicted using an analytical fracture model. The cohesive toughness obtained by experimental study was consistent with that predicted by analytical method, proving the correctness of the tension softening law obtained from inverse analysis. In addition, both initial and unstable fracture toughness values of SG mortar were lower than those of PC mortar given the same compressive strength. Moreover, the initial fracture toughness of SG concrete was generally lower than that of PC concrete, whereas the unstable fracture toughness exhibited an opposite trend.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2109 (1) ◽  
pp. 012019
Author(s):  
Xuelian Yuan ◽  
Jie Hu

Abstract Through using cube resisting compression test, fracture properties and micro-structure, the mechanical properties of high volume ground slag concrete under low temperature are studied in this paper. The results show that low temperature can improve the compressive strength of high volume ground slag concrete. And strength increased with the decreased of temperature. Low temperature can also improve the fracture energy and fracture toughness. Not only can ground slag reduce the content of calcium hydroxide in hardened cement paste, but ground slag can improve the compactness of hardened cement paste, reduce porosity and improve the strength of the interface.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 1950105
Author(s):  
XIANGQIAN FAN ◽  
JUEDING LIU

To optimize the strengthening method using the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) for the reinforcement of the concrete structure with cracks, the three-point bending test was conducted on the concrete beams wrapped with different layers of FRP materials. The strain gauges were pasted on the surface of the specimens to measure the initial cracking load. The crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) was utilized to test the load–crack mouth opening displacement curve. According to the improved calculation formula of the fracture toughness, the critical effect crack length [Formula: see text], initiation fracture toughness [Formula: see text] and instability fracture toughness [Formula: see text] of specimens were calculated. The test results showed that, under the same initial crack depth, the peak load of FRP reinforced concrete decreases with the increase of FRP pasting layer. When there was one layer wrapped over the specimen, the instability toughness of the specimen reached the maximum value and the crack resistance was the best. Based on acoustic emission testing method, the acoustic emission parameters of the above-mentioned concrete during fracture process were identified and collected. The optimal layer of the FRP reinforced concrete with cracks was analyzed from the acoustic emission method.


Author(s):  
Rodolfo F. de Souza ◽  
Claudio Ruggieri

Standardized procedures to measure cleavage fracture toughness of ferritic steels in the DBT region most commonly employ three-point bend fracture specimens, conventionally termed SE(B) or SENB specimens. The evaluation protocol of fracture toughness for these crack configurations builds upon laboratory records of load and crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) to relate plastic work with J (or, equivalently, CTOD). The experimental approach employs a plastic η-factor to relate the macroscale crack driving force to the area under the load versus crack mouth opening displacement for cracked configurations. This work provides revised η-factors derived from CMOD records applicable to estimate the J-integral and CTOD in SE(B) specimens with varying crack size and specimen configuration. Non-linear finite element analyses for plane-strain and 3-D models provide the evolution of load with increased CMOD which is required for the estimation procedure. The analysis matrix considers SE(B) specimens with W = 2B and W = B configurations with and without side grooves covering a wide range of specimen thickness, including precracked Charpy (PCVN) specimens. Overall, the present results provide further validation of the J and CTOD evaluation procedure currently adopted by ASTM 1820 while, at the same time, giving improved estimation equations for J incorporating 3-D effects which enter directly into more accurate testing protocols for experimental measurements of fracture toughness values using 3P SE(B) specimens.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Wei He ◽  
Wenru Hao ◽  
Xia Meng ◽  
Pengchong Zhang ◽  
Xu Sun ◽  
...  

In this paper, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) test and three-point bending (TPB) test, together with an acoustic emission (AE) system, were performed to investigate the mechanical properties and AE characteristic changes of concrete with different graphite powder (GP) content. The results show that: (1) Poor adhesion and low interlocking of graphite with cement stone increase the initial defects of concrete, reducing its elastic modulus and the cyclo-hoop effect, and thus weakening the compressive strength. (2) For concrete with a low graphite content, the second sharp rise in ringing counts or energy released during the compressive process can be regarded as a failure alarm. However, as GP content increases, the second sharp rise fades away, while the first sharp rise becomes more visible. At high GP content, the first sharp rise is better for predicting failure. (3) The initial defects caused by GP significantly lower the initial fracture toughness, but its bridging effect greatly increases the critical crack mouth opening displacement and thus significantly enhances the unstable fracture toughness of concrete, by up to 9.9% at 9% GP content. (4) In contrast to compressive process, the sharp increase in AE signals preceding failure during the fracture process cannot be used to predict failure because it occurs too close to the ultimate load. However, as GP can significantly increase the AE signals and damage value in the stable period, such failure precursor information can provide a safety warning for damage development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2612 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala Eddin Douba ◽  
Mehmet Emiroglu ◽  
Rafiqul A. Tarefder ◽  
Usama F. Kandil ◽  
Mahmoud Reda Taha

Bridge deck overlays often require materials that are durable and easy to apply and that have a long fatigue life. In many applications, polymer concrete (PC) has been chosen not only because it meets such requirements but also because it offers additional features such as high friction. However, the service life of PC overlays is reduced, and cracking occurs because of the continuous increase in traffic loads. This paper investigates the use of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to improve the fracture toughness and fatigue service life of PC. Pristine MWCNTs (P-MWCNTs) and MWCNTs functionalized with carboxyl (COOH-MWCNTs) were used at 0.0- (neat), 0.5-, 1.0-, 1.5-, and 2.0-wt.% contents. Three-point bending tests of notched beams were carried out in which the loading rate was controlled by crack mouth opening displacement. Direct tension tests were also used to examine the effect of MWCNTs on the tensile properties of PC. The results showed that MWCNTs improved the fracture toughness of PC by up to 56% and 112% for P-MWCNTs and COOH-MWCNTs, respectively. Samples prepared with P-MWCNTs showed increased ductility; samples with COOH-MWCNTs provided increased tensile strength. Microstructural analysis with a scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed how different types of MWCNTs at different weight contents influenced the behavior of PC.


Author(s):  
Henryk G. Pisarski

This paper reviews the basis for the use of SENT or SE(T) specimens as described in DNV RP F108, their limitations and aspects about specimen preparation testing and analysis procedures that need to be addressed in order to standardise the test better. Examples are given comparing the effect of crack tip constraint in a SE(T) specimen with a circumferential crack in a pipe subjected to axial straining and axial strain plus internal pressure. The variations in crack front straightness, the effect of specimen geometry on the J resistance curve as well as the accuracy of the J estimation procedure are presented. The use and limitations of CTOD estimation procedure based on measurement of crack mouth opening displacement as a fracture toughness parameter is discussed.


Author(s):  
Bong-Sang Lee ◽  
Sang-Yoon Park ◽  
Min-Chul Kim

The master curve method described in ASTM E1921 provides a tool for using small specimens such as sub-sized CT and PCVN specimens for standard fracture toughness testing. However, a direct measurement of the load-line displacement of small specimens is not practical for standard fracture toughness tests. Mostly, the front-face displacement or the crack mouth opening displacement can be measured and converted into the load-line displacement by using an analytical relationship proposed by several investigators. Since those relationships were deduced from numerical calculations of the loaded specimens, experimental deviations may occur because of specimen indentation, rotation and arm bending during an actual testing. It is clear that the determination of fracture toughness is influenced by the accuracy of the estimation of load-line displacement as well as the load measurement. In this study, the relationship between the load-line displacement and the front-face displacement or the crack mouth displacement was investigated experimentally by using a series of CT and Bend specimens modified to measure the two displacements simultaneously during a single test. The results showed that the front-face measurement of CT specimens may result in about 3% more conservative estimate of fracture toughness. In the case of bend specimens, the crack mouth opening displacement measurement may result in about 7% non-conservative estimate of fracture toughness than the load-line measurement.


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