Fracture and Size Effect in Concrete and Other Quasibrittle Materials

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.

• The first comprehensive analysis of quasibrittle fracture and size effect
• Presents a unified approach to diverse quasibrittle materials such as concrete, rocks, high-tech ceramics and composites, and ice
• Written by two leading experts in the field
• Includes numerous fully worked examples and exercise problems

Preface
Vector and Tensor Notation
About the Authors

Chapter 1 : Why Fracture Mechanics?
Chapter 2 : Essentials of LEFM
Chapter 3 : Determination of LEFM Parameters
Chapter 4 : Advanced Aspects of LEFM
Chapter 5 : Equivalent Elastic Cracks and R-Curves
Chapter 6 : Determination of Fracture Properties from Size Effect
Chapter 7 : Cohesive Crack Models
Chapter 8 : Crack Band Models and Smeared Cracking
Chapter 9 : Advanced Size Effect Analysis
Chapter 10 : Brittleness and Size Effect in Structural Design
Chapter 11 : Effect of Time, Environment, and Fatigue
Chapter 12 : Statistical Theory of Size Effect and Fracture Process
Chapter 13 : Nonlocal Continuum Modeling of Damage Localization
Chapter 14 : Material Models for Damage and Failure

References
Reference Citation Index
Index