AbstracbThe results of an experimental investigation of thermally induced parallel edge cracks in a half-plane consisting of brittle material are reported. A free edge of a glass plate heated to a uniform temperature, was brought in contact with a liquid bath cooled by dry ice. The thermal contraction of the boundary layer produced interacting tension cracks. When no initial cracks existed, a l...

Recent research shows that macro-scale cracking in asphalt binder may originate from its intrinsic defects at the nano-scale. In this paper, a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was conducted to evaluate the nucleation of natural defects in asphalt. The asphalt microstructure was modeled using an ensemble of three different types of molecules to represent a constituent species: asphaltenes, nap...

Several previous studies have demonstrated the importance of constituent inclusion particle distributions on variability in observed fatigue lifetimes. Such models have often concentrated on crack growth behavior in standard test specimens such as single edge notch tension (SENT) geometries. The methodology used here is similar to others in that constituent particles sizes were modelled as init...

A theory is provided for piezoresistivity in carbon fiber reinforced cement (with and without embedded steel reinforcing bars) under flexure (three-point bending). The phenomenon, which involves the reversible increase of the tension surface electrical resistance and the reversible decrease of the compression surface electrical resistance upon flexure, allows strain sensing. The theory is based...

This article proposes a new theory for predicting the crack bridging performance of random short fibers involved in cementitious composites. The current theoretical model for estimating crack bridging performance of Random Short Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (RSFRCC) under tension is limited to specific constituent properties: friction dominant fiber-matrix interface and complete fiber pul...

We investigate the size distribution of damage clusters in concrete under uniaxial tension loading conditions. Using the finite-element method, the concrete is modeled at the mesoscale by a random distribution of elastic spherical aggregates within an elastic mortar paste. The propagation and coalescence of damage zones are then simulated by means of dynamically inserted cohesive elements. Dyna...

A theoretical framework is developed for the notched strength of ceramic composites that exhibit rising fracture resistance. It is based on established concepts of crack stability under stress-controlled loadings. On using a linear representation of the resistance curve (expressed in terms of an energy release rate), straightforward analytical solutions are obtained for the strength as well the...

Abstract In order to investigate the self-healing capability of fibre reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC), mechanical properties and surface morphology of crack in FRCC were studied. Three types of FRCC specimens containing (1) polyethylene (PE) fibre, (2) steel cord (SC) fibre, and (3) hybrid fibres composite (both of PE and SC) were prepared. These specimens, in which cracks were introd...

Abstract Inherent microcrack populations have a significant effect on the fracture behaviour of natural rocks. The present study addresses this topic in numerical simulations uniaxial tension and three-point bending tests. For end, rock model based multiple intersecting embedded discontinuity finite elements is developed. inherent (pre-existing) are represented by pre-embedded randomly oriented...