A minimal model is constructed for two-dimensional fracture propagation. The heterogeneous process zone is presumed to suppress stress relaxation rate, leading to non-quasistatic behavior. Using the Yoffe solution , I construct and solve a dynamical equation for the tip stress. I discuss a generic tip velocity response to local stress and find that noise-free propagation is either at steady sta...

Masonry is a heterogeneous structural material which exhibits a complex behaviour with potential cracking in each of its phases. Its structure (geometrical arrangement of mortar joints, quasi-brittle constituents) causes the appearance of complex composite failure modes with loading path dependence and strong damage-induced anisotropy effects. Large scale computations for masonry structures req...

Unlike nonlocal models, there is no need to introduce an internal length in the constitutive law for lattice model at the mesoscopic scale. Actually, the internal length is not explicitly introduced but rather governed by the mesostructure characteristics themselves. The influence of the mesostructure on the width of the fracture process zone which is assumed to be correlated to the characteris...

Mode-I crack propagation in quasi-brittle material such as rock and concrete is studied by a new numerical method, lattice cellular automata. Cellular automaton method is an efficient method that simulates the process of self-organization of the complex system by constructing some simple local rules. It is of the advantage of localization and parallelization. Lattice model can transform a compl...

The aim of this paper was to describe a method of analysing the test data recorded during a Hopkinson Bar bending test. This three-point dynamic bending test was designed for testing the strength of materials under dynamic loads. It is carried out on a specimen consisting of a beam placed on two supports, which is subjected to an impact. The use of Hopkinson Bar as supports makes it possible to...

The fracture mechanics parameters are used in different applications to formulae the classic criteria of failure as well as in computational models to analyze the concrete structures and other brittle materials. The parameters are determined using the specimens with notches. The study for assessing the influence of the notch curvature in specimen on fracture mechanics parameters, e.g. critical ...