Fracture and Size Effect in Concrete and Other Quasibrittle Materials

Fracture and Size Effect 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 doesn't just give you the facts -- it provides you with true understanding. 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 many recent results on the quasibrittle size effect, which were scattered throughout many periodicals, are compiled here in a single volume. The treatment of every subject in Fracture and Size Effect 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 derivations and examples, from which you can gain real understanding of fracture and size effect in concrete and other materials. TOC:Why Fracture Mechanics?- Essentials of LEFM.- Determination of LEFM Parameters.- Advanced Aspects of LEFM.- Equivalent Elastic Cracks and R-Curves.- Determination of Fracture Properties from Size Effect.- Cohesive Crack Models.- Crack Band Models and Smeared Cracking.- Advanced Size Effect Analysis.- Brittleness and Size Effect in Structural Design.- Effect of Time, Environment, and Fatigue.- Statistical Theory of Size Effect and Fracture Process.- Nonlocal Continuum Modeling of Damage Localization.- Material Models for Damage and Failure.- References.- Index.