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Scaling Of Fracture In Quasibrittle Materials And The Question Of Possible Influence Of Fractal Morphology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Zdeněk P. Bažant
Zdeněk P. Bažant*
Affiliation:
Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil Engineering and Materials Science Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA, z-bazant@nwu.edu
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Abstract

The paper presents a review of recent results on the problem of size effect (or the scaling problem) in nonlinear fracture mechanics of quasibrittle materials and on the validity or recent claims that the observed size effect may be caused by the fractal nature of crack surfaces. The problem of scaling is approached through dimensional analysis and asymptotic matching. Large-size and small-size asymptotic expansions of the size effect on the nominal strength of structures are presented, considering not only specimens with large notches (or traction-free cracks) but also structures with no notches. Simple size effect formulas matching the required asymptotic properties are given. Regarding the fractal nature of crack surfaces, it is concluded that it cannot be the cause of the observed size effect.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 409: Symposium Q – Fracture-Instablility Dynamics, scaling and Ductile/Brittle Behavior , 1995 , 371
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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References

Bažant, Z.P. (1995a). “Scaling theories for quasibrittle fracture: Recent advances and new directions.” in Fracture Mechanics of Concrete Structures (Proc., 2nd Int. Conf. on Fracture Mech. of Concrete and Concrete Structures (FraMCoS-2), held at ETH, Ziirich), ed. by Wittmann, F.H., Aedificatio Publishers, Freiburg, Germany, 515–534.Google Scholar
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