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.

This comprehensive treatise covers in detail practical methods of analysis as well as advanced mathematical models for structures highly sensitive to creep and shrinkage. Effective computational algorithms for century-long creep effects in structures, moisture diffusion and high temperature effects are presented. The main design codes and recommendations (including RILEM B3 and B4) are critically compared. Statistical uncertainty of century-long predictions is analyzed and its reduction by extrapolation is discussed, with emphasis on updating based on short-time tests and on long-term measurements on existing structures. Testing methods and the statistics of large randomly collected databases are critically appraised and improvements of predictions of multi-decade relaxation of prestressing steel, cyclic creep in bridges, cracking damage, etc., are demonstrated. Important research directions, such as nanomechanical and probabilistic modeling, are identified, and the need for separating the long-lasting autogenous shrinkage of modern concretes from the creep and drying shrinkage data and introducing it into practical prediction models is emphasized. All the results are derived mathematically and justified as much as possible by extensive test data. The theoretical background in linear viscoelasticity with aging is covered in detail. The didactic style makes the book suitable as a textbook. Everything is properly explained, step by step, with a wealth of application examples as well as simple illustrations of the basic phenomena which could alternate as homeworks or exams. The book is of interest to practicing engineers, researchers, educators and graduate students.

Quasibrittle (or brittle heterogeneous) materials are becoming increasingly important for modern engineering. They include concretes, rocks, fiber composites, tough ceramics, sea ice, bone, wood, stiff soils, rigid foams, glass, dental and biomaterials, as well as all brittle materials on the micro or nano scale. Their salient feature is that the fracture process zone size is non-negligible compared to the structural dimensions. This causes intricate energetic and statistical size effects and leads to size-dependent probability distribution of strength, transitional between Gaussian and Weibullian. The ensuing difficult challenges for safe design are vanquished in this book, which features a rigorous theory with detailed derivations yet no superfluous mathematical sophistication; extensive experimental verifications; and realistic approximations for design. A wide range of subjects is covered, including probabilistic fracture kinetics at nanoscale, multiscale transition, statistics of structural strength and lifetime, size effect, reliability indices, safety factors, and ramification to gate dielectrics breakdown.

This comprehensive treatise covers in detail practical methods of analysis as well as advanced mathematical models for structures highly sensitive to creep and shrinkage. Effective computational algorithms for century-long creep effects in structures, moisture diffusion and high temperature effects are presented. The main design codes and recommendations (including RILEM B3 and B4) are critically compared. Statistical uncertainty of century-long predictions is analyzed and its reduction by extrapolation is discussed, with emphasis on updating based on short-time tests and on long-term measurements on existing structures. Testing methods and the statistics of large randomly collected databases are critically appraised and improvements of predictions of multi-decade relaxation of prestressing steel, cyclic creep in bridges, cracking damage, etc., are demonstrated. Important research directions, such as nanomechanical and probabilistic modeling, are identified, and the need for separating the long-lasting autogenous shrinkage of modern concretes from the creep and drying shrinkage data and introducing it into practical prediction models is emphasized. All the results are derived mathematically and justified as much as possible by extensive test data. The theoretical background in linear viscoelasticity with aging is covered in detail. The didactic style makes the book suitable as a textbook. Everything is properly explained, step by step, with a wealth of application examples as well as simple illustrations of the basic phenomena which could alternate as homeworks or exams. The book is of interest to practicing engineers, researchers, educators and graduate students.

This volume is a collection of the papers given at the workshop on Fracture Scaling, held at the University of Maryland, USA, 10-12 June 1999, under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA, USA. These papers can be grouped under five major themes: Micromechanical analysis Size effects in fiber composites Scaling and heterogeneity Computational aspects and nonlocal or gradient models Size effects in concrete, ice and soils . This workshop is the result of a significant research effort, supported by the Office of Naval Research, into the problems of scaling of fracture in fiber composites, and generally into the problems of scaling in solid mechanics. These problems, which are of interest for many materials, especially all quasibrittle materials, share similar characteristics. Thus, progress in the understanding of scaling problems for one material may help progress for another material. This makes it clear that a dialogue between researchers in various fields of mechanics is highly desirable and should be promoted. In view of this, this volume should be of interest to researchers and advanced graduate students in materials science, solid mechanics and civil engineering.

From time to time the International Journal of Fracture has presented matters thought to be of special interest to its readers. The last special topic review was presented by Drs W.G. Knauss and AJ. Rosakis as Guest Editors in four issues, January-April 1990, under the general title of Non Linear Fracture. It contained sections on damage mechanisms, interfaces and creep, time depen dence, and continuum plasticity insofar as they affect the mechanisms of the fracture process. Continuing this policy, which is consistent with our stated objectives, the two September issues deal with the behavior of concrete and cementious materials during fracture initiation and propagation. We hope that the ensuing state-of-the-art review will yield another instructive and timely product which readers will find useful. To assist us in presenting this subject, we have prevailed upon a well-known international expert in concrete behavior, Dr. Z.P. Bazant, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil Engineering, of Northwes tern University to act as Guest Editor. On behalf of the editors and publishers, I wish to thank Professor BaZant and his invited authors for undertaking this special effort. M.L. WILLIAMS Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Editor-in-Chief September 1991 International Journal of Fracture 51: ix-xv, 1991. Z.P. Bafant (ed.), Current Trends in Concrete Fracture Research.

A crucial element of structural and continuum mechanics, stability theory has limitless applications in civil, mechanical, aerospace, naval and nuclear engineering. This text of unparalleled scope presents a comprehensive exposition of the principles and applications of stability analysis. It has been proven as a text for introductory courses and various advanced courses for graduate students. It is also prized as an exhaustive reference for engineers and researchers. The authors' focus on understanding of the basic principles rather than excessive detailed solutions, and their treatment of each subject proceed from simple examples to general concepts and rigorous formulations. All the results are derived using as simple mathematics as possible. Numerous examples are given and 700 exercise problems help in attaining a firm grasp of this central aspect of solid mechanics. The book is an unabridged republication of the 1991 edition by Oxford University Press and the 2003 edition by Dover, updated with 18 pages of end notes.

A crucial element of structural and continuum mechanics, stability theory has limitless applications in civil, mechanical, aerospace, naval and nuclear engineering. This text of unparalleled scope presents a comprehensive exposition of the principles and applications of stability analysis. It has been proven as a text for introductory courses and various advanced courses for graduate students. It is also prized as an exhaustive reference for engineers and researchers.The authors' focus on understanding of the basic principles rather than excessive detailed solutions, and their treatment of each subject proceed from simple examples to general concepts and rigorous formulations. All the results are derived using as simple mathematics as possible. Numerous examples are given and 700 exercise problems help in attaining a firm grasp of this central aspect of solid mechanics.The book is an unabridged republication of the 1991 edition by Oxford University Press and the 2003 edition by Dover, updated with 18 pages of end notes.