Abstract
A probabilistic model for the randomness of the progressive crack growth in a quasi-brittle material such as concrete is presented. The model consists of a Markov chain adapted to R-curve behavior. It yields the crack propagation probability in any loading step as well as the probability of failure at any stage of the fracture process. The R-curve is obtained from the given test data on the effect of structure size on the maximum loads. The standard deviation of the peak load is the minimum statistical information required. According to the available test results, this standard deviation is approximately a linear function of the crack propagation distance. The parameter estimation method is formulated and some applications are illustrated.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 593-608 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Engineering Fracture Mechanics |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1997 |
Funding
Acknowledgements-Partial financial support from the NSF under Grant MS%9114476 to Northwestern University and from the NSF Science and Technology Center for Advanced Cement-Based Materials at Northwestern University are gratefully acknowledged.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering