Abstract
The fracture processes in concrete subjected to uniaxial tension or compression are complex and develops in three-dimensions. In both loading cases, after an initially linear elastic stage, three fracture stages are distinguished. They are: (stable) microcracking (pre-peak), (unstable) macro-crack growth, and residual stress. Macro-crack growth and peak stress are affected by boundary conditions and specimen size. Ergo, softening is a structural property and cannot be used as parameter in popular cohesive crack models. The last fracture stage, residual stress, relates to the tail of the softening diagram. In tension crack-face bridging is the explanation for the residual stress; under compression Coulomb friction in the localized ‘shear-crack’ is held responsible. Details of the fracture process emerge using fully 3-dimensional micromechanical models, for instance lattice.
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