Crack Expansion Research Articles

Interfacial delamination mechanism of thermal barrier coatings with real microstructure considering gradient thermal and growth strains based on the fracture phase field

The interface of atmospheric plasma spray (APS) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is highly irregular and rough, while their microstructure is porous and extremely uneven. This complexity leads to intricate patterns during the growth of thermally grown oxide (TGO), the distribution and evolution of the generated stress, as well as the initiation and expansion of cracks. Along these lines, in this work, a phase-field theory considering both the thermal gradient strain and TGO growth was established to thoroughly investigate the interface oxidation cracking in TBCs. More specifically, a two-dimensional geometric model of APS TBCs was established, incorporating real interface morphology and microstructure. Numerical simulations and experiments were also conducted to study the temperature and stress distribution, as well as the underlying mechanism of interface cracking during the service of TBCs. The results indicated that at high temperatures, the bottom temperature of the top coating (TC) layer with a porosity of 3.1% and a thickness of 200 μm was approximately 5 °C lower than that of the TC layer without porosity. Compared to the ideal model without pores, the model considering the real microstructure, with the presence of microcracks in the TC, makes it easier for the normal stress in the TGO at the peak region to be released. The inter-lamella cracks (Type A) in the TC near the peaks initiated earliest, followed by the creation of inter-lamella cracks at other locations, accompanied by the appearance of lamella-fracture cracks (Type B), inter-lamella to interfacial cracks (Type C), inter-lamella to TGO cracks (Type D), and internal TGO cracks (Type E). The coalescence of all these types of cracks will ultimately lead to coating failure.

Synergistic effect and reinforcement mechanism of porous inorganic polymers via the fiber addition and carbonation curing

Porous inorganic polymers with good compressive strength can be applied in various applications. In order to obtain porous inorganic polymers with good compressive strength, fibers addition and carbonation curing was employed in porous inorganic polymers producing process. With the addition of 6 mm 2 wt% PVA fibers and 12 hours’ carbonation curing, the inorganic porous polymers with 2.0 MPa compressive strength and 540 kg/m3 density were successfully produced. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope - energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were applied to explore the reinforcement mechanism of porous inorganic polymers. It suggested that the synergistic compressive strength reinforcement mechanism involved in both physical and chemical changes. Physically, fiber addition promoted bridging effect, restricted crack expansion and accelerated carbonation process. Chemically, the formation of CaCO3 through carbonation reaction filled in the voids of the matrix and facilitated network structural, enhancing densification and overall strength.

Study on the Characteristics and Evolution Laws of Seepage Damage in Red Mud Tailings Dams

Seepage damage is a significant factor leading to red mud tailings dam failures. Laboratory tests on seepage damage were conducted to investigate the damage characteristics and distribution laws of red mud tailings dams, including soil pressure, infiltration line, pore water pressure, dam displacement, and crack evolution. The findings revealed the seepage damage mechanisms of red mud slopes, offering insights for the safe operation and seepage damage prevention of red mud tailings dams. The results showed that the higher the water level is in the red mud tailings dam, the higher position the infiltration line is when it reaches the slope face. At the highest infiltration line point of the slope surface, the increase of pore water pressure is the highest and the change of horizontal soil pressure is the highest. Consequently, increased pore water pressure leads to decreased effective stress and shear strength, increasing the susceptibility to damage. Cracks resulting from seepage damage predominantly form below the infiltration line; the higher the infiltration lines is on the slope surface, the higher the position of the main crack formations is. The displacement of the dam body primarily occurs due to the continuous expansion of major cracks; the higher the infiltration lines are on the slope surface, the larger the displacement of the dam body is.

Investigation on tribological properties of high-velocity air fuel spraying WC–Cr3C2–Ni coating on the surface of continuous casting crystallization rollers

To overcome the wear problem of the substrate of thin-strip continuous casting crystallization rollers and improve economic efficiency, high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) technology was used to deposit WC–Cr3C2–Ni wear-resistant coatings on the surface of the crystallization rollers. The existing performance and wear condition of curved WC–Cr3C2–Ni coatings during continuous casting were investigated by the ring-block wear system. The experimental results showed that the WC–Cr3C2–Ni coating with a thickness of 300 μm effectively reduced the coefficient of friction (by 16.4 %) and the wear rate (by 82.5 %) on the surface of the crystallization roller and significantly reduced the roughness of the wear interface (by 71.2 %), which provided reliable protection for the substrate. The results of high-temperature (200 °C) wear tests showed that the WC–Cr3C2–Ni coating deposited via HVAF protected the substrate in actual long-cycle production and exhibited an excellent resistance to the emergence and expansion of failure cracks. This study provided a theoretical basis for the selection and preparation of surface coatings for thin strip continuous casting crystallization rollers.

Research on anisotropic characteristics and energy damage evolution mechanism of bedding coal under uniaxial compression

Bedding structures are commonly present in the underground coal mine pillar rock mass, posing a certain threat to its stability. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the damage, destruction, and energy conversion of bedding coal, uniaxial compression experiments were conducted on bedding coal samples. The research results reveal that the compressive strength of coal is highest when the bedding dip angle is 0° (28.74 MPa), followed by 30° and 90° (15.03 and 14.02 MPa), and lowest at 60° (10.03 MPa). The damage evolution curve of coal at a bedding dip angle of 60° exhibits an early sharp increase, indicating that macroscopic damage is easily induced along the bedding planes under this condition. As the bedding dip angle increases from 0° to 90°, the degree of damage to coal under energy drive exhibits a pattern of difficulty-ease-difficulty. When the bedding dip angle is 0°, the coal sample fractures steadily as cracks expand. At 30°, the failure process involves a gradual and steady expansion of cracks followed by an unstable extension. At 60° and 90°, the fractures result in sudden and unstable damage. Furthermore, this study explores the inherent mechanisms of anisotropy and the evolution models of damage in bedding coal.

Understanding the wear behavior and mechanism of gradient nanostructured M50 bearing steel through nanoscratching tests

A gradient nanostructured M50 bearing steel with gradient structural size, carbides, and dislocation density was successfully fabricated by ultrasonic shot peening (USP) technology at room temperature. The friction behaviour and mechanism of gradient nanostructure M50 steel were investigated by using nanoscratch technology under various normal applied loads and depths. Under low normal applied load, gradient samples at ∼5 μm depth exhibited a 26.5 % maximum reduction in wear rate compared to the tempered sample; under high normal applied load, wear rates for samples at ∼100 μm depth exhibited a maximum reduction of 44.6 %. At low normal applied load, the wear mechanism involves plowing; while at high normal applied load, the wear mechanism shifts to cutting. Under low normal applied load, wear resistance correlates positively with hardness and negatively with structural size. Under high normal applied load, the increase in hardness of the martensite matrix and the partial decomposition of coarse spherical carbides enable the carbides on the surface of the USPed sample to withstand higher shear stress and stronger stress concentration, preventing cracking of the matrix and carbide edges, and spalling of carbides. High dislocation density (resulting in residual compressive stress) will slow down or inhibit the generation and expansion of cracks during the scratching process, potentially explaining why samples at ∼100 μm depths exhibit superior wear resistance.

Characterization of the interfacial structure and fracture behavior of in situ synthesized ceramics to reinforce Ni-based composite coatings

This work used the in-situ synthesis of molten-state nitride ceramic phase-reinforced Ni-based alloy coatings, aiming to improve the phase-interface bonding through the interdependent co-solidification between molten droplets. The XRD was used to analyze the physical phases of the composite coatings. The microstructure and phase-interface structure were characterized in detail by combining SEM, TEM, HRTEM, FFT, and SAED techniques. Microhardness tester and microforce microhardness tester were employed to measure the surface hardness and elastic modulus of the composite coatings. The fracture behavior of the composite coatings was characterized by observing the fracture morphology of the coatings using SEM combined with the EDS technique. It was found that the formation mechanisms of interfacial misfit dislocation assistance, lattice distortion, aggregation of stacking faults, and specific growth orientation between the γ-Ni matrix phase and each ceramic phase in NiCrBSi-TiCrN composite coatings improved the lattice matching between the two-phase interface, which resulted in the formation of atomically corresponding coherent lattice relations and stepped interfacial semi-coherent lattice relations, and enhanced the degree of phase-interface bonding. On this basis, the composite coatings with high Cr content further inhibited the expansion of interphase penetration cracks due to the existence of Cr-rich zones at the phase interface, thus exhibiting high fracture toughness. This work provides new opinions on the improvement of phase-interface bonding and composition design of Ni-based composite coatings.

Experimental study on the damage characteristics of cyclic disturbance and acoustic emission characteristics of different types of sandstones under high stress in deep mines

AbstractThree sandstone specimens common in rock engineering were selected to study the differences in the mechanical properties of rocks with different lithologies. The development and expansion of the internal cracks in the specimens were observed by combining the simulation system with the acoustic emission system. Through the combination of dynamic and static stresses, the deformation and damage of rocks under deep rock excavation and blasting were simulated. As the results show, the acoustic emission events of specimens with different lithologies under combined static and dynamic cyclic loading can be roughly divided into three phases: weakening, stabilizing, and surging periods. In addition, the acoustic emission characteristics of specimens with different lithologies show general consistency in different compression phases. The degree of fragmentation of specimens increases with the applied stress level; therefore, the stress level is one of the important factors influencing the damage pattern of specimens. The acoustic emission system was used to simulate the deformation and damage of rocks subjected to deep rock body excavation and engineering blasting. Cyclic dynamic perturbations under sinusoidal waves with a frequency of 5 Hz, a loading rate of 0.1 mm/min, a cyclic amplitude of 5 MPa, and a loading rate of 0.1 mm/min were applied to the three rock samples during the experiments. Among them, the fine‐grained sandstones are the most sensitive to the sinusoidal cyclic perturbation, followed by the muddy siltstone and the medium‐grained sandstones. On this basis, the acoustic emission energy release characteristics were analyzed, and the waveform characteristics in the damage evolution of the specimen under dynamic perturbation were studied by extracting the key points and searching for the main frequency eigenvalues.

Anisotropic expansion behavior and crack orientation of reinforced concrete due to the alkali–silica reaction

In this study, the expansion behavior, surface and internal crack developments due to the alkali–silica reaction in two types of reinforced concrete prisms with and without stirrups are investigated. Longitudinal and transverse expansions are continuously monitored at various positions on the prism surfaces. Image analysis is employed to determine the densities of surface and internal cracks. Crack orientations for several groups of crack angles are measured to characterize the dominant crack pattern. The findings indicate that longitudinal expansion was transferred to the transverse direction at the middle region in both prisms, regardless of the presence of stirrups. However, average longitudinal, transverse, and volumetric expansions are reduced in prisms with stirrups. The anisotropy coefficient of expansion exhibits a strong proportional relationship with the surface and internal crack densities of each crack angle group. Therefore, the trend of internal crack orientations and expansion anisotropy can be estimated based on surface crack information.

Stability Analysis of Yebatan Underground Cavern Surrounding Rock based on Crack Evolution Theory

The deformation properties of rock are closely related to the effect of crack closure, generation and expansion in the rock. In this paper, the stress-crack strain evolution constitutive model is used to determine the relaxation damage zone of the surrounding rock based on the change regulation of the crack closure ratio during the whole process of surrounding rock damage, and the model is embedded into FLAC3D software, and then the stability evaluation of the surrounding rock of the cavern group under unsupported and supported conditions is carried out for the underground plant of Yebatan hydropower station. The excavation simulation shows that the displacement of the cavern surrounding rock increases with the excavation step, and the influence of the fault on the displacement of the surrounding rock is very significant. The high stress concentration area is distributed in the arch top of the plant, the tailwater connection hole, the arch top and the bottom of the tail chamber, and the tensile stress area is mainly distributed in the high side wall of the underground plant and the tail chamber. The crack closure ratio index was used to quantitatively evaluate the degree of relaxation damage of the surrounding rock, indicating that the relaxation damage area is influenced by the fault, and the volume of the surrounding rock damage area under the system support is significantly reduced compared with the unsupported working condition, showing the effectiveness of the support measures.

Crack detection and damage evaluation of asymmetrical steel-reinforced concrete frame nodes using acoustic emission technology

ABSTRACT Detecting cracks in steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) frame nodes is crucial for ensuring structural safety. This study employs acoustic emission (AE) technology to monitor the growth of concrete structural defects in real time. The aim is to establish a sensitive assessment method based on AE parameters to accurately assess the damage stages of SRC frame nodes by considering the complex crack extension mechanism in SRC structures. An experimental study of the AE characteristics of SRC frame nodes under low-cycle loading was performed. The crack evolution process of SRC frame nodes was monitored and analysed using the AE parameters. The results showed that ringing count is the AE parameter more sensitive to the damage of the SRC frame node. The damage evaluation method was established based on the variation coefficient analysis of the AE parameters. Considering the sudden change in the growth rate of the damage index, the damage evolution process of the SRC frame nodes can be accurately divided into three stages: initial crack compaction, rapid crack expansion, and crack penetration. These stages are consistent with the mechanical properties of SRC frame nodes.

Improved uniform ductility in a high-carbon pearlitic steel via microstructural homogeneity architecture

In this work, the nucleation and growth kinetics of pearlitic transformation are quantitatively investigated to unveil the distinctive microstructural evolution behavior under a high undercooling degree. Both intra-granular and inter-granular nucleation increasingly occur with 1-2 orders of magnitude increase in nucleation rate N˙. However, a moderate increase in the growth rate GV, namely a larger N˙/GV ratio, leads to a 30%–40% size reduction in pearlitic colonies. The avalanche-type increase in nucleation events induces a more random distribution of ferrite orientation among colonies that possess a slight increase in relative misorientation but a pronounced increase in accumulative misorientation, and an arbitrary alignment of Fe3C lamellas in colony interior. Such improved microstructural homogeneity ensures more uniform and localized deformability, which allows compatible deformation between colonies or within colonies and prevents the expansion of newly-formed cracks. These results provide guidance for industrial manufacture of high-carbon pearlitic products with high safety and reliability, resulting from the improvement in localized deformability, and for low-cost wires via reducing the drawing passes, stemming from the significant increase in uniform deformability.

Fracture propagation and pore pressure evolution characteristics induced by hydraulic and pneumatic fracturing of coal.

A two-dimensional unsteady seepage model for coal using a finite element program is developed, and the temporal variations of key factors such as water pressure and hydraulic gradient are analyzed in this paper. Additionally, the triaxial rock mechanical experiment and utilized pneumatic fracturing equipment on raw coal samples to investigate both hydraulic and pneumatic fracturing processes are conducted. Through these experiments, the relationship between pressure and crack formation and expansion are examined. The analysis reveals that the pore pressure gradient at the coal inlet reaches its peak during rapid surges in water pressure but diminishes over time. Conversely, the pore pressure gradient at the outlet side exhibits a gradual increase. Hydraulic fracturing is most likely to occur at the water inlet during sudden increases in water pressure. Besides, as the permeability of coal decreases, the duration for seepage stabilization prolongs due to the intensified pore pressure gradient resulting from sudden increases in water pressure. Moreover, an extended period of high hydraulic gradient further increases the risk of hydraulic fracturing. The experimental findings indicate that coal samples initially experience tensile failure influenced by water and air pressure. Subsequently, mode I cracks form under pressure, propagating along the fracture surface and becoming visible. The main types of failure observed in hydraulic and pneumatic fracturing are diametrical tensile failure, and the development of fractures can be categorized into three distinct stages, which contains the initial stage characterized by slight volume changes while water pressure increases, the expansion stage when pressure reaches the failure strength, and the crack closure stage marked by little or even decreasing volume changes during pressure unloading. The acoustic emission signal accurately corresponds to these three stages.

Analysis of tunnel collapse disasters during operation and exploration of disaster damage mechanisms

Highway tunnel collapse during the operation period is a serious threat to the stability of tunnel operation. Thus, it is important to investigate the disaster-causing mechanism to prevent the occurrence of disasters. In this paper, based on 155 cases of domestic and foreign highway tunnel collapses during operation, we statistically analyze the causes of the collapses and the year of occurrence, and we explore the disaster-causing mechanism of tunnel collapses through numerical simulation. Tunnel collapses in operation period are affected by geological factors, lining factors, and accidental factors. The primary causes of tunnel collapses are determined to be the post-lining cavity, lining crack expansion, and fire. A single factor cannot lead to tunnel collapse, and the probability of collapse increases under the coupling of multiple factors. Through a numerical simulation method, the evolution mechanism of tunnel collapse caused by the post-lining cavity is analyzed, which lays the foundation for establishing the tunnel collapse prediction model and qualitative risk assessment system of highway tunnel collapse.

Influence of basalt fiber and polypropylene fiber on the mechanical and durability properties of cement-based composite materials

To boost the mechanical strength and endurance quality of cement-based composites, basalt fiber and polypropylene fiber have been included cement-based composites in a single-doped and mixed manner, respectively. Through the tests of flexural strength, compressive strength, drying shrinkage and freeze-thaw cycle, the mechanics properties and endurance quality of cement-based composites with different fiber contents were analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy and a mercury intrusion test were used to compare and study the microstructure and pore structure properties of cement-based composites. The results indicate that the improvement of compressive strength for cement-based composites by single adding basalt, polypropylene fiber and mixed addition of two kinds of fibers is not obvious, but improving the flexural strength of composites by single addition of fiber and 1:1 mixing in a certain dosage range is effective. Among them, 1:1 mixed fiber shows a better advantage superposition effect, which shows better enhancement and toughening effect on composites. Fiber single doping and 1:1 mixing can reduce the Drying shrinkage and mass loss rate of the composites within a certain range, and enhance the composites' ability to resist Drying shrinkage and freezing. Based on the comprehensive mechanical properties and durability tests, it is recommended that the content range of the two fibers mixed with 1:1 is 0.4 %–0.6 %. Both basalt fiber and polypropylene fiber can be closely combined with the cement matrix, and randomly distributed in the composite material to form a network structure, which has the function of series skeleton, effectively inhibits the generation and expansion of cracks in the composite material, and improves the microstructure of the composite material. Both basalt fiber and polypropylene fiber can reduce the harmful pores and multi-harmful pores of the composite material, and transform them into harmless pores and less harmful pores, refine the internal pore structure of the composite material, and improve its compactness. The two kinds of fibers are randomly distributed to form a network structure, which refines the large pore size inside the composite material and blocks the connected pores, and the basalt fiber is refined to fill the interface between the polypropylene fiber and the cement matrix, so that the composite material is more compact, thereby significantly improving the mechanical properties and durability of the composite material.

Study on failure characteristics and evaluation index of aquifer shale based on energy evolution

AbstractThe presence of abundant clay components and microporous structure in shale results in its high hydrophilicity, making a water-rich environment inevitable in petroleum exploration projects. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the influence of bedding structure, moisture content, confining pressure, and their combined effects on the geomechanical properties of shale. This article aims to investigate the mechanical properties of deep shale under varying water content conditions, elucidate the failure mode and failure mechanism of shale in actual engineering scenarios, and explores the interplay between stress, structure, moisture content, and other factors on its mechanical properties. The evaluation of wellbore stability and fracture propagation effects is proposed based on laboratory experiments using triaxial stress and strain data, along with the application of energy evolution theory. The experimental procedures encompass an analysis of shale's microscopic components and structure, as well as anisotropic shale triaxial compression tests conducted under different moisture contents and confining pressures. The results demonstrate that shale exhibits dense pores in its microstructure and displays pronounced anisotropic characteristics in its macrostructure. The presence of water within these pores, combined with the in situ stress within the formation, significantly influences the mechanical properties of shale. This anisotropy decreases with increasing moisture content, but the mechanical performance still decreases. Under triaxial compression conditions, the increase in confining pressure to some extent enhances the anisotropy of shale's deformation characteristics, which is related to the failure modes of shale. However, the detrimental effect of moisture content on shale's mechanical properties still persists. In order to quantify the impact of these factors, this study utilizes the elastic modulus as an indicator of the coupling effect. It combines the triaxial strain curve obtained from laboratory tests and proposes an evaluation index for shale mechanical properties based on the energy evolution theory. This index is suitable for assessing wellbore stability (the stability index called SIr) and crack expansion (the brittleness index called BIr). The calculation results reveal that, during the wellbore drilling process, excavating parallel to the direction of shale bedding while maintaining low moisture content and high confining pressure yields a higher SIr value, indicating better wellbore stability. On the other hand, during reservoir fracturing, fracturing perpendicular to the shale bedding direction and maintaining low confining pressure and moisture content result in a smaller BIr value. This approach is more beneficial for the expansion of shale fracture network in engineering.

Study on the Low Plastic Behavior of Expansion Deformation of Austenitic Stainless Steel.

The plastic deformation of TWIP steel is greatly inhibited during the expansion process. The stress-strain curves obtained through expansion experiments and observations of fracture morphology confirmed the low plastic behavior of TWIP steel during expansion deformation. Through an analysis of the mechanical expansion model, it was found that the expansion process has a lower stress coefficient and a faster strain rate than stretching, which inhibits the plasticity of TWIP steel during expansion deformation. Using metallographic microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and EBSD to observe the twin morphology during expansion deformation and tensile deformation, it was found that expansion deformation has a higher twin density, which is manifested in a denser twin arrangement and a large number of twin deliveries in the microscopic morphology. During the expansion deformation process, dislocation slips are hindered by twins, the free path of the slips is reduced, and dislocations accumulate significantly. The accumulation area is the initial point of crack expansion. The results show that the significant dislocation accumulation caused by the delivery of a large number of twins under expansion deformation is the main reason for the decrease in the plasticity of TWIP steel.

Numerical simulation of rock blasting under different in-situ stresses and joint conditions.

High primary rock stress can limit the generation of rock cracks caused by blasting, and blasting usually shows different rock breaking states under different primary rock stress conditions. There are a large number of naturally formed joints in rock mass, due to the limitations of laboratory tests, a numerical model of jointed rock mass was established using LS-DYNA software to investigate the evolution of blasting damage under various in-situ stresses and open joints. In this simulation, using the Lagrange-Euler (ALE) procedure and the equation of state (JWL) that defines explosive materials, the study considered different joint thicknesses (2cm, 4cm, and 6cm), joint angles (0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°), and in-situ stress conditions (lateral stress coefficients of 0.5, 1, and 2, with vertical in-situ stresses of 10MPa and 20MPa), through stress analysis and damage area comparison, the relationship between damage crack propagation and horizontal and vertical stress difference is explored. The research aimed to understand the mechanisms underlying crack initiation and propagation. The results show that: (1) The presence of joints exerts a barrier effect on the expansion and penetration of cracks. When explosion stress waves reach the joint surface, their propagation is impeded, leading to the diffusion of wing cracks at the joint ends. When the lateral stress coefficient and joint angle are the same, an increase in initial in-situ stress results in a reduction in the area of the blasting damage zone. (2) Under the same initial in-situ stress conditions, the area of the blasting damage zone initially increases and then decreases with an increasing joint angle. However, it remains larger than that without a joint, and there exists an optimal angle that maximizes the damage area. In the simulated conditions, the area of damage cracks is greatest when the joint angle is 60° dip angle. (3) The presence of initial in-situ stress has a certain impact on the initiation and expansion of blasting cracks. The degree and nature of this influence are not solely related to the lateral stress coefficient but also depend on the joint's angle and thickness. When in-situ stress is present, the initial in-situ stress field's pressure is not conducive to the initiation and propagation of blasting cracks. However, the existence of a joint has a noticeable guiding and promoting effect on crack propagation, and the pattern of crack propagation is influenced by both joint and in-situ stress conditions.

Cactus-like ZnO decorated UHMWPE fibers to improve the strength and toughness of polyurethane matrix composites

Poor interfacial force is an important factor in preventing the development of fibers reinforced polymer composites. Fiber morphology design is an effective way to improve the interfacial property of composites. The development of nature has carried out the natural selection of survival of the fittest for organisms, and most of the surviving organisms have excellent structures and functions, which comes up with a new idea for the design of new reinforcement structure. Inspired by the cactus structure, we have prepared a new structural UHMWPE fiber reinforcement, which was characterized by a mass of cactus-like ZnO (C-ZnO) crystals decorated the UHMWPE fiber surface. The experimental results showed that the strength and toughness of C-ZnO UHMWPE fibers reinforced rigid polyurethane (RPU) composites were significantly improved. The satisfactory results were attributed to the cactus-like ZnO on the UHMWPE fiber surface, which could form a complex interfacial structure with the PRU matrix to increase the interface strength and the crack expansion paths.

Study on the influence mechanism of polypropylene fiber on crack propagation of concrete with existing cracks under uniaxial compression

In the process of long-term service of concrete, cracks are inevitable, especially in the state of tension and compression, the crack expansion speed is accelerating, which seriously affects the service performance of concrete, and even causes major disasters. While polypropylene fiber has remarkable cracking resistance, there is a lack of theoretical analysis on crack initiation and path expansion of concrete cracks with existing cracks during the compression process. In order to analyze the inhibitory effect of fiber on the propagation of pre-existing cracks, we performed uniaxial compression tests on concrete prisms containing pre-existing cracks. Acoustic emission technology was used to monitor each test group and obtain relevant data on the cracking process of the specimens. GDEM software was used to simulate typical test conditions, and the results were compared with the test results to further explain the mechanism of crack propagation and fiber suppression. The results show that: (1) fiber can inhibit the initiation and propagation of tension wing cracks at the existing crack tip. The higher the fiber content, the shorter the symmetrical wing cracks become. (2) With the increase of fiber content (0 ∼ 4 kg/m3), the failure mode of polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete prismatic specimens changes from tensile failure to tensile-shear failure, and finally shear failure. (3) The crack initiation stress and peak strength of prismatic specimens first increase and then decrease with the increase of fiber content. (4) The increase of fiber content delays the crack initiation time, prolongs the time to the disappearance of the peak of the acoustic emission signal, and prolongs the total time of the failure process.