A Research on concrete fracture mechanics: testing and analyzing the fracture energy of concrete

Abstract

This research is focused on finding the fracture energy of concrete GF at common environmental conditions for different concrete mixtures, trying to see how GF changes while the composition or the properties of concrete change. For achieving this goal, first, the fracture mechanisms that rule concrete fracture will be reviewed, together with the recommended testing procedures. After that, different series of concrete are tested and GF is determined for them. Finally, the registered GF is compared for all series, trying to find a connection between the composition and the properties of concrete with GF, if this is possible with the available data. If not, more tests should be done in the future for this research