Fracture Parameters of Plain Concrete Beams Using ANSYS

Abstract

The present paper analyses the size dependency of the fracture energy and the fracture toughness of concrete determined as per the RILEM Work-of-fracture method (WFM). Normal and high strength concrete notched beams have been modeled using the finite element software, ANSYS 12.1 to study the variation of the fracture parameters. The fracture parameters (G_F , K_I and SIF) are determined using Work of fracture method by testing geometrically similar notched Plain normal and high strength concrete (20,30,40,50,60,70MPa) specimens of different sizes in a size ratio of 1:4 with different notch depths (a₀/d = 0.15, 0.30 and 0.45) under three point bending through load-deflection curves. The variation of both the fracture energy, fracture toughness and the stress intensity factor as a function of the specimen size and notch depth was determined using RILEM Work-of-fracture method. Fracture energy, fracture toughness and stress intensity factor calculated using Work-of-fracture method are increasing with the increase in size of specimen and decreasing with the increasing notch depth ratios.