Observation of the fracture path development in mortar beam specimens

✍ Scribed by J. Davies

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 467 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1065-7355
• DOI: 10.1016/s1065-7355(96)90067-x

✦ Synopsis

The development of the fracture zone in beam specimens subjected to three-point and four-point bending has been observed and was related to the overall load-deflection relationship. A video technique together with the computer scanning facility were used to detect the initial macrocracks appearing before the attainment of the maximum load and also to record the fracture path formation in the postpeak portion of the load deflection curve. A comparison is made between unnotched and notched beams that are prepared for fracture testing from the standard size concrete beams. Due to its simplicity and cost effectiveness, this technique could be applied in many practical situations to detect the initial critical cracks and to reexamine the test results on the repetitive basis.