Fracture Mechanics- Fracture Energy

Dr. G. APPA RAO

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS
CHENNAI-600 036, INDIA.
 FRACTURE ENERGY
• Fracture energy is the applied energy in a stable or quasi-stable
fracture of a notched specimen calculated over the projected area
of the fracture surface.

• Experimentally, it was calculated by dividing the work done up to

the peak load by the projected area of crack surface, with
dimensions as Joules per square meter (J/m2 =N-m/m2 = N/m).

• Fracture energy per unit crack surface area is generally defined

as the specific energy.
 Fracture Energy Vs. Compressive Strength
• Fracture energy decreases as compressive strength of concrete increases.
In HSC, total energy absorption is governed by aggregate content and its
strength, and the type of cement-aggregate interfacial bond.

• Total energy absorption capacity is algebraic sum of carrying capacity of

aggregate fraction and capacity of cement paste on projected fracture
surface.

• In conventional concrete with very low bond strength, crack propagation

stops when crack front reaches an aggregate, in such cases crack
propagates in three possible ways: (1) through the aggregate grain, (2)
around the aggregate grain (compressive side), and (3) around the
aggregate grain (tension side).
 FRACTURE ENERGY
• Formation of tensile cracks in conventional concrete requires a very large
amount of energy due to large extent of distributed damage surrounding
crack tip, where as in HSC, interfacial bond between the cement paste and
aggregate is very strong tending the concrete to exhibit more brittle
failure at the peak loads.

• When crack reaches aggregate, it crosses aggregate particle, instead of

deviating around aggregate interface, due to formation of very strong
interface in HSC. In such concrete, energy absorbing capacity depends on
volume fraction of coarse aggregate and volume fraction of cement
matrix.

• Combined action of these fractions significantly influences fracture

energy of concrete.
 FRACTURE ENERGY
• Fracture energy, GF decreases as strength of concrete increases.
• The decrease in fracture energy of concrete with increase in
compressive strength illustrates that lesser fracture energy is needed to
create unit crack surface in very brittle composites.

180
160
140
120
GF, N/m

100
80
60
40
20
0
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
fcc, MPa
Fig. Fracture energy vs. compressive strength in HSC.
 FRACTURE ENERGY
• An empirical equation to estimate fracture energy of concrete as
a function of compressive strength (R = 0.97).
• Proposed equation results in decrease in fracture energy with
increase in compressive strength of concrete.

• GF = 210-7 (fcc)-2.878, (N/m)

GF vs. AGGREGATE SIZE

180
160
140
120

GF, N/m
100
80
60
40
20
0
8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22

da, mm

Fig. 3.23: Fracture energy vs. maximum size of coarse aggregate-Series II concrete mixes.

Present CEB-FIP
12

10

6
0

0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36
da, mm

Fig. 3.24: Variation of coefficient in the proposed and the CEB-FIP expressions
with size of coarse aggregate.
 Coefficients, n

Table : Coefficients, n in Proposed Equation and CEB-FIP Code for Fracture

Energy.

Proposed equation CEB-FIP Code

Maximum size
of Coarse Aggregate 10 16 20 8 16 32
’n n
Cube 4.5 5.0 6.0 - - -
Cylinder 5.25 5.85 7.0 4 6 10

The equations are:

• GF = n(f’cc)0.70

• GF = ’n(fcc)0.70