Abstract
When a crack is produced in a concrete structure, a micro crack zone of fracture process zone (FPZ) appears at the crack tip. To investigate the behaviour of this the micro crack zone, nonlinear fracture mechanics (NLFM) must be applied. However, when a massive concrete structure such as a concrete gravity dam is considered, the micro crack zone can be neglected and the structure can be assumed to have linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) behaviour. This study is divided into two main topics : (1) Calculating stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack tip by surface integral method and (2) Investigating the propagation of the initial crack. If the initial crack propagates, the angle of the propagation is calculated by using maximum circumferential tensile strength theory. This study, also, contains the effects of body forces and water pressures on the crack face.
