• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.427-435
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• 2010

One of the most vulnerable properties in concrete is tensile cracking, which usually happens at early ages due to hydration heat and shrinkage. In order to accurately predict the early age cracking, it needs to find out how stress-crack opening relation is varying over time. In this study, inverse analyses were performed with the existing experimental data for wedge-splitting tests, and the parameters of the softening curve for the stress-crack opening relation were determined from the best fits of the measured load-CMOD curves. Based on the optimized softening curve, variation of fracture energy over time was first examined, and a model for the stress-crack opening relation at early ages was suggested considering the found feature of the fracture energy. The model was verified by comparisons of the peak loads, CMODs at peak loads, and fracture energies obtained from the experiments and the inverse analysis.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.58-66
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• 2002

The objective of this study is to examine the fracture characteristics of concrete at early ages such as critical stress intensity factor, critical crack-tip opening displacement, fracture energy, and bilinear softening curve based on the concepts of the effective-elastic crack model and the cohesive crack model. A wedge splitting test for Mode I was performed on cubic wedge specimens with a notch at the edge. By taking various strengths and ages, load-crack mouth opening displacement curves were obtained, and the results were analyzed by linear elastic fracture mechanics and the finite element method. The results from the test and analysis showed that critical stress intensity factor and fracture energy increased, and critical crack-tip opening displacement decreased with concrete ages from 1 day to 28 days. By numerical analysis four parameters of bilinear softening curve from 1 day to 28 days were obtained. The obtained fracture parameters and bilinear softening curves at early ages may be used as a fracture criterion and an input data for finite element analysis of concrete at early ages.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.133-141
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• 2002

This paper describes a versatile finite element technique which has been used to investigate wide range of structural defects of practical importance. The procedure automatically remeshes the three-dimensional finite element model during the stages of crack growth. Problems include the surface cracks in leak-before-break situations, the shape development of multiple surface defects.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.8 s.239
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• pp.1118-1122
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• 2005

The direct current potential drop (DCPD) method and the unloading compliance (UC) method with a crack opening displacement gauge were applied simultaneously to the Zr-2.5Nb curved compact tension (CCT) specimens to determine which of the two methods can precisely determine the crack initiation point and hence the crack length for evaluation of their fracture toughness. The DCPD method detected the crack initiation at a smaller load-line displacement compared to the UC method. As a verification, a direct observation of the fracture surfaces on the curved compact tension specimens was made on the CCT specimens experiencing either 0.8 to 1.0 mm load line displacement or various loads from $50\%\;to\;80\%$ of the maximum peak load, or $P_{max}$. The DCPD method is concluded to be more precise in determining the crack initiation and fracture toughness, J in Zr-2.5Nb CCT specimens than the UC method.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.80-88
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• 1997

An experimental investigation of the fatigue through crack growth behavior under simple stepped variable loading condition has been performed using Al7075-T651. Experiments were carried out by using cantilever bending type specimens, with chevron notches on a small electro-magnetic test machine. Tensile overloads have a retarding effect on the fatigue crack growth rates, therefore tensile overloads were used for the beneficial effect on the fatigue life. While in most cases compressive overloads have only a vanishing effect on crack growth rates, some experiments with single edge crack tension specimens reveal a marked growth retardation. The stress ratios used in this investigations varies from R=0.32 to 0.81, from R=0.04 to 0.76, from R=-0.15 to 0.73, and from R=-0.33 to 0.68 and the peak load for each case was not varied. The crack growth and crack closure were measured by Kikukawa's compliance method with a strain gauge mounted on the backside of each specimens. The results obtained are as follows. When the stepped variable load was applied, the smaller the stress ration was, the larger the delayed retardation of the crack growth rate was. The fatigue crack growh rate data obtained for through cracks were plotted well against the effective stress intensity factor range from 4.0 to 20.0MP{a^{SQRT}m}. It was found that the effective stress intensity factor range ratio was related well to the opening stress intensity factor, the maximum stress intensity factor, and crack length.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.77 no.1
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• pp.103-114
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• 2021

Ultra high strength concrete (UHSC) originally proposed by Richards and Cheyrezy (1995) composed of cement, silica fume, quartz sand, quartz powder, steel fibers, superplasticizer etc. Later, other ingredients such as fly ash, GGBS, metakaoline, copper slag, fine aggregate of different sizes have been added to original UHSC. In the present investigation, the combined effect of coarse aggregate (6mm - 10mm) and steel fibers (0.50%, 1.0% and 1.5%) has been studied on UHSC mixes to evaluate mechanical and fracture properties. Compressive strength, split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity were determined for the three UHSC mixes. Size dependent fracture energy was evaluated by using RILEM work of fracture and size independent fracture energy was evaluated by using (i) RILEM work of fracture with tail correction to load - deflection plot (ii) boundary effect method. The constitutive relationship between the residual stress carrying capacity (σ) and the corresponding crack opening (w) has been constructed in an inverse manner based on the concept of a non-linear hinge from the load-crack mouth opening plots of notched three-point bend beams. It was found that (i) the size independent fracture energy obtained by using above two approaches yielded similar value and (ii) tensile stress increases with the increase of % of fibers. These two fracture properties will be very much useful for the analysis of cracked concrete structural components.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 1993

The fatigue growth behavior of short cracks were studied various load ratios. Computer-aided unloading elastic compliance method was employed to measure the closure and the length of short cracks. In the dc/dN-$\Delta$K relationships. the decreasing behavior of the growth rate of short cracks is due to the decrease of crack opening ratio with increasing crack length. Irrespective of load ratio. the growth rate of short cracks can be well decribed in terms of the effective stress intensity factor range $\Delta$K$_{eff}$, which is calculated on the base of crack closure. dc/dN-$\Delta$K$_{eff}$ relationships of short cracks are found to coincide well with the corresponding long crack relationships. accordingly. the growth rate of short cracks can be predicted using that of long cracks.ort cracks can be predicted using that of long cracks.cks.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.16-24
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• 1996

In this study we simulate the fatigue test of a compact tension specimen and obtain the displacements, stresses and strains by using the finite element method. And we examine the path independency of $\Delta$J integral values and compare it with $\Delta$J integral values calculated from load-load line displacement curve. From the results of this study, we can find that $\Delta$J integral show the path Independency for saturated materials. We can also find that the path independency of $\Delta$J Is not satisfied when different material Is assumed near the crack tip, but the difference in $\Delta$J is small. And $\Delta$J integral values calculated from load-load line displacement is very analogous with those from integration path but always have lower values than those from integration paths. In the case of crack closing, we found that $\Delta$J integral values from load-load line displacement should be calculated with the load Increment values based on the crack opening point. The unsaturated material is also simulated and its $\Delta$J shows different values according to the path, but the difference is small.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.18 no.3E
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• pp.213-219
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• 2006

Modified singular fracture process zone(S-FPZ) model is proposed in this paper to determine a fracture criterion for continuous crack propagation in concrete. The investigated fracture properties of the proposed fracture model are strain energy release rate at a micro-crack tip and the relationship between crack closure stress(CCS) and crack opening displacement(COD) in the FPZ. The proposed model can simulate the actual fracture energy of experimental results fairly well. The results of the experimental data analysis show that specimen geometry and loading condition did not affect the CCS-COD relation. However, the strain energy release rate is a function of not only specimen geometry but also crack extension. The strain energy release rate remained constantly at the minimum value up to the crack extension of 25 mm, and then it increased linearly to the maximum value. The maximum fracture criterion occurred at the peak load for specimens of large size. The fracture criterion remained at the maximum value after the peak load. The variation of the fracture criterion is caused by micro-cracking and micro-crack localization. The fracture criterion of strain energy release rate can simply be the size effect of concrete fracture, and it can be used to quantify the micro-cracking and micro-crack localizing behavior of concrete.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.10 s.241
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• pp.1361-1368
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• 2005

The structural and leakage integrity of steam generator tubes should be sustained all postulated loads with appropriate margin even if a crack is present. During the past three decades, for effective integrity evaluation, several limit load solutions have been used world-widely. However, to predict accurately load carrying capacities of specific components under different conditions, the solutions have to be modified by using lots of experimental data. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new burst pressure estimation scheme based on fracture mechanics analyses for steam generator tube with an axial or circumferential through-wall crack. A series of three dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analyses were carried out and, then, closed-form estimation equations with respect to both J-integral and crack opening displacement were derived through reference stress method. The developed engineering equations were utilized for structural integrity evaluation and the resulting data were compared to the corresponding ones fiom experiments as well as limit load solutions. Thereafter, since the effectiveness was proven by promising results, it is believed that the proposed estimation scheme can be used as an efficient tool for integrity evaluation of cracked steam generator tubes.