• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.5
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• pp.607-619
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• 2023

This study, it was tried to evaluate the asphalt behavior under tensile loading conditions through indirect Brazilian and direct tensile tests, experimentally and numerically. This paper is important from two points of view. The first one, a new test method was developed for the determination of the direct tensile strength of asphalt and its difference was obtained from the indirect test method. The second one, the effects of particle size and loading rate have been cleared on the tensile fracture mechanism. The experimental direct tensile strength of the asphalt specimens was measured in the laboratory using the compression-to-tensile load converting (CTLC) device. Some special types of asphalt specimens were prepared in the form of slabs with a central hole. The CTLC device is then equipped with this specimen and placed in the universal testing machine. Then, the direct tensile strength of asphalt specimens with different sizes of ingredients can be measured at different loading rates in the laboratory. The particle flow code (PFC) was used to numerically simulate the direct tensile strength test of asphalt samples. This numerical modeling technique is based on the versatile discrete element method (DEM). Three different particle diameters were chosen and were tested under three different loading rates. The results show that when the loading rate was 0.016 mm/sec, two tensile cracks were initiated from the left and right of the hole and propagated perpendicular to the loading axis till coalescence to the model boundary. When the loading rate was 0.032 mm/sec, two tensile cracks were initiated from the left and right of the hole and propagated perpendicular to the loading axis. The branching occurs in these cracks. This shows that the crack propagation is under quasi-static conditions. When the loading rate was 0.064 mm/sec, mixed tensile and shear cracks were initiated below the loading walls and branching occurred in these cracks. This shows that the crack propagation is under dynamic conditions. The loading rate increases and the tensile strength increases. Because all defects mobilized under a low loading rate and this led to decreasing the tensile strength. The experimental results for the direct tensile strengths of asphalt specimens of different ingredients were in good accordance with their corresponding results approximated by DEM software.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.53-73
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• 2023

Man-made structure materials like concrete usually contain inclusions. These inclusions affect the mechanical properties of concrete. In this investigation, the influence of inclusion length and inclination angle on three-dimensional failure mechanism of concrete under uniaxial compression were performed using experimental test and numerical simulation. Approach of acoustic emission were jointly used to analyze the damage and fracture process. Besides, by combining the stress-strain behavior, quantitative determination of the thresholds of crack stress were done. concrete specimens with dimensions of 120 mm × 150 mm × 100 mm were provided. One and two holes filled by gypsum are incorporated in concrete samples. To build the inclusion, firstly cylinder steel tube was pre-inserting into the concrete and removing them after the initial hardening of the specimen. Secondly, the gypsum was poured into the holes. Tensile strengths of concrete and gypsum were 2.45 MPa and 1.5 MPa, respectively. The angle bertween inclusions and axial loadind ary from 0 to 90 with increases of 30. The length of inclusion vary from 25 mm to 100 mm with increases of 25 mm. Diameter of the hole was 20 mm. Entirely 20 various models were examined under uniaxial test. Simultaneous with experimental tests, numerical simulation (Particle flow code in two dimension) were carried out on the numerical models containing the inclusions. The numerical model were calibrated firstly by experimental outputs and then failure behavior of models containing inclusions have been investigated. The angle bertween inclusions and axial loadind vary from 0 to 90 with increases of 15. The length of inclusion vary from 25 mm to 100 mm with increases of 25 mm. Entirely 32 various models were examined under uniaxial test. Loading rate was 0.05 mm/sec. The results indicated that when inclusion has occupied 100% of sample thickness, two tensile cracks originated from boundaries of sample and spread parallel to the loading direction until being integrated together. When inclusion has occupied 75% of sample thickness, four tensile cracks originated from boundaries of sample and spread parallel to the loading direction until being integrated together. When inclusions have occupied 50% and 25% of sample thickness, four tensile cracks originated from boundaries of sample and spread parallel to the loading direction until being integrated together. Also the inclusion was failed by one tensile crack. The compressive strength of samples decease with the decreases of the inclusions length, and inclusion angle had some effects on that. Failure of concrete is mostly due to the tensile crack. The behavior of crack, was affected by the inclusion length and inclusion number.

• Composites Research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.23-31
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• 2002

The two dimensional size effect of specimen gauge section ($length{\;}{\times}{\;}width$) was investigated on the compressive behavior of a T300/924 $\textrm{[}45/-45/0/90\textrm{]}_{3s}$, carbon fiber-epoxy laminate. A modified ICSTM compression test fixture was used together with an anti-buckling device to test 3mm thick specimens with a $30mm{\;}{\times}{\;}30mm,{\;}50mm{\;}{\times}{\;}50mm,{\;}70mm{\;}{\times}{\;}70mm{\;}and{\;}90mm{\;}{\times}{\;}90mm$ gauge length by width section. In all cases failure was sudden and occurred mainly within the gauge length. Post failure examination suggests that $0^{\circ}$ fiber microbuckling is the critical damage mechanism that causes final failure. This is the matrix dominated failure mode and its triggering depends very much on initial fiber waviness. It is suggested that manufacturing process and quality may play a significant role in determining the compressive strength. When the anti-buckling device was used on specimens, it was showed that the compressive strength with the device was slightly greater than that without the device due to surface friction between the specimen and the device by pretoque in bolts of the device. In the analysis result on influence of the anti-buckling device using the finite element method, it was found that the compressive strength with the anti-buckling device by loaded bolts was about 7% higher than actual compressive strength. Additionally, compressive tests on specimen with an open hole were performed. The local stress concentration arising from the hole dominates the strength of the laminate rather than the stresses in the bulk of the material. It is observed that the remote failure stress decreases with increasing hole size and specimen width but is generally well above the value one might predict from the elastic stress concentration factor. This suggests that the material is not ideally brittle and some stress relief occurs around the hole. X-ray radiography reveals that damage in the form of fiber microbuckling and delamination initiates at the edge of the hole at approximately 80% of the failure load and extends stably under increasing load before becoming unstable at a critical length of 2-3mm (depends on specimen geometry). This damage growth and failure are analysed by a linear cohesive zone model. Using the independently measured laminate parameters of unnotched compressive strength and in-plane fracture toughness the model predicts successfully the notched strength as a function of hole size and width.