Investigation on fracture parameters of concrete through optical crack profile and size effect studies

In this paper, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique has been used to map the full field of displacement and strain for visualizing the fracture growth, fracture propagation and formation of Fracture Process Zone (FPZ) in notched concrete beams under bending. Further, for exact quantification of concrete fracture parameters such as crack opening displacement, characteristics of FPZ and fracture energy, a new scheme called Optical Crack Profile (OCP) originated through DIC experiments, is developed. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of fracture parameters estimated from Bazant size effect laws, Jenq-Shah model and OCP technique have been carried out.