Finite Element Modeling of Concrete Fracture in Tension with the Brazilian Splitting Test on the Case of Plane-stress and Plane-strain

Most of tensile tests by researchers were inconclusive, due to differentiation in results and variation in testing methods. The available test methods provide only a limited amount of information on this tensile behavior, producing the proper load-displacement response. The most common testing method is the Brazilian splitting test according to ASTM C496. In the numerical model the question as whether the case of splitting test should be considered as a plane-stress or plane-strain phenomena, has surfaced. A finite element model to produce a more sophisticated explanation of the concrete behavior in tension, is constructed. The experimental tests were performed to validate the developed program based on the load-displacement curves. The developed program also resulted the stress distribution of cylinder splitting test.