TECHNICAL PAPERS
Aug 1, 2006

Size Effects and the Dynamic Response of Plain Concrete

Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 4

Abstract

This paper investigates the specimen size effect on the dynamic response of plain concrete. The report is based upon experimental data by the writers and others and considers results from creep tests on beams, beams under flexural impact, and cylinders under axial impact loading. Size effect is examined using Bažant’s size effect law and the multifractal scaling law, and both scaling models are able to capture the size effect on strength. For fracture energy, on the other hand, the size effect manifests itself only at impact rates. Under quasi-static loading, plain concrete in compression is less sensitive to the specimen size. But under impact, the compressive response appears to be more size dependent than flexure. However, upon accounting for the stress rate effects, the flexural response depicts a more significant size effect, similar to that seen at quasi-static rates.

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Acknowledgments

The writers would like to thank Synthetic Industries, Chattanooga, Tennessee, for funding part of the research presented here. In addition, the continued support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to the second writer is gratefully acknowledged.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 18Issue 4August 2006
Pages: 485 - 491

History

Received: May 24, 2004
Accepted: Sep 23, 2005
Published online: Aug 1, 2006
Published in print: Aug 2006

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Notes

Note. Associate Editor: Zhishen Wu

Authors

Affiliations

V. Bindiganavile [email protected]
Member Technical Staff, U.S. Gypsum Research and Technology Center, 700 N. Highway 45, Libertyville, IL 60048 (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]
N. Banthia
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of British Columbia, #2024-6250 Applied Science Lane, CEME Building, Vancouver B.C., V6T 1Z4, Canada.

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