Effect of Characteristic Lengths of Fracture on Thermal Crack Patterns
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 15, Issue 4
Abstract
Approximately uniformly spaced cracking occurs in many different materials and processes during thermal or drying shrinkage. Such cracks may occur when a slab of material restrained at the bottom is subjected to a sudden reduction in temperature at the top. Previous research indicates that the crack patterns obtained depend on the Griffith crack length for a shrinking solid. This paper shows that for materials exhibiting elastic-plastic fracture behavior, the fracture energy, Young’s modulus, and tensile strength in combination form a second characteristic length of fracture of the material that has a significant impact on the cracks formed.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 15 • Issue 4 • August 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 1, 2013
Accepted: May 5, 2014
Published online: May 29, 2014
Published in print: Aug 1, 2015
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