Compression fracture specimens are ideally suited for miniaturization down to tens of microns. Fracture testing of thermal barrier coatings, ceramics and glasses are also best accomplished under compression or indentation. Compression fracture specimen of finite size with constant form factor was not available in the literature. The finite-sized specimen of edge cracked semicircular disk (ECSD) is designed which has the property of constant form factor. The novel ECSD specimen is explored further using weight function concept. This thesis, therefore, is mainly concerned with the design, development and geometric optimization of compression fracture specimen vis a vis their characterization of form factors, weight functions and isotropic points in the uncracked geometry. Inspired by the Brazilian disk geometry, a novel compression fracture specimen is designed in the form of a semicircular disk with an edge crack which opens up due to the bending moment caused by the compressive load applied along its straight edge. This new design evolved from a set of photoelastic experiments conducted on the Brazilian disk and its two extreme cases. Surprisingly, normalized mode-I stress intensity factor of the semicircular specimen loaded under a particular Hertzian way, is found constant for a wide range of relative crack lengths. This property of constant form factor leads to the development of weight function for ECSD for deeper analysis of the specimen. The weight function of a cracked geometry does not depend on loading configuration and it relates stress intensity factor to the stress distribution in the corresponding uncracked geometry through a weighted integral. The weight function for the disk specimen is synthesized in two different ways: using the conventional approach which requires crack opening displacement and the dual form factor method which is newly developed. Since stress distribution in the uncracked specimen is required in order to use weight function concept, analytical solution is attempted using linear elasticity theory. Since closed form solution for stresses in the uncracked semicircular disk is seldom possible with the available techniques, a new semi-analytical method called partial boundary collocation (PBC), is developed which may be used for solving any 2-D elasticity problem involving a semi-geometry. In the new method, part of the boundary conditions are identically satisfied and remaining conditions are satisfied at discrete boundary points. The classical stress concentration factor for a semi-in finite plate with a semicircular edge notch re-derived using PBC is found to be accurate to the eighth decimal. To enhance the form factor in order to test high-toughness materials, edge cracked semicircular ring (ECSR) specimen is designed in which bending moment at the crack-tip is increased significantly due to the ring geometry. ECSR is analyzed using nite element method and the corresponding uncracked problem is analyzed by PBC. Constant form factor is found possible for the ring specimen with tiny notch. In order to avoid varying semi-Hertzian angle during practice and thereby ensure consistent loading conditions, the designs are further modified by chopping at the loading zones and analyzed. Photoelastic isotropic points (IPs) which are a special case of zeroth order fringe (ZOF) are often found in uncracked and cracked specimens. An analytical technique based on Flamant solution is developed for solving any problem involving circular domain loaded at its boundary. Formation of IPs in a circular disk is studied. The coefficients of static friction between the surfaces of disk and loading fixtures, in photoelastic experiments of three-point and four-point loadings, are explored analytically to confirm with experimental results. The disk under multiple radial loads uniformly spaced on its periphery is found to give rise to one isolated IP at the center. Splitting of this IP into a number of IPs can be observed when the symmetry of normal loading is perturbed. Tangential loading is introduced along with normal loading to capture the effect of the composition on formation of IPs. Bernoulli's lemniscate is found to fit fringe order topology local to multiple IPs. Isotropic points along with other low fringe order zones including ZOF are ideal locations for material removal for weight reduction. Making a small hole in the prospective crack path at the IP location in the uncracked geometry might provide dual benefits: 1. Form factor enhancement; 2. Crack arrestor. Thus, this thesis describes experimental, theoretical and computational investigations for the design, development and calibration of novel compact compression fracture specimens.

The diploma thesis is focused on the evaluation of mechanical fracture parameters of concrete after exposure to high temperatures. In the introductory theoretical part general principles of fracture mechanics with the concentration on a linear elastic fracture mechanics and non-linear fracture models for the concrete are summarized. The meaning of the three-point bending fracture test used for determination of fracture parameters is also explained. Further the influence of high temperatures on the partial components of concrete and general modeling of temperature loading is described. The practical part is concerned with the evaluation of fire experiments on the concrete panels including numerical simulations using GiD and ATENA software. The evaluation of data obtained from the three-point bending test carried out on specimens with initial stress concentrator taken from concrete panels is a main part of the diploma thesis. The values of modulus of elasticity, effective fracture toughness, work of fracture and fracture energy are determined from the measured F–d and F–CMOD diagrams after their proper corrections in the GTDiPS application. The evaluation of the selected mechanical fracture parameters was performed by StiCrack software using effective crack model and work of fracture method and DKFM_BUT software using the double-K fracture model. Finally, the attention is paid to the analysis of the obtained data.

This Ph.D. thesis was written under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Luboš Náhlík, Ph.D. and Assoc. Prof. Pavel Hutař, Ph.D. Thesis is focused mainly on application of generalized linear elastic fracture mechanics, which allows description of crack behaviour propagating from general singular stress concentrators, such as material interfaces or sharp V-notches, and verification of validity of used fracture criteria. The obtained results were used in the next part of the thesis, which deals with the issue of crack propagating in ceramic composites, where the stress distribution field is strongly influenced by the existence of material interface and presence of residual stresses, that arise during manufacturing process of composite.

Presented diploma thesis is concerned with problems of a stress singularity exponent and a generalized stress intensity factor determination, by dint the stress field in the vicinity of the stress concentrator can be consecutively determined. This task is possible to sectionalize into three parts. The first part summarizes basic information about linear anisotropic materials, deals with fundamentals of the linear elastic fracture mechanics and introduces its generalization to the case of the generalized stress intensity factors. The second part is dedicated to a special theory of anisotropic elasticity - Lekhnitskii-Eshelby-Stroh formalism (LES). Furthermore, a theory of the psi-integral is introduced, by dint the stress intensity factor is determined. The final part applies the LES theory and the psi-integral to the concrete material configuration of a crack on the bimaterial interface, a special example of a sharp bimaterial notch. By means of analytical-numerical algorithm in ANSYS and Silverforst FNT95 software the stress singularity exponents and generalised stress intensity factors are consecutively computed.

[pt] O trincamento de camada de mistura asfáltica é o principal tipo de deterioração das rodovias, e o presente estudo pretende contribuir para conhecimento dos processos de fissuramento com o objetivo de incorporar novos parâmetros mecânicos para melhorar projetos de pavimentação rodoviária . A modelagem computacional através do Método dos Elementos Discretos (MED), permitiu fazer uma simulação da iniciação e da propagação do trincamento em um ensaio de tração direta chamado de Disco Circular com Fenda (Disk Shaped compact), considerando uma abordagem da teoria da mecânica da fratura elástica linear (MFEL) e a incorporação do modelo constitutivo de zona coesiva (MZC). As modelagens realizadas permitiram inferir o comportamento de corpos de prova de Disco Circular com Fenda DC(T) feitos em laboratório. O método dos elementos discretos monstrou-se uma ferramenta apropriada para realizar este tipo de simulação. Também foram feitas análises da sensibilidade da resposta do modelo em relação a diversos parâmetros mecânicos do material: módulo de Young (E), resistência à tração (RT) e energia da fratura (Gf). Este último parâmetro foi obtido da área sob a curva tração-deslocamento da abertura da boca da trinca (CMOD). A análise foi realizada considerando o corpo como material homogêneo atribuindo-se a todas as partículas propriedades idênticas. A modelagem numérica 2D foi executada através do programa comercial PFC2D baseado no MED. / [en] The cracking of asphalt mixture layers is the main type of deterioration of roads in Brazil, and this study aims to contribute to improve the knowledge of cracking processes in order to incorporate new mechanical parameters into road pavement projects. Computer modeling by the Discrete Element Method (DEM), permitted the simulation of the initiation and the propagation of cracking in a tensile test called Direct Circular Slotted Disc (Disk Shaped Compact), whose interpretation is based on the theory of linear elastic fracture mechanics and considering an specific elastoplastic model known as the cohesive zone model (CZM). Results of Direct Circular Slotted Disc tests were obtained in laboratory and interpreted by numerical simulations using the discrete element method, with good results. The sensitivity of model response with respect to various mechanical parameters, such as the Young s modulus (E), the tensile strength (RT) and the fracture energy (Gf) was also analyzed. This last parameter (Gf) was obtained considering the area under the traction-displacement curve from the Crack Mouth Opening Displacement (CMOD) test. The analyses were carried out considering the body as a homogeneous material, assigning to all particles identical properties. The 2D numerical model was analyzed using the commercial software PFC2D based on the discrete element method (MED).