- Author
-
Knab, L. I.
|
Jennings, H.
|
Walker, H. N.
|
Clifton, J. R.
|
Grimes, J. W.
- Title
- Techniques to Observe the Fracture Zone in Mortar and Concrete.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
Virginia Highway and Transportation Research Council, Charlottesville, VA
- Book or Conf
- Fracture Toughness and Fracture Energy of Concrete. 1986,
Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam,
Wittmann, F. H., Editors,
241-247 p.,
1986
- Keywords
-
concretes
|
cracking (fracturing)
|
microscopy
- Abstract
- There have been relatively few studies of the microstructural details of the fracture zone of propagating cracks in mortar and concrete. This lack of detailed information has hindered the development and validation of fracture mechanics theories based on the micromechanisms of crack propagation. This paper presents the application of two techniques to observe the microstructural details of the fracture zone: fluorescent light microscopy using thin sections, and scanning electron microscopy using backscattered electrons. Preliminary findings indicate that both techniques have the potential to provide new information on the fracture zone in mortar and concrete, both near the exterior and in the interior of specimens.