Measurement of fracture mechanics parameters of concrete containing fly ash thanks to use of Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method

In this paper, the fracture toughness during Mode I loading of concretes containing the 0%, 20% and 30% addition of class F fly ash (FA), was investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the critical stress intensity factor K-Ic(S) and the critical crack tip opening displacement CTODc in the concrete with FA. The above parameters were determined based on the results obtained from the MTS 810 press and the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) system with ARAMIS software. The concrete with the 20% addition of FA is characterized by high fracture toughness, while the concrete with the 30% addition of FA-low fracture toughness. The values of fracture mechanics parameters calculated on the basis of data obtained from the ARAMIS system show the behaviour of the structural material directly at the moment the initial crack initiation. The presented results of the research show the usefulness of the DIC method in experiments of that type. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.