Fracture toughness and cracking behaviour of SCC compared to VC

Vibrated concrete (VC) and self-compacting concrete (SCC) have a substantially different composition, resulting in dissimilar mechanical properties regarding cracking behaviour. The critical value of the mode I stress-intensity factor KIC is an appropriate fracture parameter for evaluating fracture toughness and can be obtained from three-point bending tests (3PBT) on small, notched specimens. Subsequent determination of the energy release rate thus allows to examine the crack propagation and fracture process of both concrete types. This paper describes the results of such 3PBTs on samples, made from VC and SCC. Evaluation of the cracking behaviour, derived from these results, reveals remarkable differences.

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