Forward and Inverse Analysis of Concrete Fracture Using the Disk-Shaped Compact Tension Test

A new concrete fracture geometry is presented, which can quantify multiple fracture properties from a single specimen test. The disk-shaped compact tension (DCT) geometry allows specimens to be fabricated from laboratory cylinders or field cores. The DCT fracture test characterizes the concrete's critical stress intensity factor, KIC, critical crack-tip opening displacement, CTODc, and initial fracture energy, Gf, as well as the specimen-dependent total fracture energy, GF. The DCT-based fracture properties have the same experimental variation as the single-edge notched beam test. The experimentally derived fracture parameters were implemented into a cohesive zone model, which enabled estimation of concrete tensile strength from field-extracted cores.