This comprehensive treatise covers in detail practical methods of analysis as well as advanced mathematical models for structures highly sensitive to creep and shrinkage. Effective computational algorithms for century-long creep effects in structures, moisture diffusion and high temperature effects are presented. The main design codes and recommendations (including RILEM B3 and B4) are critically compared. Statistical uncertainty of century-long predictions is analyzed and its reduction by extrapolation is discussed, with emphasis on updating based on short-time tests and on long-term measurements on existing structures. Testing methods and the statistics of large randomly collected databases are critically appraised and improvements of predictions of multi-decade relaxation of prestressing steel, cyclic creep in bridges, cracking damage, etc., are demonstrated. Important research directions, such as nanomechanical and probabilistic modeling, are identified, and the need for separating the long-lasting autogenous shrinkage of modern concretes from the creep and drying shrinkage data and introducing it into practical prediction models is emphasized. All the results are derived mathematically and justified as much as possible by extensive test data. The theoretical background in linear viscoelasticity with aging is covered in detail. The didactic style makes the book suitable as a textbook. Everything is properly explained, step by step, with a wealth of application examples as well as simple illustrations of the basic phenomena which could alternate as homeworks or exams. The book is of interest to practicing engineers, researchers, educators and graduate students.

Since the beginning of the century the technological desire to master the fracture of metals, concrete or polymers has boosted research and has left behind an overwhelming amount of literature. In a field where it seems difficult to say anything simple and new, the editors and authors of this book have managed to do just that.The approach to fracture taken here was not conceived by mechanical engineers or material scientists. It is essentially the by-product of exciting developments that have occurred in the last ten to fifteen years within a branch of theoretical physics, called statistical physics. Concepts such as ``percolation'' and ``fractals'', as models for the properties of fracture are not often considered by engineers. A particular aim of this volume is to emphasize the fundamental role disorder plays in the breaking process.The main scope of the volume is pedagogical and is at the same time an overview of fracture mechanics for physicists and an introduction to new concepts of statistical physics for mechanics and engineers. To this end the first half of the book consists of introductory chapters and the second half contains the results that have emerged from this new approach.

Concrete has traditionally been known as a material used widely in the construction of roads, bridges and buildings. Since cost effectiveness has always been one of the more important aspects of design, concrete, when reinforced and/or prestressed, is finding more use in other areas of application such as floating marine structures, storage tanks, nuclear vessel containments and a host of other structures. Because of the demand for concrete to operate under different loading and environmen tal conditions, increasing attention has been paid to study concrete specimens and structure behavior. A subject of major concern is how the localized segregation of the constituents in concrete would affect its global behavior. The degree of nonhomogeneity due to material property and damage. by yielding and/or cracking depends on the size scale and loading rate under consideration. Segregation or clustering of aggregates at the macroscopic level will affect specimen behavior to a larger degree than it would to a large structure such as a dam. Hence, a knowledge of concrete behavior over a wide range of scale is desired. The parameters governing micro-and macro-cracking and the techniques for evaluating and observing the damage in concrete need to be better understood. This volume is intended to be an attempt in this direction. The application of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics to concrete is discussed in several of the chapters.

Portland cement concrete is a relatively brittle material. As a result, mechanical behavior of concrete, conventionally reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, and fiber reinforced concrete is critically influenced by crack propagation. It is, thus, not surprising that attempts are being made to apply the concepts of fracture mechanics to quantify the resistance to cracking in cementious composites. The field of fracture mechanics originated in the 1920's with A. A. Griffith's work on fracture of brittle materials such as glass. Its most significant applications, however, have been for controlling brittle fracture and fatigue failure of metallic structures such as pressure vessels, airplanes, ships and pipe lines. Considerable development has occurred in the last twenty years in modifying Griffith's ideas or in proposing new concepts to account for the ductility typical of metals. As a result of these efforts, standard testing techniques have been available to obtain fracture parameters for metals, and design based on these parameters are included in relevant specifications. Many attempts have been made, in the last two decades or so, to apply the fracture mechanics concepts to cement, mortar, con crete and reinforced concrete. So far, these attempts have not led to a unique set of material parameters which can quantify the resistance of these cementitious composites to fracture. No standard testing methods and a generally accepted theoretical analysis are established for concrete as they are for metals.

FRACTURE MECHANICS OF CONCRETE AND ROCK This book offers engineers a unique opportunity to learn, frominternationally recognized leaders in their field, about the latesttheoretical advances in fracture mechanics in concrete, reinforcedconcrete structures, and rock. At the same time, it functions as asuperb, graduate-level introduction to fracture mechanics conceptsand analytical techniques. Reviews, in depth, the basic theory behind fracture mechanics * Covers the application of fracture mechanics to compressionfailure, creep, fatigue, torsion, and other advanced topics * Extremely well researched, applies experimental evidence ofdamage to a wide range of design cases * Supplies all relevant formulas for stress intensity * Covers state-of-the-art linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM)techniques for analyzing deformations and cracking * Describes nonlinear fracture mechanics (NLFM) and the latestRILEM modeling techniques for testing nonlinear quasi-brittlematerials * And much more Over the past few years, researchers employing techniques borrowedfrom fracture mechanics have made many groundbreaking discoveriesconcerning the causes and effects of cracking, damage, andfractures of plain and reinforced concrete structures and rock.This, in turn, has resulted in the further development andrefinement of fracture mechanics concepts and tools. Yet, despitethe field's growth and the growing conviction that fracturemechanics is indispensable to an understanding of material andstructural failure, there continues to be a surprising shortage oftextbooks and professional references on the subject. Written by two of the foremost names in the field, FractureMechanics of Concrete fills that gap. The most comprehensive bookever written on the subject, it consolidates the latest theoreticalresearch from around the world in a single reference that can beused by students and professionals alike. Fracture Mechanics of Concrete is divided into two sections. In thefirst, the authors lay the necessary groundwork with an in-depthreview of fundamental principles. In the second section, theauthors vividly demonstrate how fracture mechanics has beensuccessfully applied to failures occurring in a wide array ofdesign cases. Key topics covered in these sections include: * State-of-the-art linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM)techniques for analyzing deformations and cracking * Nonlinear fracture mechanics (NLFM) and the latest RILEM modelingtechniques for testing nonlinear quasi-brittle materials * The use of R-Curves to describe cracking and fracture inquasi-brittle materials * The application of fracture mechanics to compression failure,creep, fatigue, torsion, and other advanced topics The most timely, comprehensive, and authoritative book on thesubject currently available, Fracture Mechanics of Concrete is botha complete instructional tool for academics and students instructural and geotechnical engineering courses, and anindispensable working resource for practicing engineers.