Mixed-Mode I-II Fracture Process Zone Characteristic of the Four-Point Shearing Concrete Beam

The size of the fracture process zone (FPZ) has significance for studying the fracture mechanism and fracture characteristics of concrete. This paper presents the method of assessing the FPZ of Mixed-Mode I-II for quasi-static four-point shearing concrete beams with pre-notched by Lagrangian strain profiles from digital image correlation (DIC). Additionally, it explores the influences of volume rates of the coarse aggregate of 0%, 28%, 48%, and 68%, and the specific surface areas of 0.12 m(2)/kg, 0.15 m(2)/kg, and 0.26 m(2)/kg on the size of the FPZ. It shows that the size of FPZ in four-point shearing concrete beam can be characterized by the displacement field and strain field using DIC. The size of FPZ conforms to linear positive correlation with the volume rate of coarse aggregate, and linear negative correlation with the specific surface area of coarse aggregate. It presents that the crack initiation of the four-point shearing beam with the pre notch is dominated by mode I load, and the propagation and fracture of Mixed-Mode I-II cracks are caused by the combined effect of Mode I and Mode II loading.