The response of concrete under tensile loading is crucial for most applications because concrete is much weaker in tension than in compression. Understanding the response mechanisms of concrete under tensile conditions is therefore key to understanding and using concrete in structural applications. Understanding the tensile properties of concrete summarises key recent research in this important subject. After an introduction to concrete, the book is divided into two parts: part one on static response and part two on dynamic response. Part one starts with a summary chapter on the most important parameters that affect the tensile response of concrete. Chapters show how multi scale modelling is used to relate concrete composition to tensile properties. Part two focuses on dynamic response and starts with an introduction to the different regimes of dynamic loading, ranging from the low frequency loading by wind or earthquakes up to the extreme dynamic conditions due to explosions and ballistic impacts. Following chapters review dynamic testing techniques and devices that deal with the various regimes of dynamic loading. Later chapters highlight the dynamic behaviour of concrete from different viewpoints, and the book ends with a chapter on practical examples of how detailed knowledge on tensile properties is used by engineers in structural applications. Drawing on the work of some of the leading experts in the field, Understanding the tensile properties of concrete is a valuable reference for civil and structural engineers as well as those researching this important material.

Table of Contents:
Contributor contact details Woodhead Publishing Series in Civil and Structural Engineering Preface Chapter 1: Introduction to concrete: a resilient material system Abstract: 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Concrete structure at the micro-scale: the cement matrix 1.3 Concrete structure at the meso-scale: bond cement matrix and aggregates 1.4 Concrete structure and mechanical properties Chapter 2: Factors affecting the tensile properties of concrete Abstract: 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Effect of composition 2.3 Effect of curing and moisture 2.4 Effect of temperature 2.5 Influence of specimen size 2.6 Effect of age 2.7 Effect of load duration 2.8 Effect of cyclic loading 2.9 Effect of type of loading 2.10 Crack development at the meso-scale 2.11 The relationship between tensile strength and compressive strength 2.12 The practical implications of laboratory tests Chapter 3: Modelling the effect of material composition on the tensile properties of concrete Abstract: 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Modelling damage in concrete 3.3 Behaviour of concrete beams under three-point bending conditions 3.4 Behaviour of concrete elements under uniaxial tension 3.5 Conclusions 3.6 Acknowledgements Chapter 4: Modelling moisture transport in intact and fractured concrete Abstract: 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Modelling moisture transport in intact concrete 4.3 Modelling moisture transport in degraded concrete 4.4 Interaction between moisture transport and material behaviour 4.5 Case study: application of outside render to masonry walls 4.6 Summary and future trends Chapter 5: Modelling the response of concrete structures to dynamic loading Abstract: 5.1 Introduction: dynamic loading regimes affecting concrete structures 5.2 Earthquake loading and impact deflection: inertia effects 5.3 Blast response: rate-dependent strength 5.4 Projectile impact loading: compressibility and high triaxial stresses 5.5 Contact detonations and explosive formed projectiles (EFPs): shock and release properties 5.6 Concluding remarks Chapter 6: Dynamic test devices for analyzing the tensile properties of concrete Abstract: 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Different experimental methods to characterize the tensile response of concrete 6.3 Characterizing the tensile strength and fracture energy of concrete at intermediate loading rates ( or ) 6.4 Characterizing the tensile strength and fracture energy of concrete at high loading rates ( or ) 6.5 Characterizing the tensile strength of concrete at very high loading rates ( or ) 6.6 Edge-on impact tests performed on concrete 6.7 Conclusions Chapter 7: Response mechanisms of concrete under impulsive tensile loading Abstract: 7.1 Introduction: concrete response mechanisms under impulsive tensile loading 7.2 The effect of cracking rates on the tensile strength of concrete 7.3 The effect of cracking rates on the fracture process under moderate and high loading regimes 7.4 Conclusions Chapter 8: Modelling the dynamic response of concrete with mesoscopic heterogeneity Abstract: 8.1 Introduction 8.2 The mesoscopic structure of concrete and computational considerations 8.3 Types of mesoscale model and their applications in the dynamic analysis of concrete 8.4 A comprehensive mesoscale continuum model for the dynamic analysis of concrete 8.5 A pseudo-3D (sandwich) mesoscale model for the dynamic analysis of concrete in compression 8.6 Mesoscale modelling of the tensile behaviour of concrete in dynamic splitting (Brazilian) tension 8.7 Modelling of heterogeneity in concrete with stochastic material properties 8.8 Modelling of spalling and fragmentation in concrete structures with a stochastic material property distribution 8.9 Conclusions 8.10 Acknowledgements Chapter 9: Mesoscopic modeling of concrete under different moisture conditions and loading rates Abstract: 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Constitutive modeling of concrete 9.3 Mesoscopic modeling of concrete 9.4 The Split Hopkinson Bar test 9.5 Modified Split Hopkinson Bar test 9.6 Summary and conclusions 9.7 Acknowledgments 9.9 Appendix A: computation of the homogenized material tensor for different saturation levels Chapter 10: Modelling the response of concrete structures from strain rate effects to shock induced loading Abstract: 10.1 Introduction to the modelling of loading-rate effects on concrete 10.2 Measuring the strain-rate dependent strength of concrete 10.3 Modelling shock-induced tensile loading of concrete structures 10.4 Summary Chapter 11: Understanding the dynamic response of concrete to loading: practical examples Abstract: 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Impact, penetration and perforation 11.3 Contact detonation 11.4 Blast 11.5 Residual load-bearing capacity of damaged structural elements 11.6 Behaviour of reinforced-concrete beams under localized static and impact loads 11.7 Project examples: improving blast resistance 11.8 Conclusions 11.9 Acknowledgements Index