This investigation examined a number of concrete specimens that were subjected to a variety of loading regimes for the purpose of studying stress-induced microcracking in concrete. A special technique using Wood's metal was developed that preserves the stress-induced microcracks in…
This investigation examined a number of concrete specimens that were subjected to a variety of loading regimes for the purpose of studying stress-induced microcracking in concrete. A special technique using Wood's metal was developed that preserves the stress-induced microcracks in concrete as they exist under load. Scanning electron microscopy was used to capture images from the cross sections of the specimens. Next, stereo logy, a method that estimates the geometric statistical background for relating three-dimensional structures to their two-dimensional sections, was applied to obtain the total crack extension per unit of volume. Furthermore, 2-D features of the cracks were analyzed in the section plane, such as orientation, distribution and length.