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Published: 1991

Total Pages: 590

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Recently, considerable interest has been developing in understanding and modeling the fracture processes in these quasi-brittle materials as well as in designing materials with improved toughness. The research activities in these groups of materials: ceramics, cement and rock can be substantially enhanced with the exchange of information between these three groups of investigators. Since the field is relatively new, it is likely that the researchers working with one set of materials are not aware of similar developments with other set of materials. Although each material has its own set of specific characteristics, many common aspects can be shared among these quasi-brittle materials. These include: (1) application of nonlinear fracture mechanics, (2) experimental and theoretical considerations of strain localization, (3) microscopic observation of fracture process zone, (4) nondestructive evaluation of damage, (5) models to relate microstructure with macroscopic response, and (6) development of experimental and theoretical tools. The purpose of this workshop was to bring together researchers addressing the problem of fracture in cement, ceramics, and rock so that they can share their knowledge and develop a more general syntheses of the problem.