801 Fracture simulation of quasi-brittle materials by means of fracture energy and discrete crack model

It is well known that cement-based materials form the fracture process zone near crack tip due to material inhomogeneity. It is important that we consider the fracture behavior in fracture process zone because it affects the strength and toughness of materials. In this study, we simulate the compressive fracture behavior in cement-based materials by taking into account the microscopic tensile and shear fracture in fracture process zone. We first explain the formation of microscopic tensile and shear cracks for quasi-brittle materials. Then we compare the simulation result with the experimental result to examine the validity of our numerical model.