The report attempts a broad review of the problem of size effect or scaling of failure, which has recently come to the forefront of attention because of its importance for concrete and geotechnical engineering, geomechanics, arctic ice engineering, as well as in designing large load-bearing parts ma...

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Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
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Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.694.4873
http://www.civil.northwestern.edu/people/bazant/PDFs/Papers/S50.pdf
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Summary:The report attempts a broad review of the problem of size effect or scaling of failure, which has recently come to the forefront of attention because of its importance for concrete and geotechnical engineering, geomechanics, arctic ice engineering, as well as in designing large load-bearing parts made of advanced ceramics and composites, e. g. for aircraft or ships. First the main results of Weibull statistical theory of random strength are briefly summarized and its applicability and limitations described. In this theory as well as plasticity, elasticity with a strength limit, and linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), the size effect is a simple power law because no characteristic size or length is present. Attention is then focused on the deterministic