Use of scanning electron microscope and the non-local isotropic damage model to investigate fracture process zone in notched concrete beams

In this study, a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is used to understand the micro level aspect of the Fracture Process Zone (FPZ) in a concrete beam. It is mainly based on the preparation and analyzing samples which are considered as being a very important part of SEM (poor preparation techniques can lead to erroneous diagnosis of the concrete study). Numerically, the fracture of concrete requires the consideration of progressive damage, which is usually modeled by a constitutive law. This latest relies on numerical methods to obtain adequate solutions. It is shown herein that by using the Object Oriented Finite Element Method (OOFEM), obtained results agreed more or less with those of others researchers. On the other side, experimental results compromise those obtained by the use of the non-local isotropic damage model. It is finally proven throughout this study that the FPZ is defined by two parameters: the length and the width.