Criterion for Fracture of Plain Concrete

Concrete is a composite material consisting of aggregate inclusion and cement-paste matrix and the cracks which result from the interface between inclusion and matrix play an important role for the deformation and failure of plain concrete [1]. On the base of the observations of the physical and mechanical properties at the aggregate-paste interface, the model structure of concrete is originated for analyzing the fracture mechanism of plain concrete and the criterion for the fracture is proposed. From an experiment it is ascertained that the criterion is available for determinating the limit surface of the failure of concrete under multi-axial stresses with compression.