Characterizing and modelling the perpendicular to the grain mode-I fracture process of (tropical) hardwood

The demand to build with wood and other bio-based materials has increased rapidly the last decade, due to the ambition to build more with sustainable building materials. One of the major challenges in building with wood, is to account for the lower strength and stiffness perpendicular to the grain. Wood is an anisotropic material, meaning the...

Experimental and numerical modelling of mode I fracture in tropical hardwoods

The goal of the thesis is to investigate two main questions for the purpose of modelling fractures in timber with a finite element method. The first question is to evaluate the use of digital image correlation during a three point bending test to obtain mean values for tensile strength and fracture energy, and the follow up question is if it is...

Non-linear buckling analysis of GFRP plates: A numerical approach with progressive failure analysis

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) has increased rapidly in popularity in the past few decades. The material's advantageous properties, such as a high strength-to-weight ratio and low required maintenance, gave rise to its popularity in multiple major engineering branches. Buckling behaviour develops due to the notably low stiffness-to-strength...

Estimation of Energy Released from Crack in Concrete using Acoustic Emission and Comparison with the Numerical Results

Study relating Acoustic Emission (AE) energy to fracture energy has been conducted in the past and a correlation has been reported between the two. The scope of these studies has remained limited to laboratory size specimens with known crack location and the energy release being investigated on a global scale. The objective of this research is...

Fracture behavior in a modified Transverse Crack Tension test under compressive stress: A qualitative study on model parameters

An increase in apparent mode II fracture toughness in Fiber Reinforced Polymers has been found from modified Transverse Crack Tension (mTCT) tests with compressive stresses added orthogonal to the delamination plane. Numerical reproduction of these results has not yet led to a good understanding of the reasons for this behavior. Currently, an...