Numerical and Experimental Investigation for Determining the Opening Mode Toughness of Concrete Using Cracked Brazilian Disk Test

In this paper, a simultaneous experimental and numerical analysis of opening mode toughness in The Pre-joined Brazilian disc using Brazilian tests are carried out. These numerical results are compared with the existing experimental results. For this purpose, two concrete disc specimens of 54 mm diameter and 27 mm thick were prepared. These specimens have a central joint of 20 mm in length and an opening in mm 1. Specimens are made from a mixture of water, fine sand, and cement with a ratio of 1-5 / 0-1. The same specimens are numerically simulated by a two-dimensional particle flow code (PFC).The results indicate that the crack formed from the tip of the joint and grows parallel to the load and connects to the edge of the specimen. The Fracture toughness obtained from the numerical method is in good agreement with experimental results.