Statistical three-dimensional investigation of the damage evolution in heterogeneous materials

A simulation procedure is implemented for evaluating the damage development though structures or test specimens constituted of heterogeneous materials. Stress and strain fields are obtained using a three-dimensional finite element analysis. Materials are assumed to have a brittle local behaviour and statistical distributions of fracture stresses are considered and distributed randomly through the structure or the test specimen. The influence of the scattering width of the stress distributions is analysed in the case of tensile tests and three-point bending tests. Experimental investigation of the fracture development is carried out in the case of polymer concrete using holography and the results obtained are compared with the results derived from the simulation procedure.