ABSTRACT
Abstract An inverse procedure first proposed by Smith [1] for the cohesive crack is exploited to study the influence of the following factors on the fracture behaviour of concrete structures: (i) non-linear relationship between the residual tensile carrying capacity (at) and crack opening displacement (w); (ii) finite (as well as singular) term in the stress field ahead of a pre-existing crack in mode I; (hi) finite geometry of the structure. This study provides explicit definitions of characteristic length [2], [3], brittleness number [4], [5], and size effect [6] from physical rather than dimensional considerations, besides identifying the physical cause for the size effect. Keywords: Tension softening, concrete structures, size effect, charateristic length, brittleness number.
