The relationship between fracture toughness and compressive strength of self-compacting lightweight concrete

Abstract

This study evaluates the relationship between fracture toughness and compressive strength of self-compacting lightweight concrete (SCLC). For this purpose, three mix designs with different w/c ratios were used, and three-point bending tests were done on 36 notched beams. The maximum loads of the beams were achieved, and size effect method was applied for analysing the results. The results of analyses displayed that the fracture toughness and mechanical properties were significantly increased as w/c ratio decreased. In fact, as the w/c ratio decreased from 0.47 to 0.37, the fracture toughness and compressive strength increased by 56% and 52%, respectively. Fracture toughness of mode I was compared with the compressive strength of SCLC. According to the experimental results, an acceptable relation is presented between the fracture toughness of mode I and compressive strength of SCLC in this paper.