Abstract
This study investigated fracture behaviour in four concrete grades (C40-C70) through controlled splitting tests. Using high-resolution 3D profilometry, we quantitatively characterised crack surface morphology and proposed a novel fractal dimension metric for tortuosity D_T. Post-repair permeability tests on 12 specimens (24 fracture surfaces) revealed: (1) conventional tortuosity showed weak permeability correlation (R²<0.350), while (2) D_T demonstrated superior predictive capability (R²=0.430). The developed fractal tortuosity index provides a robust multiscale quantification method for crack flow mechanism analysis.
Keywords
concrete crack, 3D profilometer, tortuosity, fractal dimension, permeability.
DOI
10.5703/1288284318132
Recommended Citation
Shen, Yuan and Ueda, Tamon, "Fractal Characterisation of Crack Tortuosity and Its Correlation with Permeability in Concrete" (2025). International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures. 9.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/icdcs/2025/ddm/9
Fractal Characterisation of Crack Tortuosity and Its Correlation with Permeability in Concrete
This study investigated fracture behaviour in four concrete grades (C40-C70) through controlled splitting tests. Using high-resolution 3D profilometry, we quantitatively characterised crack surface morphology and proposed a novel fractal dimension metric for tortuosity D_T. Post-repair permeability tests on 12 specimens (24 fracture surfaces) revealed: (1) conventional tortuosity showed weak permeability correlation (R²<0.350), while (2) D_T demonstrated superior predictive capability (R²=0.430). The developed fractal tortuosity index provides a robust multiscale quantification method for crack flow mechanism analysis.
