Careful structural analyses of ancient stone constructions methodically showed crack openings under tensile stresses notably lower than the corresponding strength limits. Based on this observation, an experimental research was undertaken aimed at determining the mechanical effects related to permanent loading in time. The results of a first series of long-term tension and bending tests conducted on four natural building stones are presented in this paper. A time-delayed response analogous to the creep behavior of several geomaterials as well as of metals and ceramics was found; the response was then suitably described by the same analytical models usually applied to these last material classes. However, the stone building materials are characterized by a notably higher strength decay taking place in short times which confirmed the trend already shown by the structural studies. A thorough damage analysis developed with reference to the tertiary creep phase revealed both the physical and phenomenological correspondence of the adopted Kachanov-Rabotnov rule to the actual mechanical degradation time-progress.
Issue Section:
Technical Papers
1.
“Accettazione delle pietre naturali da costruzione (Acceptation of Natural Building Stones),” Italian Technical Standards, R.D. Nov. 16, 1939, No. 2232.
2.
Anicic, D., Soric, Z., Moric, D., and Macan, H., 1989, “Mechanical Properties of Stone Masonry Walls—Laboratory Investigation,” Proceedings, STREMA 89—1st International Conference on Structural Repair and Maintenance of Historical Buildings, Florence, C. A. Brebbia, ed., Computational Mechanics Publications, Southampton. Boston, pp. 95–102.
3.
Ashby, M. F., and Dyson, B. F., 1984, “Creep Damage Mechanics and Micro-mechanism,” Report DMA/1A/77, National Physical Laboratory, London.
4.
Atkinson
B. K.
1984
, “Subcritical Crack Growth in Geological Materials
,” Journal of Geophysical Research
, Vol. 89
, pp. 4077
–4114
.5.
Atkinson, B. K., and Meredith, P. G., “The Theory of Subcritical Crack Growth with Application to Mineral and Rocks,” Fracture Mechanics of Rock, Atkinson B. K., ed., Academic Press, London, pp. 477–525.
6.
Barber, D. J., 1990, “Re´gimes of Plastic Deformation—Processes and Micro-structures: an Overview,” Proceedings, International Meeting on Deformation Processes in Minerals, Ceramics, and Rocks, D. J. Barber and P. G. Meredith, eds., London, Unwin Hyman, London, pp. 138–178.
7.
Bazant, Z. P., 1988, “Impact of Robert L’Hermite on the Evolution of Creep and Shrinkage Theory,” Mathematical Modeling of Creep and Shrinkage of Concrete, Bazant, Z. P., ed., Wiley, New York, pp. 7–39.
8.
Binda, L., Anzani, A., and Gioda, G., 1991, “An Analysis of the Time-Dependent Behaviour of Masonry Walls,” Proceedings, 9th International Brick/Block Masonry Conference, Berlin, DGFM, Berlin, pp. 1058–1067.
9.
Binda
L.
Gatti
G.
Mangano
G.
Poggi
C.
Sacchi Landriani
G.
1992
, “The Collapse of the Civic Tower of Pavia: A Survey of the Materials and Structure
,” Masonry International
, Vol. 6
, pp. 11
–20
.10.
Blasi, C., and Sorace, S., 1990, “Cracks in Marble Due to a Long Term Small Tensile Stress Configuration,” Proceedings, International Conference on Structural Conservation of Stone Masonry: Diagnosis, Repair and Strengthening, Athens, ICCROM, Rome, pp. 283–290.
11.
Bodig, J., and Goodman, J. R., 1988, “NDE for Performance of Wood Structures,” Proceedings, International Workshop on Nondestructive Evaluation for Performance of Civil Structures, Los Angeles, M. S. Agbabian and S. F. Masri, eds., University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, pp. 203–215.
12.
Borri
A.
Sorace
S.
1993
, “FE Analysis Strategies for Structural Materials with Small Tensile Strength
,” ASME Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology
, Vol. 115
, pp. 156
–163
.13.
Cannon
W. R.
Langdon
T. G.
1983
, “Review: Creep of Ceramics—Part I: Mechanical Characteristics
,” Journal of Material Science
, Vol. 108
, pp. 1
–50
.14.
Chuyla, A., and Walker, K. P., 1989, “A New Uniformly Valid Asymptotic Integration Algorithm for Elasto-Plastic-Creep and Unified Viscoplastic Theories Including Continuum Damage,” Report NASA TM 102344, NASA Lewis Research Center, OH.
15.
Courtney, T. H., 1990, Mechanical Behavior of Materials, McGraw-Hill, New York.
16.
Evans
A. G.
Langdon
T. G.
1976
, “Structural Ceramics
,” Material Science.
, Vol. 21
, pp. 171
–190
.17.
Evans, A. G., and Wilshire, B., 1985, “Creep of Metals and Alloys,” Chapter 6, The Institute of Metals, London.
18.
Freiman, S. W., and Swanson, P. L., 1990, “Fracture of Polycristalline Ceramics,” Proceedings, International Meeting on Deformation Processes in Minerals, Ceramics and Rocks, D. J. Barber and P. G. Meredith, eds., London, Unwin Hyman, London, pp. 72–83.
19.
Hallam, S. D., and Ashby, M. F., 1989, “Compressive Brittle Fracture and the Construction of Multiaxial Failure Maps,” Proceedings, International Meeting on Deformation Processes in Minerals, Ceramics and Rocks, D. J. Barber and P. G. Meredith, eds., London, Unwin Hyman, London, pp. 84–108.
20.
Jaeger, J. C., and Cook, N. G. W., 1976, Fundamental of Rock Mechanics, Chapman and Hall, London.
21.
Kachanov, L. M., 1958, “On the Time to Failure Under Creep Conditions” (in Russian), Izv. Akad. Nauk SSR Otd. Tech. Nauk, No. 8, pp. 26–31.
22.
Kachanov, L. M., 1986, Introduction to Continuum Damage Mechanics, Martinus Njihoff, Dordricht.
23.
Krajcinovic
D.
1984
, “Continuum Damage Mechanics
,” Applied Mechanics Review
, Vol. 37
, pp. 1
–6
.24.
Krajcinovic
D.
1985
, “Continuum Damage Mechanics Revisited: Basic Concepts and Definitions
,” ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics
, Vol. 52
, pp. 829
–834
.25.
Lemaitre, J., 1987, “Formulation and Identification of Damage Kinetic Constitutive Equations,” Proceedings, CISM Course on Continuum Damage Mechanics—Theory and Applications, Udine, D. Krajcinovic and J. Lemaitre, eds., Springer-Verlag, Wien, New York, pp. 37–90.
26.
Lemaitre, J., and Chaboche, J.-L., 1990, Mechanics of Solid Materials, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
27.
Lenczner
D.
1981
, “Brickwork: A Guide to Creep
,” International Journal of Masonry Construction
, Vol. 1
, pp. 127
–133
.28.
L’Hermite, R., 1959, “What Do We Know about the Plastic Deformation and Creep of Concrete?,” RILEM Bulletin, No. 1, pp. 22–51.
29.
Odqvist, F. K. G., 1974, Mathematical Theory of Creep and Creep Rupture, The Clarendon Press, Oxford.
30.
Oikawa, H., and Maruyama, K., 1989, “Prediction of Long Term Creep Curves,” Proceedings, Symposium on Rheology of Solids and of the Earth, Tokyo, S. I. Karato and M. Toriumi, eds., Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 42–56.
31.
Rabotnov, Y. N., 1968, “Creep Rupture,” Proceedings, XII International Congress on Applied Mechanics, Stanford, Springer, Berlin, pp. 137–144.
32.
Robert
M.
Hutchinson
P.
1986
, “On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon
,” Art Bulletin
, Vol. LXVIII
, pp. 24
–34
.33.
Robinson
E. L.
1952
, “Effect of Temperature Variation on the Long-Time Rupture Strength of Steels
,” ASME JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY
, Vol. 74
, pp. 777
–781
.34.
Robinson
D. N.
Binienda
W. K.
Miti-Kawuma
M.
1992
, “Creep and Creep Rupture of Strongly Reinforced Metallic Composites
,” ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics
, Vol. 118
, pp. 1646
–1660
.35.
Saleeb
A. F.
Wilt
T. E.
1993
, “Analysis of the Anisotropic Viscoplastic-Damage Response of Composite Laminates—Continuum Basis and Computational Algorithms
,” International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering
, Vol. 36
, pp. 1629
–1660
.36.
Singh
A.
Mitchell
J. K.
1968
, “General Stress-Strain Time Function for Soils
,” ASCE Journal of Soils Mechanics and Foundation Division
, Vol. 94
, pp. 21
–46
.
This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright © 1996
by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
You do not currently have access to this content.
