Issue 78

M. S ł owik et alii, Fracture and Structural Integrity, 78 (2026) 393-408; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.78.23

which influence the chemical processes involved in ITZ formation. The properties of the ITZ also depend on the w/c ratio. Higher water-cement ratio generally leads to a more porous and weaker interfacial transition zone. Consequently, the quality of the ITZ has a significant impact on the overall durability and mechanical performance of concrete. The explanation of the different influences of concrete components on their splitting tensile strength was searched by analysing the character of crack propagation in fracture planes. Examples of photographic documentation of failure cracks made during the experiments are presented in Fig. 9.

Figure 8: Stress – strain relationship for: coarse aggregate (1), hardened cement mortar (2) and concrete (3) (based on [39]).

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b)

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