Scaling of fracture strength, fracture energy and toughness is an important issue when it comes to predicting the behaviour of large-scale structures on the basis of laboratory scale measurements. Historically the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Gallileo is well known, followed by the statistical weakest link theory derived by Weibull in 1939. Weibull scaling is a statistical approach assuming instantaneous failure when the weakest link in a material structure fails.
In brittle heterogeneous materials like cement, concrete and rock, the first crack is generally not catastrophic but the materials are to some extent capable of arresting small microcracks. In fibre composites, the ability to local crack arrest is used to create extended hardening behaviour. As soon as materials become quasi-brittle or show extended hardening behaviour, scaling laws deviate from traditional Weibull scaling. Since the 1980's there has been a growing intesest in the field, cumulating now to new approaches for fracture scaling that go beyond the field of traditional geomaterials (concrete, cement, rock, ice, ceramics, etc.) but apply to fracture processes at nano- and micro-scale in hitherto presumed homogenous materials like glass, metal and others that show inherent heterogeneity at very small size-scales. Catastrophic failure occurs after some stable crack growth has taken place, and the morphology and roughness of the fracture surfaces at various stages of the fracture process must be intimately linked to global macroscopic scaling parameters. The course will address this interrelation between nano- and microscopic properties of fracture morphology and global fracture parameters like strength, fracture energy and fracture toughness. Lecturers from various sub-fields of geo-materials (concrete, rock and ice), fracture mechanics, and statistical physics will give in-depth exposures of scaling and size effects on fracture properties.