FEM analysis of concrete structures subjected to mode-I and mixed-mode loading conditions

Abstract

In this study, the finite element method (FEM) for a body containing displacement discontinuity is used for the investigation of tensile fracture behavior under mode-I and mixed-mode loading conditions in concrete structures. A mechanical model for the tensile fracture behavior is reduced to a mathematical problem, and the analysis method is proposed. With the aid of this method, several factors which govern tensile fracture are examined, such as the unloading path in the tension-softening behavior and the transmission of shear stresses across crack surfaces. A plain concrete beam without a notch is analyzed by first neglecting and then taking into account the unloading path in the tension-softening behavior to demonstrate the phenomenon of cracking localization in mode-I crack growth. Pullout test specimens of practical significance are analyzed in order to study the crack growth phenomenon under mixed-mode loading conditions. Cases with and without lateral confinement are considered and the results obtained from the present analysis are compared with those obtained from available experimental data. A simple model for shear transfer across crack surfaces is established. By incorporating this model in the program, a pullout test specimen with lateral confinement is analyzed to examine the influence of shear transfer across crack surfaces on cracking localization.