Finite element approach to simulate performance of reinforced concrete beams with multiple openings

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative designed to manipulate using the ABAQUS/CAE finite element approach package to performance characteristics of ten reinforced concrete beams with and without openings under an only one monotonic maximum stress at mid-span, depending on the configuration and size of the openings. All the beams had the very same cross-section, configuration, same opening sizes as that of the test beams. The aim of the comparison with experimentally tests was to ensure that all simulation processes are correct and adequate. The numerical analysis results displaced that good agreement was obtained between experimentally testes and numerical analysis results in terms of the failure load by the rate of 94%. In addition, it was shown that concentrated shear stresses at the corners of the openings causing the failure of the posts between the openings. The numerical study revealed that the influence of increasing main longitudinal steel reinforcement by 28% and 44% more efficient to enhance the ultimate load capacity by rates of 7.61% and 9.61%, respectively, compared to increasing the compressive strength of the beams by 24 %, which led to increasing the ultimate load capacity by 3.72%. Therefore, From the standpoint of difficulty and timesaving, the finite element approach is a very dependable technique for investigating the nonlinear behavior of beams with many apertures.