MODELLING COCNCRETE MATERIAL BEHAVIOUR UNDER HIGH LOADING RATES

Abstract eng:
The present work sets out to investigate numerically, by means of dynamic Nonlinear Finite-Element Analysis (NLFEA), the effect of the strain-rate exhibited under high loading rates (associated usually with blast and impact problems) on the material properties of structural concrete and the ensuing cracking process it undergoes. The numerical predictions obtained were initially validated against relevant published data obtained from tests on plain concrete prismatic and cylindrical specimens under increasing loading rates under direct or indirect tension, uniaxial compression and flexure. The numerical studies reveal that the responses under impact loading differ significantly from those under static loading once certain thresholds of loading rates are exceeded. The study builds on previous work [1-3], which has shown that the commonly observed stress-strain relationship of plain concrete specimens under high rates of loading actually describes dynamic structural response rather than material behaviour. A couple of finite element packages were used, in the present study, which adopt different approaches for modelling concrete material behaviour. The comparative analysis of the predictions obtained reveals that when realistically accounting for the brittle nature and the triaxiality which characterise concrete material behavior, the experi-

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