Peridynamics modelling of dynamic tensile failure in concrete

Abstract

Abstract Concrete as a brittle material suffers from tensile failures such as fracture and spalling under tension. These tensile failures are believed to be associated with the initiation, propagation, and coalescence of cracks. The purpose of this study is to present a numerical investigation on the dynamic tensile failures in concrete. For this purpose, the non-ordinary state-based peridynamics (NOSB-PD) theory is employed as an analysis tool to avoid the difficulties encountered in the finite element method in dealing with discontinuities such as cracks. Furthermore, to obtain the realistic stress field in the concrete and so as to update the nonlinear relationship between the force states and the displacement vectors required in the NOSB-PD theory, a well-developed rate-dependent plastic-damage model for concrete is incorporated. This model is modified from the Kong-Fang concrete model which has been verified to be suitable for the modeling of dynamic tensile failures in concrete within the classical continuum mechanics. Several numerical examples including dynamic fracture tests and spall tests are presented to demonstrate the performance of the current model. The results reveal that the dynamic fracture and spalling in concrete can be well captured and are observed to be greatly influenced by the loading rates. The predicted crack patterns of the concrete under different loading rates are found to be comparable to the corresponding experimental results.