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Computational modeling of size effects in concrete specimens under uniaxial tension

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Abstract

The paper presents a follow-up study of numerical modeling of complicated interplay of size effects in concrete structures. The major motivation is to identify and study interplay of several scaling lengths stemming from the material, boundary conditions and geometry. Methods of stochastic nonlinear fracture mechanics are used to model the well published results of direct tensile tests of dog-bone specimens with rotating boundary conditions. Firstly, the specimens are modeled using microplane material and also fracture-plastic material laws to show that a portion of the dependence of nominal strength on structural size can be explained deterministically. However, it is clear that more sources of size effect play a part, and we consider two of them. Namely, we model local material strength using an autocorrelated random field attempting to capture a statistical part of the combined size effect, scatter inclusive. In addition, the strength drop noticeable with small specimens which was obtained in the experiments could be explained either by the presence of a weak surface layer of constant thickness (caused e.g. by drying, surface damage, aggregate size limitation at the boundary, or other irregularities) or three dimensional effects incorporated by out-of-plane flexure of specimens. The latter effect is examined by comparison of 2D and 3D models with the same material laws. All three named sources (deterministic-energetic, statistical size effects and the weak layer effect) are believed to be the sources most contributing to the observed strength size effect; the model combining all of them is capable of reproducing the measured data. The computational approach represents a marriage of advanced computational nonlinear fracture mechanics with simulation techniques for random fields representing spatially varying material properties. Using a numerical example, we document how different sources of size effects detrimental to strength can interact and result in relatively complicated quasibrittle failure processes. The presented study documents the well known fact that the experimental determination of material parameters (needed for the rational and safe design of structures) is very complicated for quasibrittle materials such as concrete.

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  1. Institute of Structural Mechanics, Brno University of Technology, Veveří 95, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Miroslav Vořechovský & Václav Sadílek

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  1. Miroslav Vořechovský
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  2. Václav Sadílek
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Correspondence to Miroslav Vořechovský.

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Vořechovský, M., Sadílek, V. Computational modeling of size effects in concrete specimens under uniaxial tension. Int J Fract 154, 27–49 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-009-9316-9

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