Random Lattice-Particle Simulation of Statistical Size Effect in Quasi-Brittle Structures Failing at Crack Initiation
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 135, Issue 2
Abstract
The modeling of statistical size effect of concrete structures that fail at crack initiation is studied, with special attention to the interaction between the autocorrelation length and the size of the failure zone. The mechanical failure of concrete is modeled by a network of axial springs with degrading stiffness. The heterogeneity of concrete is idealized by spatial variation of the tensile strength and fracture energy. As an example, the direct tensile test in plane stress, with the size range of 1:20, is simulated. Furthermore, simulations of a four-point bending test with varying bending span are compared to the experimental results reported in the literature. The interaction of the autocorrelation length and the size of the failure zone is identified as a key parameter for the modeling of statistical size effect.
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Acknowledgments
Thanks for financial support are due to the U.S. National Science Foundation Grant No. NSFCMS-0556323, which also supported Grassl’s appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Northwestern University. The simulations used the object-oriented finite element package OOFEM obtained from the Czech Technical University in Prague (Patzák 1999; Patzák and Bittnar 2001), extended by the writers.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 135 • Issue 2 • February 2009
Pages: 85 - 92
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 20, 2007
Accepted: Sep 26, 2008
Published online: Feb 1, 2009
Published in print: Feb 2009
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Arvid Naess
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