Modeling Plastic Damage of Reinforced Concrete in Finite-Element Applications

Testing full-scale structures in the laboratory is not always doable nor financially feasible, especially for large structures. Therefore, these structures are often modeled with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software and packages, such as Abaqus, to understand their actual behaviors under special simulated loading and material-behavioral considerations. This study developed a material model that simulates load-induced cracking in reinforced concrete (RC) elements in the FEA of structures. The simulation of complete stress–strain concrete behavior under tension and compression (including damage characteristics) requires the application of numerical material models, potentially producing the stress–strain curves. These models include strain-softening regimes that presuppose the use of ultimate compressive concrete strength and that can be practically implemented for existing or future RC structures. The method presented in this study is valuable because it assesses existing RC structures when detailed test results are not available. However, the implemented numerical models were slightly altered in order to compare them with the damaged plasticity models available in the research literature. These are mainly the smeared crack concrete model, the brittle crack concrete model, and the concrete damaged plasticity model, which are all typically suitable for RC elements. The methodologies proposed here provide accurate and realistic modeling of the plastic damage of RC members. Although numerically extensive and very time-consuming, it is demonstrated that the material and damage modeling presented in this paper can be used to accurately represent the behavior of actual structural members tested in research laboratories. This suggests that it is applicable to structures for which experimental tests or monitoring data are not available.