A comparative study on finite element methods for crack propagation in concrete

Marko A. L. Bendezu¹; Celso Romanel¹; Deane M. Roehl¹

¹ Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

doi:10.20906/CPS/CILAMCE2015-0884

Resumo

A research about numerical modeling for crack propagation in concrete is explored using finite element software Abaqus. Three methods are considered: the extended finite element (XFEM), element elimination technique and interelement crack method. The XFEM is a method for arbitrary crack propagation that introduces fracture implicitly in the model without remeshing. The implementation of the XFEM formulation used in this work is based on the Phantom Node Method in which the discontinuity is introduced through new degrees of freedom of overlapping elements. This method is used in combination with a cohesive fracture law. In the element elimination technique, elements that meet a fracture criterion are deleted. In order to account for the energy dissipation, concepts from smeared crack models are applied. In the interelement crack methods, the crack is limited to element edges; the separation of these edges is governed by a cohesive law. Two problems are considered: mode I and mixed-mode fracture of a notched concrete beam. Comparison of the numerical model results with experimental data from the literature reveals the ability and disadvantages on the methods.

Palavras-chave: extended finite element (XFEM); element elimination technique; interelement crack method; concrete fracture