NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF CRACKS PROPAGATION IN CONCRETE STRUCTURES

Abstract

Concrete is a brittle material with high compressive strength, low tensile strength and poor toughness, where cracks of different degrees and different forms can be developed, which compromises the durability and the lifetime of concrete structures. In this article we present a numerical simulation that allows describing and studying the damage of concrete works subjected to various stress types. In this study, the propagation of cracks in the concrete was analyzed, which requires having a thorough knowledge of the mechanical behavior of the material. The analysis is carried out by using fracture criteria while being based on the determination of the critical stress intensity factors, for three-point bending concrete beam that subjected to a various stress types. The analysis is carried out in a three - dimensional medium by using the ANSYS software. The results obtained are compared with the analytical solutions. The results show that; (i) with an increase in beam size, the stress intensity factor increases, (ii) with an increase in width of beam, the stress intensity factor decreases.