Determining a novel softening function for modeling the fracture of concrete

Abstract

Softening function is the primary input for modeling the fracture of concrete when the cohesive crack approach is used. In this paper, based on the laboratory data on notched beams, an inverse algorithm is proposed that can accurately find the softening curve of the concrete. This algorithm uses non-linear finite element analysis and the damage-plasticity model. It is based on the kinematics of the beam at the late stages of loading. The softening curve, obtained from the corresponding algorithm, has been compared to other softening curves in the literature. It was observed that in determining the behavior of concrete, the usage of the presented curve made accurate results in predicting the peak loads and the load-deflection curves of the beams with different concrete mixtures. In fact, the proposed algorithm leads to softening curves that can be used for modeling the tensile cracking of concrete precisely. Moreover, the advantage of this algorithm is the low number of iterations for converging to an appropriate answer. © 2022 Techno-Press, Ltd.