PEAK LOAD ESTIMATION OF PRE-CRACKED PLAIN CONCRETE BEAMS IN MIXED-MODE FRACTURE

A major difficulty in simulating load response of a concrete structure in mixed-mode fracture is that crack path is not known a priori. Predicting both the crack path and the associated load response involves advanced simulation techniques and novel numerical methodologies, and making these predictions remains a fundamental challenge to the community interested in investigating mixed-mode fracture. Here, an intrinsic cohesive crack model is employed to study mixed-mode fracture in a plain concrete beam with regular meshes. Simulations illustrate that this concise approach can provide a reasonable estimation of peak load of the pre-cracked plain concrete beams in mixed-mode fracture.