Safety Performance of a Precast Concrete Barrier: Numerical Study

The numerical simulation for a new type of precast concrete barrier for viaducts is carried out systematically. To obtain an accurate representation of the damage state of the concrete barrier under the impact of a vehicle, a stochastic damage-plasticity model of the concrete is adopted in the finite element model. Meanwhile, a simplified mathematical model of the impact between vehicles and the concrete barrier was established and the input energy was converted to the impact load to facilitate the investigation of the safety performance of the concrete barriers. On this basis, a refined finite element (FE) model of a precast concrete barrier was developed. The impact locations, impact load, boundary constraints, and reinforcement types were used as variables and the dynamic response of the precast concrete barrier was systematically analyzed under 36 working conditions. The simulated results indicated that the damage state of the concrete barrier and the stress of the reinforcing bars were accurately and quantitatively reflected. According to the computed results, some suggestions were put forward for selecting the appropriate reinforcement type of the precast concrete barrier and the connection between the superstructure and foundation.