Numerical Modeling of Cracking




PREFACE

Reliable model-based prognoses of the initiation and propagation of

cracks in concrete plays an important role for the durability and integrity

assessment of concrete and reinforced concrete structures. To

this end, a large number of material models for concrete cracking

based on different theories (e.g., damage mechanics, fracture mechanics,

plasticity theory and combinations of the mentioned theories) as

well as advanced finite element methods suitable for the representation

of cracks (e.g., the Extended Finite Element Method and Embedded

Crack Models) have been developed in recent years.



The focus of the Advanced School on ”Numerical Modeling of Concrete

Cracking” at the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences

(CISM) at Udine in May 2009 was laid on numerical models for describing

crack propagation in concrete and their applications to numerical

simulations of concrete and reinforced concrete structures.

The lectures of this course formed the basis for this book. Its aim

is to impart fundamental knowledge of the underlying theories of the

different approaches for modelling cracking of concrete and to provide

a critical survey of the state-of-the-art in computational concrete mechanics.



This book covers a relatively broad spectrum of topics related to

modelling of cracks, including continuum-based and discrete crack

models, meso-scale models, advanced discretization strategies to capture

evolving cracks based on the concept of finite elements with embedded

discontinuities and on the extended finite element method, respectively,

and, last but not least, extensions to coupled problems such

as hygro-mechanical problems as required in computational durability

analyses of concrete structures.

Innsbruck and Bochum,

March 2011,


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