Finite element modelling of cracking behaviour of reinforced concrete tensile members using a phase field approach
Modelling the cracking behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) elements remains a major challenge due to the inherent heterogeneity of concrete and the complex interaction with steel reinforcement. Existing finite element (FE) approaches are restricted to simplified 2D representations, depend on prede...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repositorio: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:10256/28406 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10256/28406 https://hdl.handle.net/10256/28406 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Formigó armat Reinforced concrete Formigó armat -- Fissuració Reinforced concrete -- Cracking Elements finits, Mètode dels Finite element method |
| Sumario: | Modelling the cracking behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) elements remains a major challenge due to the inherent heterogeneity of concrete and the complex interaction with steel reinforcement. Existing finite element (FE) approaches are restricted to simplified 2D representations, depend on predefined crack paths, or do not incorporate the material heterogeneity of RC in three dimensions. This study presents a 3D FE framework in Abaqus to model the cracking behaviour of RC tie elements, combining a phase field formulation with stochastic random fields (RF) to represent spatial variability in tensile strength and fracture toughness. Parametric studies demonstrate the influence of key modelling parameters, including the phase field length scale, solution scheme, and correlation length of the RF. The numerical results are validated against experimental data from RC tie tests in the literature, and demonstrate good agreement in the global load–displacement response and localised crack patterns. The study shows that the proposed approach is a robust predictive tool able to capture the uncertainty arising from local material heterogeneity, and can simulate diverse crack initiation and propagation scenarios in RC |
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