Concrete is a material whose performance is governed by the subtle interaction of its cohesive and frictional constituents. Since the theories of plasticity, damage mechanics, and fracture mechanics cannot, by themselves, capture both of these phenomena, a novel constitutive model…
Concrete is a material whose performance is governed by the subtle interaction of its cohesive and frictional constituents. Since the theories of plasticity, damage mechanics, and fracture mechanics cannot, by themselves, capture both of these phenomena, a novel constitutive model is proposed which combines the theories of plasticity and damage mechanics in a multi-surface formulation. Synthesis of these two constitutive concepts describes not only the hardening/softening behavior of concrete under compressive loading, but also the decrease of material strength and stiffness under tension. The characteristics and behavior of the concrete model are presented through performance studies of specimens under monotonic and cyclic loading in tension, compression, and shear.