Continuum approach to the numerical simulation of material failure in concrete

Abstract

Abstract Some new aspects of the continuum strong discontinuity approach (CSDA) to model material failure in geomaterials are addressed. A new global algorithm, for tracking multiple crack lines/surfaces in 2D/3D cases is proposed. It is based on solving a simple heat conduction‐like problem accompanying the standard mechanical algorithm. A viscous perturbation method on the crack surface is also proposed to remedy the instabilities caused by mutual interactions of multiple developing cracks. A simple procedure to compute the critical time step that ensures algorithmic uniqueness is then provided. Numerical simulations of two‐ and three‐dimensional problems displaying a multi‐crack pattern are finally presented. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.