Peridynamic Model for the Numerical Simulation of Anchor Bolt Pullout in Concrete

Abstract

Predictive simulation of anchor pullout from concrete structures is not only a serious problem in structural mechanics but also very important in structural design safety. In the finite element method (FEM), the crack paths or the points of crack initiation usually need to be assumed in advance. Otherwise, some special crack growth treatment or adaptive remeshing algorithm is normally used. In this paper, an extended peridynamic method was introduced to avoid the difficulties found in FEM, and its application on anchor bolt pullout in plain concrete is studied. In the analysis, the interaction between the anchor bolt and concrete is represented by a modified short-range force and an extended bond-level model for concrete is developed. Numerical analysis results indicate that the peak pullout load obtained and the crack branching of the anchoring system agreed well with the experimental investigations.