Replication of Crack Pattern in FE Analysis Based on Discretization of Tension Softening Curves

Journal article, 2017

Today, there is an increasing need for reliable methods for condition assessment and service-life evaluation of existing structures. Although advanced 3D Nonlinear Finite Element (3D NLFE) analysis has proven to be capable of describing the behavior of reinforced concrete in a comprehensive way, the analysis results are difficult to couple with visual inspection data such as cracking and spalling. Moreover, 3D NLFE programs are numerically expensive and incomprehensible for full-scale practical applications. Thus, the present study aims to couple 3D NLFE analysis with condition assessment data, and consequently to increase the accuracy, to optimize the computation time and to improve robustness of such analyses.