A combined experimental-computational study of a double edge-notched stone specimen subjected to tensile loading is presented. In the experimental part, the load-deformation response and the displacement field around the crack tip are recorded. An Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometer (ESPI) is used to obtain the local displacement field. The experimental results are used to validate a numerical model for the description of fracture using finite elements. The numerical model uses displacement discontinuities to model cracks. At the discontinuity, a plasticity-based cohesive zone model is applied for monotonic loading and a combined damage-plasticity cohesive zone model is used for cyclic loading. Both local and global results from the numerical simulations are compared with experimental data. It is shown that local measurements add important information for the validation of the numerical model. Consequently, the numerical models are enhanced in order to correctly capture the experimentally observed behaviour.

The stress transmission mechanism in pretensioned concrete beams, though very interesting from an economical point of view, is very complex, integrating various phenomenons such as sliding, bond, bursting. For long the complexity of this mechanism has led engineers to provide a massive rectangular anchorage zone at each end of the beam. The necessity of using such a concrete reinforcement is certainly unquestionable in post-tensioned beams. However in pretensioned elements the stresses induced in concrete in the anchorage zone are smaller than in post-tensioned elements. In this article the stress field in the end zone is calculated numerically and from this analysis the possible reduction of the cross-section of the anchorage block is examined.

Two enhancements to a recently developed plastic-damage-contact model for concrete are presented. The model itself, which uses planes of degradation that can undergo damage and separation but that can regain contact according to a contact law, is described. The first enhancement is a new damage evolution function which provides a completely smooth transition from the undamaged to the damaged state and from pre-peak to post-peak regions. The second is an improved contact function that governs the potential degree of contact with increasing opening on a crack plane. The use of a damage evolution function with a pre-peak has implications for the consistent tangent matrix/stress recovery algorithm developed for the model implementation, and amendments to this algorithm to accommodate the new function are described. A series of unpublished experimental tests on notched specimens undertaken in Cardiff in the mid 1990s are then described. These include notched beam tests as well as prismatic and cylindrical torsion tests. The tests are then considered in three dimensional finite element analyses using the modified Craft model implemented in the finite element program LUSAS. Comparisons between experimental and numerical data show reasonable agreement except that the numerical simulations do not fully describe the latter stages of the softening responses for the torsion examples. Finally, it is concluded that the torsion tests described provide useful benchmark examples for the validation of three-dimensional numerical models for concrete.

A FE-(FE-HE)-BE procedure is presented for dynamic analysis of concrete arch dams. In this technique, dam body is discretized by solid finite elements, while the reservoir domain is considered by a combination of fluid finite elements and a three-dimensional fluid hyper-element. Furthermore, foundation rock domain is handled by three-dimensional boundary element formulation. Based on this method, a previously developed program is modified, and the response of Morrow Point arch dam is studied for various conditions. Moreover, the effects of canyon shape on response of dam, is also discussed.

The Component-Based Software Development (CBSD) has established itself as a sound paradigm in the software engineering discipline and has gained wide spread acceptance in the industry. The CBSD relies on the availability of standard software components for encapsulation of specific functionality. This paper presents the framework for the development of a software component for the design of general member cross-sections. The proposed component can be used in component-based structural engineering software or as a stand-alone program developed around the component. This paper describes the use-case scenarios for the component, its design patterns, object models, class hierarchy, the integrated and unified handling of cross-section behavior and implementation issue. It is expected that a component developed using the proposed patterns and model can be used in analysis, design and detailing packages to handle reinforced concrete, partially prestressed concrete, steel-concrete composite and steel sections. The component can provide the entire response parameters of the cross section including determination of geometric properties, elastic stresses, flexural capacity, moment-curvature, and ductility ratios. The component can also be used as the main computational engine for stand-alone section design software. The component can be further extended to handle the retrofitting and strengthening of cross-sections, shear and torsional response, determination of fire-damage parameters, etc.

Slabs in buildings and bridge decks, which are restrained against lateral displacements at the edges, have ultimate strengths far in excess of those predicted by analytical methods based on yield line theory. The increase in strength has been attributed to membrane action, which is due to the in-plane forces developed at the supports. The benefits of compressive membrane action are usually not taken into account in currently available design methods developed based on plastic flow theories assuming concrete to be a rigid-plastic material. By extending the existing knowledge of compressive membrane action, it is possible to design slabs in building and bridge structures economically with less than normal reinforcement. Recent research on building and bridge structures reflects the importance of membrane action in design. This paper describes the finite element modelling of membrane action in reinforced concrete slabs through optimisation of a simple concrete model. Through a series of parametric studies using the simple concrete model in the finite element simulation of eight fully clamped concrete slabs with significant membrane action, a set of fixed numerical model parameter values is identified and computational conditions established, which would guarantee reliable strength prediction of arbitrary slabs. The reliability of the identified values to simulate membrane action (for prediction purposes) is further verified by the direct simulation of 42 other slabs, which gave an average value of 0.9698 for the ratio of experimental to predicted strengths and a standard deviation of 0.117. A 'deflection factor' is also established for the slabs, relating the predicted peak deflection to experimental values, which, (for the same level of fixity at the supports), can be used for accurate displacement determination. The proposed optimised concrete model and finite element procedure can be used as a tool to simulate membrane action in slabs in building and bridge structures having variable support and loading conditions including fire. Other practical applications of the developed finite element procedure and design process are also discussed.

This paper presents a study of four finite element techniques that can be used to model slabon-beam highway bridges. The feasibility and correctness of each modeling technique are examined by applying them to a prestressed concrete I-beam bridge and a prestressed concrete box-beam bridge. Other issues related to bridge modeling such as torsional constant, support conditions, and quality control check are studied in detail and discussed in the paper. It is found that, under truck loading, the bending stress distribution in a beam section depends on the modeling technique being utilized. It is observed that the behavior of the bridge superstructure can be better represented when accounting for composite behavior between the supporting beams and slab.