This work deals with the determination of crack openings in 2D reinforced concrete structures using the Finite Element Method with a smeared rotating crack model or an embedded crack model. In the smeared crack model, the strong discontinuity associated with the crack is spread throughout the finite element. As is well known, the continuity of the displacement field assumed for these models is incompatible with the actual discontinuity. However, this type of model has been used extensively due to the relative computational simplicity it provides by treating cracks in a continuum framework, as well as the reportedly good predictions of reinforced concrete members' structural behavior. On the other hand, by enriching the displacement field within each finite element crossed by the crack path, the embedded crack model is able to describe the effects of actual discontinuities (cracks). This paper presents a comparative study of the abilities of these 2D models in predicting the mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete structures. Structural responses are compared with experimental results from the literature, including crack patterns, crack openings and rebar stresses predicted by both models.

For better estimation of elastic property of concrete composites, the effect of Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) has been found to be significant. Numerical concrete composites models have been introduced using Finite Element Method (FEM), where ITZ is modeled as a thin shell surrounding aggregate. Therefore, difficulties arise from the mesh generation. In this study, a numerical concrete composites model in 3D based on FEM and random unit cell method is proposed to calculate elastic modulus of concrete composites with ITZ. The validity of the model has been verified by comparing the calculated elastic modulus with those obtained from other analytical and numerical models.

A color based segmentation procedure and a modified signature technique have been applied to the detection and analyses of complicated void shapes in cemented materials. The gray-scale segmentation and available signature methods were found to be inefficient especially for the analyses of complicated void shapes. The applicability of the developed methodology has been demonstrated on artificially prepared cemented materials made of self compacted concrete material. In order to characterize the void shapes in the investigated sample images, two new shape parameters called as coefficients of inclusion and exclusion have been proposed. When compared with the traditional use of the signature method, it was found that the methodology followed herein would better characterize complicated void shapes. The methodology followed in this study may be applied to the analysis of complicated void shapes that are often encountered in other cementitious materials such as clays and rocks.

If an infill wall in a reinforced concrete frame is shorter than the column height and there is no initial gap between the column and the infill wall, the short column effect can occur during an earthquake shaking. This form of damage is frequently observed in many earthquake-damaged buildings all around the world and especially in Turkey. In this study, an effective method, which consists of placing additional infill wall segments surrounding the short column, to prevent this type of failure is examined. The influence of adding infill wall in the reduction of the shear force in the short column is also investigated. A parametric study is carried out for one-storey infilled frames with one to five bays using the percentage of the additional infill wall surrounding the short column and the number of spans as the parameters. Then the investigation is extended to a case of a multistorey building damaged due to short column effect during the 1998 Adana-Ceyhan earthquake in Turkey. The results show that the addition of the infill walls around the potential short columns is an effective way to significantly reduce the shear force.

Recent developments in concrete mixing made possible the production of concretes with high compressive strength showing, simultaneously, high workability. These concretes also present high strengths at young ages, allowing the application of loads sooner. It is of fundamental importance to verify if creep models developed for current concrete still apply to these new concretes. First, a FEM-based software was adopted to test available creep models, most used for normal strength concrete, considering examples with known analytical results. Several limitations were registered, resulting in an incorrect simulation of three-dimensional creep. Afterwards, it was implemented a Kelvin-chain algorithm allowing the use of a chosen number of elements, which adequately simulated the adopted examples. From the comparison between numerical and experimental results, it was concluded that the adopted algorithm can be used to model creep of high strength concrete, if the material properties are previously experimentally assessed.