Energy equivalent lumped damage model for reinforced concrete structures

Lumped damage mechanics (LDM) is a recent nonlinear theory with several applications to civil engineering structures, such as reinforced concrete and steel buildings. LDM apply key concepts of classic fracture and damage mechanics on plastic hinges. Therefore, the lumped damage models are quite successful in reproduce actual structural behaviour using concepts well-known by engineers in practice, such as ultimate moment and first cracking moment of reinforced concrete elements. So far, lumped damage models are based in the strain energy equivalence hypothesis, which is one of the fictitious states where the intact material behaviour depends on a damage variable. However, there are other possibilities, such as the energy equivalence hypothesis. Such possibilities should be explored, in order to pursue unique advantages as well as extend the LDM framework. Therewith, a lumped damage model based on the energy equivalence hypothesis is proposed in this paper. The proposed model was idealised for reinforced concrete structures, where a damage variable accounts for concrete cracking and the plastic rotation represents reinforcement yielding. The obtained results show that the proposed model is quite accurate compared to experimental responses.