Cohesive modeling of dynamic fracture in reinforced concrete

In this work we simulate explicitly the dynamic fracture propagation in reinforced concrete beams. In particular, adopting cohesive theories of fracture with the direct simulation of fracture and fragmentation, we represent the concrete matrix, the steel re-bars and the interface between the two materials explicitly. Therefore the crack nucleation within the concrete matrix, through and along the re-bars, the deterioration of the concrete-steel interface are modeled explicitly. The numerical simulations are validated against experiments of three-point-bend beams loaded dynamically under various strain rates. By extracting the crack-tip positions and the crack mouth opening displacement history, a two-stage crack propagation, marked by the attainment of the peak load, is observed. The first stage corresponds to the stable crack advance, the second one, the unstable collapse of the beam.