Modelling reinforced concrete beams under mixed shear-tension failure with different continuous FE approaches

The paper presents quasi-static numerical simulations of the behaviour of short reinforced concrete beams without shear reinforcement under mixed shear-tension failure using the FEM and four various constitutive continuum models for concrete. First, an isotropic elasto-plastic model with a Drucker-Prager criterion defined in compression and with a Rankine criterion defined in tension was used. Next, an anisotropic smeared crack and isotropic damage model were applied. Finally, an elasto-plastic-damage model was used. To ensure mesh-independent FE results, to describe strain localization in concrete and to capture a deterministic size effect, all models were enhanced in a softening regime by a characteristic length of micro-structure by means of a non-local theory. Bond-slip between concrete and reinforcement was considered. The numerical results were directly compared with the corresponding laboratory tests performed by Walraven and Lehwalter (1994). The advantages and disadvantages of enhanced models to model the reinforced concrete behaviour were outlined.