Optimal failure criteria to improve Lubliner's model for concrete under triaxial compression

The validation based on the experimental data demonstrates that the concrete strength under triaxial compression (TC) is overestimated by Lubliner-Oller strength criterion (SC) but underestimated by Lubliner-Lee SC in ABAQUS. Moreover, the discontinuous derivatives of failure criterion exists near the unexpected breakpoints. Both resulted from the piecewise linear meridians of the original Lubliner SC with constants y. Following the screen for the available failure criteria to determine the model parameter y of Lubliner SC, Menétrey-Willam SC (MWSC) is considered the most promising option with a reasonable aspect ratio Kc but no other strength values required and only two new model parameters introduced. The failure surface of the new Lubliner SC based on MWSC (Lubliner-MWSC) is smooth and has no breakpoints along the hydrostatic pressure (HP) axis. Finally, predicted results of Lubliner-MWSC are compared with other concrete failure criteria and experimental data. It turns out that the Lubliner-MWSC can represent the concrete failure behavior, and MWSC is the optimal choice to improve the applicability of the concrete damaged plasticity model (CDPM) under TC in ABAQUS.