A damage mechanics constitutive theory for the inelastic behaviour of concrete (Q1072767)

A rate-independent constitutive theory for the behaviour of concrete in the inelastic range is proposed. It is based on damage mechanics concepts previously applied to rock materials by the author [ibid. 42, 1-18 (1984; Zbl 0513.73115)]. The inelasticity is provided by two basic damage mechanisms, namely, shear damage and hydrostatic tension damage. A scalar damage parameter is used to represent the degradation of the elastic properties. In addition to the damage mechanisms, a plasticity yield surface is included to bound the model in the hydrostatic compression sense. A simple calibration procedure is presented and the model is shown to predict reasonable behaviour for a variety of monotonic and reversed loading paths. The model is readily implemented in finite element codes and a number of representative boundary value problems is solved. Suggestions for future developments conclude the paper.