Report Result

TRP-03-330-16

Brad Winkelbauer, Ronald Faller, Bob Bielenberg, Scott Rosenbaugh, John Reid, Jennifer Rasmussen (Schmidt)

PUBLICATION DATE

2016-04-29

ABSTRACT

Numerous roadside safety systems are configured with reinforced concrete materials, such as bridge railings, median barriers, and roadside parapets. The analysis and design of these structures may involve impact simulation with finite element software, like LS-DYNA, which includes multiple concrete material models. This Phase I study investigated the viability and performance of existing concrete material models to simulate unreinforced components subjected to common loading conditions, such as compression, tension, shear, and bending. For this study, five material models were evaluated – CSCM, K&C, RHT, Winfrith, and CDPM. Initially, single-element simulations were conducted in order to gain a basic understanding of material model performance. Next, small components with multiple elements were simulated to evaluate different loading conditions. Physical test data was obtained from several external experimental testing programs with unreinforced concrete in three basic load cases - compression, tension, and shear. The CSCM and K&C concrete material models provided adequate simulation results when compared to the experimental test results. Experimental tests with unreinforced concrete were conducted to obtain more results to compare with simulations. Concrete cylinder compression tests, dog-bone specimen tension tests, and four-point bend tests which created either flexure or shear failures were conducted. The CSCM and K&C material models showed promise in predicting peak forces and damage patterns in simulations of the experimental tests. Further investigation is recommended for the five selected concrete material models when used in combination with steel reinforcement.

KEYWORDS

Concrete Fracture, Failure Criterion, Dynamic Loading Conditions, Strain-Energy Density, Stress Concentration, LS-DYNA

REPORT

TRP-03-330-16.pdf