Numerical simulation of fracture process of concrete under uniaxial compression via PFC2D

Abstract

Simulation of cracks and cracking process is one of the difficult problems in the numerical simulation of concrete. In this paper, the discrete element method (DEM) was applied to the numerical simulation of concrete specimen under uniaxial compression and the whole process of crack generation and development were visualized. In order to simulate the three different components of aggregates, mortar and interfaces, the random aggregate model was used in the simulation. The strain-stress curves of concrete under uniaxial compression obtained from the simulation were in good agreement with experiments. These results show that the DEM can be well used to simulate the fracture process of concrete. Therefore, the study lay a foundation for the further study on the cracking mechanism of concrete members.