Finite Element Analysis of a Reinforced Concrete Dapped-End Beam under the Effects of Impact Velocity and Dapped-End Beam Cross-Section Geometry

Abstract

This study focuses on the behavior of a three-dimensional reinforced concrete dapped-end beam subjected to the effects of impact velocity and dapped-end beam cross-section geometry by numerical simulation using ABAQUS (V6.14) software under a constant impact load. The finite element software ABAQUS is utilized to simulate and analyze the drop impact to obtain accurate and detailed results. A sudden drop impact is a short-duration dynamic load that could involve very large deformations and damage to the reinforced concrete dapped-end beam. The finite element analysis has been completed by creating the geometry, material properties, boundary conditions, and loading conditions. In this study, a total of seven analyzes were conducted with different parameters, i.e., the effect of the velocity of the impact load and the geometry of the dapped-end beam cross-section. From the finite element analysis results, it can be concluded that as the impact velocity increases, the impact force and mid-span displacement of the reinforced concrete dapped-end beam also increases. The higher the impact velocity, the greater the amount of damage caused throughout the RC beam. When the recess length increases from 200 mm to 500 mm, the deflection increases by 13%. The depth of the nib has a great influence on the impact response and deflection of the reinforced concrete dapped end beam. The ABAQUS output shows that increasing the dapped end beam nib depth from 260 mm to 450 mm reduces the impact load by 50%, from 22733.6 N to 13640.16 N. On the other hand, the nib depth increased from 260 mm to 450 mm, and the maximum deflection was reduced from 1.10245 mm to 0.6892 mm, i.e., a 46.1% reduction.