Triaxial failure criterion for concrete and its generalization

Abstract

A failure criterion is presented that describes the triaxial strength of concrete in terms of three independent stress invariants. Its geometric representation in principal stress space is convex and smooth and is characterized by two parabolic meridians and a deviatoric section that changes from triangular to circular shape with increasing confinement. The three-parameter description is calibrated from elementary strength data of uniaxial compression and uniaxial tension, as well as equibiaxial compression experiments. The failure criterion is verified with different biaxial and triaxial strength data on plain concrete. Finally, the failure criterion is generalized to a format that includes the standard strength hypotheses of Huber-Mises, Drucker-Prager, Rankine, Mohr-Coulomb, and Leon as special cases.