A 2D total strain based constitutive model for predicting the behaviors of concrete structures

We proposed a constitutive model for the two-dimensional analysis of concrete structures. The proposed model treats concrete as an orthotropic nonlinear material. The equivalent principal strain based approach allows the model to represent the mechanical behavior of concrete by using two equivalent uniaxial stress-strain relations. The biaxial behavior of concrete is described using the concept of current strength in a principal stress space. The fracture energy method is incorporated to solve the problem of mesh non-objectivity, and the concept of current fracture energy gives an improved description of the post-peak behavior of concrete. Secant-stiffness-based finite-element formulations are implemented in a smeared rotating crack fashion. Correlative studies using available experimental test results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the model at a structural level. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.