Cyclic nonlocal anisotropic damage modelling of concrete mesostructures with real-shaped aggregates

authored by: A. A. Basmaji, A. Fau, R. Desmorat, U. Nackenhorst
Abstract: Modelling and computing concrete mesostructures subjected to loads alternating between tension and compression are challenging. This paper presents a full computational model, from the random packing of real-shaped aggregates at the meso-scale to the FE computations with nonlocal anisotropic damage for alternate (cyclic) loading. Concrete is represented as a two-phase random heterogeneous material consisting of mortar and aggregates. Aggregates diversity and realism are reproduced by importing shapes from a laser-scanning database. Each elastic aggregate is described by several hundreds of facet vertices, packed using Oriented Bounding Boxes. The anisotropic nature of damage induced by loading in concrete is reproduced by assigning a nonlocal integral damage model to the mortar. A new cyclic dissymmetry (material) parameter enables the reduction in compressive strength after tensile loading to be modelled with modularity. Three-dimensional computations of the concrete mesostructures can then be performed for real-shaped aggregates without compromise, i.e., accounting for anisotropic damage of the mortar phase and key feature of the present work, dealing with alternate (cyclic) loading. The damage constitutive equations and their numerical implementation offer robustness up to high levels of damage and induced anisotropy in three-dimensional specimens. Concrete heterogeneities enhance damage evolution and induced anisotropic behaviour within the mortar matrix.
Organisation(s): Institute of Mechanics and Computational Mechanics
International RTG 2657: Computational Mechanics Techniques in High Dimensions
External Organisation(s): École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay (ENS Paris-Saclay)
IBNM - Institute of Mechanics and Computational Mechanics
Type: Article
Journal: Computers and Structures
Volume: 309
ISSN: 0045-7949
Publication date: 30.01.2025
Publication status: E-pub ahead of print
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Civil and Structural Engineering, Modelling and Simulation, General Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science Applications
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruc.2025.107650 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{67142e72d90341dea71ea2ab8747e2b1,
title = "Cyclic nonlocal anisotropic damage modelling of concrete mesostructures with real-shaped aggregates",
abstract = "Modelling and computing concrete mesostructures subjected to loads alternating between tension and compression are challenging. This paper presents a full computational model, from the random packing of real-shaped aggregates at the meso-scale to the FE computations with nonlocal anisotropic damage for alternate (cyclic) loading. Concrete is represented as a two-phase random heterogeneous material consisting of mortar and aggregates. Aggregates diversity and realism are reproduced by importing shapes from a laser-scanning database. Each elastic aggregate is described by several hundreds of facet vertices, packed using Oriented Bounding Boxes. The anisotropic nature of damage induced by loading in concrete is reproduced by assigning a nonlocal integral damage model to the mortar. A new cyclic dissymmetry (material) parameter enables the reduction in compressive strength after tensile loading to be modelled with modularity. Three-dimensional computations of the concrete mesostructures can then be performed for real-shaped aggregates without compromise, i.e., accounting for anisotropic damage of the mortar phase and key feature of the present work, dealing with alternate (cyclic) loading. The damage constitutive equations and their numerical implementation offer robustness up to high levels of damage and induced anisotropy in three-dimensional specimens. Concrete heterogeneities enhance damage evolution and induced anisotropic behaviour within the mortar matrix.",
keywords = "Cyclic loading, Fuller curve, Laser-scanned aggregates, Meso-scale modelling, Nonlocal damage theory, Stochastic heterogeneous materials",
author = "Basmaji, {A. A.} and A. Fau and R. Desmorat and U. Nackenhorst",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Author(s)",
year = "2025",
month = jan,
day = "30",
doi = "10.1016/j.compstruc.2025.107650",
language = "English",
volume = "309",
journal = "Computers and Structures",
issn = "0045-7949",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd.",
}