A model of fracture in reinforced concrete arches based on lumped damage mechanics

• A new model for the modeling of fracture in RC arches based on lumped damage mechanics is proposed.
• As far as the authors know, this would be the first element of this class.
• The model describes correctly the behavior of the structure including the softening phase.
• It can be used for including arches as parts of more complex structures due to its efficacy.
• It can also be used for reliability studies where hundreds of analysis of a structure are needed.

A simplified model of cracking and damage in RC circular elements is proposed. The model can be used for the structural assessment of arches and rings. The constitutive equations are based on lumped damage mechanics which is an adaptation of fracture and continuum damage mechanics to the theory of frames with plastic hinges. An arch element is assumed to be the assemblage of an elastic circular component and two inelastic hinges where the main inelastic effects, plastic yielding of the longitudinal reinforcement and concrete cracking, are concentrated. Deformations in the elastic part are assumed to be small but the model may include some geometrically nonlinear effects due to large displacements or rotations of the hinges. The numerical examples presented in the paper show that the model describes correctly the global behavior of two structures including the softening phase.