A new model for the analysis of reinforced concrete members with a coupled HdBNM/FEM

As a truly boundary-type meshless method, the hybrid boundary node method (HdBNM) does not require ‘boundary element mesh’, either for the purpose of interpolation of the solution variables or for the integration of ‘energy’. In this paper, the HdBNM is coupled with the finite element method (FEM) for predicting the mechanical behaviors of reinforced concrete. The steel bars are considered as body forces in the concrete. A bond model is presented to simulate the bond-slip between the concrete and steels using fictitious spring elements. The computational scale and cost for meshing can be further reduced. Numerical examples, in 2D and 3D cases, demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.