Peridynamic modeling of concrete structures

The peridynamic model described in Silling (Silling, S.A., 1998. Reformation of Elasticity Theory for Discontinuous and Long-Range Forces, SAND98-2176. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM), being a central-force model, is limited to modeling materials with a Poisson's ratio of 1/4. In this paper, the peridynamic model is generalized by adding pairwise peridynamic moments to simulate linear elastic materials with varying Poisson's ratios. The new model is called the “micropolar peridynamic model”. The micropolar peridynamic model is placed within a finite element context to enable efficacious application of boundary conditions and efficient computational solutions using an implicit, rather than an explicit solution algorithm. The implicit solution algorithm is suitable for quasistatic simulation of damage and cracking in concrete structures. With this new model, very simple tensile damage mechanisms at the micro structural (peridynamic) level are sufficient to explain a great deal of the microcracking (damage) and fracture mechanics observed in concrete structures. The new implementation appears to be computationally efficient.