Experimental study and analytical formulation of mechanical behavior of concrete

An experimental investigation was carried out to generate the mechanical behavior of normal concrete cores with a strength range of 10-50 MPa, including the compressive strength, elastic modulus, strain at peak stress and stress-strain relationships. From several formulations for concrete in this study, it was observed that a conservative estimation of the elastic modulus and strain at peak stress can be obtained from the value of compressive strength. The accuracy of predictions of a number of analytical models available in the literature is discussed. This paper shows the development of a statistical damage mechanics model for concrete at uniaxial loading in compression to ultimate failure. This model is formulated by using Weibull's statistical theory of the strength of materials. The body of heterogeneous concrete material is simulated as a continuum comprising a large population of microscopic “weakest-link” elements. This model provides a good prediction of experimental results in this study. When compared other existing models, it gave better prediction.