An element enriched formulation for simulation of splitting failure

Radial cracking propagation is often related to the bond transfer mechanism induced by slippage of a deformed bar. However, this failure pattern can also develop in other situations, namely: (i) concrete pipes submitted to an excessive inner pressure or (ii) concrete structures exposed to adverse environmental conditions under which corrosion or frost develops.In this paper a new contribution for the simulation of radial splitting failure is given. A discrete strong discontinuity formulation is presented which is fully capable of embedding radial discontinuities into axisymmetric finite elements. Numerical examples are used to show: (i) the capability of fully softening the applied inner pressure and (ii) mesh independence. Comparison with two published analytical approaches is performed for varying brittleness numbers. Finally, the model is applied to the simulation of both plain and reinforced concrete cylinders subjected to increasing inner pressure. A good agreement with experimental data is obtained.