Numerical study on damage mechanism of RC beams under close-in blast loading

•Damage mechanism of RC beam under blast loads is investigated.•Spallation mechanism lies in twice tension of the tensile stress wave.•Main crack mechanism lies in the evolution of two-kind cracks.•Exfoliation mechanism lies in a Poisson’s effect.

RC structures have been widely used in civil engineering, and are vulnerable under blast loading. Improved understanding of damage mechanism of RC components helps advances the damage evaluation of RC structures under blast loading. In this paper, damage mechanisms of RC beam under close-in blast loading are investigated numerically. The FE model is validated through the experimental data reported by other researchers. A comprehensive investigation is carried out to investigate the damage mechanisms of RC beam, including the propagation of the main cracks, spallation at the bottom and the exfoliation of the side-cover concrete.

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