FE analysis of reinforced concrete beams strengthened by composite plates

Abstract

In this work, a computational model for the simulation of the behavior of structures of composite materials is presented. The formulation includes elastic anisotropic relations, viscoelastic anisotropic constitutive equations in terms of state variables, failure and plastic criteria, all in a setting of large displacements with small strains. The equations are set in a form adequate for numerical analysis through the finite element method, using degenerate three-dimensional shell elements and an incremental-iterative procedure accounting for post-critical effects. Some examples of application are shown. The main examples analyze reinforced concrete beams strengthened for flexure by composite plates and present a comparison with experimental results.