multiscale modeling of plain and steel fiber reinforced concrete

• Grant number: 24/21038-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Structural Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Luís Antônio Guimarães Bitencourt Júnior
• Grantee: Luciana Pereira Maciel
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/03179-0 - Multiscale modeling of plain and steel fiber reinforced concrete and its application to predicting the behavior of structural members, AP.PNGP.PI

Abstract

The 2D mesoscale model for concrete based on the mesh fragmentation technique has been improved in recent years through the proposition of a mesh adaptive methodology to reduce the high computational costs typical of heterogeneous models and, additionally, its formulation has been extended to 3D analysis considering the composite as a material with three phases: cement matrix, coarse aggregates and interfacial transition zone (ITZ). In this project, coarse aggregates will be generated from X-ray microtomography images. A methodology will be developed to create the geometry of the material structure from the images obtained. In addition, a mesh generator will be adapted to consider the presence of steel fibers in the numerical model in order to better understand the influence of reinforcement on the propagation of cracks in the cementitious matrix. These models will also be applied to predict the behavior of plain and reinforced concrete structural elements. It is expected at the end of this research, to obtain a numerical tool capable of predicting the mechanical behavior of concrete considering the influence of its ingredients and translate this information to predict the behavior of structural elements.