Mesoscale modelling of concrete damage under dynamic loading

Previous investigations show that concrete is a rate-dependent material, whose resistance, failure mode, crack pattern and crack velocity are significantly influenced by the loading rates. In order to better understand the damage process in concrete under dynamic loadings, a basic concrete specimen under dynamic compression and tension respectively is simulated in this research. The rate dependency and the damage propagating processes in concrete under various strain rates, and the influence of aggregate size on strength are explored. The simulation results demonstrate that more cracks tend to appear in the concrete specimen with the increasing loading rates, and enhanced compressive/tensile resistances of the material are also observed under higher loading rates. The mesoscale findings in this research can be helpful for revealing the mechanisms behind the rate dependency of concrete, and benefit structural safety analyses of concrete structures.