A multiphase model for reinforced concrete structures considering the concrete cracking

Assessing the global behavior of reinforced materials from the individual properties of their components has been the subject of a considerable amount of experimental and theoretical works in the last years. The so-called multiphase model is an alternative generalization of the homogenization method and it relies upon the idea that, at the macroscopic scale, the reinforced concrete is a geometrical superposition of the matrix phase (concrete) and the reinforcing phase (steel bars). This technique was already successfully employed in several geotechnical structures. Considering the particular case of concrete structures, Figueiredo et al [1] analyzed the mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete flat slabs under prescribed loading using the multiphase model in elastoplasticity. The present contribution extents a previously numerical code to account for concrete cracking based on a smeared crack approach. Comparison with direct simulation results emphasizes the advantage of such multiphase model in terms of reduced computational cost.