Analysis of concrete fracture using a novel cohesive crack method

Numerical analysis of fracture in concrete is studied with a simplified discrete crack method. The discrete crack method is a meshless method in which the crack is modeled by discrete cohesive crack segments passing through the nodes. The cohesive crack segments govern the non-linear response of concrete in tension softening and introduce anisotropy in the material model. The advantage of the presented discrete crack method over other discrete crack method is its simplicity and applicability to many cracks. In contrast to most other discrete crack methods, no representation of the crack surface is needed. On the other hand, the accuracy of discrete crack methods is maintained. This is demonstrated through several examples.