Coupled Creep-Damage-Plasticity Model for Concrete under Long-Term Loading

Abstract

A damage-plasticity model is extended to account for the effects of simultaneously occurring stiffness degradation, residual deformation, and creep. Assuming the additivity of small strains, the model combines damage mechanics, plasticity theory, and an improved version of the ACI model to characterize creep at low stress levels. The coupling between damage and creep produced by medium and high stress levels is accounted for by introducing a damage-dependent influence function. An explicit numerical algorithm is developed to implement the proposed model in the simulations of structural response. The proposed model is systematically validated by comparing its results with experimental data, suggesting that it offers promise for capturing the long-term mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete structures.