Elasto-plastic impact response analysis of shear-failure-type RC beams with shear rebars

In this paper, to establish a simple elasto-plastic impact analysis method for shear-failure-type reinforced concrete (RC) beams, failing-weight impact tests and three-dimensional finite element (FE) analyses were conducted. Here, twelve simply supported rectangular RC beams were used, each with dimensions of (width x depth x length) 200 x 400 x 2,400 mm. Shear rebar ratio and impact velocity were taken as variables. Impact load was applied at the mid-span of RC beam by dropping a 400 kg steel weight from pre-determined position. LS-DYNA nonlinear transient finite element analysis code was used for this research. From this study, it is seen that the time histories of impact force, reaction force and mid-span displacement, and crack patterns on the side-surface of RC beam can be predicted accurately by using the proposed FE analysis method. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.