Automated finite element modeling and analysis of cracked reinforced concrete beams from three dimensional point cloud

Modeling and assessing the load-carrying capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) structures that are cracked is important because the condition of an RC structure changes due to natural aging and accumulated damage. The current approach to determining the residual capacity of a cracked RC structure is time-consuming and error-prone due to a limited capacity to obtain and process structural information. In this study, an automated approach was proposed to determining residual capacity by performing finite element (FE) analysis of an RC structure using point cloud three dimensional modeling. Two simply supported RC beams were subjected to bending tests to provide validation data. The initial activity was to extract dimensional data from laser-scanned point cloud data of a beam. The information obtained was used to automatically generate nonlinear FE models of the beam that was used for nonlinear FE analyses in Abaqus. An initial crack was added to the beam to model a cracked beam in real conditions. Three different models were used to simulate initial cracks, a weakened element model, a cohesive zone model, and an extended FE model. The results indicate that the proposed method of automating the combination of point cloud data with nonlinear FE analysis provides a novel practical approach to modeling and assessing cracked RC beams.

Automated summary

The study proposed an automated approach to determine the residual capacity of cracked RC structures using point cloud three dimensional modeling and finite element analysis. Validation tests and simulation analyses showed promising results in modeling and assessing cracked RC beams.