Integrated Numerical Response Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Beams under Sudden Support Failure
- Akwa Anyoghe Enya1 and Etim, Ephraim Cletus2
- DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19654030
- ISA Journal of Engineering and Technology (ISAJET)
This research presents an integrated numerical model for investigation of the structural response of reinforced concrete (RC) bending under sudden support failure. This analysis was carried out in MATLAB through a finite element analysis based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. A 6m beam was modeled with 7 nodes and a progressive loading was applied until 50kN was applied over 50 increments, which allowed to examine the deflection, stress development, crack growth, and dissipation of energy in details. The findings indicated that the beam has a linear elastic behavior to about 30 kN, and beyond this point, nonlinear behavior was experienced because of cracking of the concrete. Crack initiation was at the mid-span which represented the highest bending moment and gradually extended to adjacent elements as the loading continued. Peak loading caused the maximum mid-span deflection to reach about 5800 mm and the maximum stress in steel reinforcements reached about 5000 MPa, which was less than the yield stress of 6000 MPa. Energy analysis showed that the elastic strain energy gradually increased in the initial loading stages and then increased gradually in plastic (cracking) energy above the cracking threshold, to a high of about 50 kN•m at ultimate load. Modal analysis further revealed the natural frequencies of 0.98 Hz, 6.16 Hz and 17.28 Hz, which are the dynamic characteristics of the beam. The integrated modeling technique was able to reflect the interdependent relationship between structural deformation, crack development, and energy loss, providing a comprehensive tool to evaluate the behavior of progressive collapses. The results offers useful insight in the design of structures, safety assessment, and reduction of failure in reinforced concrete construction in the event of accidental loss of support.
