Limiting Load in Concrete Plates with Cracks: a Cell Method (CM)-Based Calculation

In this study, the problem of finding the limiting load in infinite plates with internal cracks is extended to the non-linear field. In particular, results concerning concrete plates in bi-axial loading are shown. The analysis is performed in discrete form, by means of the Cell Method. The discrete analysis allows us to identify the crack initiation without using the stress intensity factors. This simplifies the computation in cracked solids of finite dimensions. An example of computation in finite solids, the skew-symmetric four-point bending beam, is provided. INTRODUCTION For finding the minimum load required to propagate a crack (limiting load), the variational principle of the most common crack theories has been used over the past three decades (Parton and Morozov 1978). Criteria for the initiation of crack propagation can be obtained on the basis 1) Ph.D. 2) Full Professor 3) Associate Professor