Papers abstract:

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has been developed as an innovative cementitious based material. It can be used for repairing and strengthening existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures because of its excellent mechanical performance, such as high tensile and compressive strengths, long-term durability, and low permeability. However, when using UHPC to strengthen existing RC structures for flexure members, there is limited information on simulating existed cracks in RC structures and considering interface modeling between RC substrate and UHPC overlay. This research developed a finite element (FE) model to investigate flexural behaviors of UHPC-RC composite slab with introducing existed cracks in RC substrate by geometry discontinuous, approximately matched with experimental results previously published by the authors. Meanwhile, based on recent research on the bond strength of UHPC to concrete, a UHPC-RC interfacial model was included in the FE model. The FE model was validated with experimental laboratory results previously published by the authors, and a good agreement was obtained between numerical and experimental results. Finally, a parameter study was conducted to investigate the strengthening effects and optimizing strengthening parameters by using the developed FE model. Results showed that the effect of existing cracks on the ultimate flexure capacity of UHPC-RC cannot be neglected, and the interface model has a precise accuracy in FE modeling.

Product Overview:
The tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on simulating the air blast response of UHPC slabs reinforced with BFRP, following validated numerical methodologies. The video tutorial walks through setting up the material models, boundary conditions, and mesh generation to accurately simulate the blast event. Key simulation steps include:

• Finite element modeling of a UHPC-BFRP slab using Abaqus.
• Material property assignment based on experimental data.
• Blast wave interaction setup using incident wave modeling.
• Mesh refinement with element deletion for failure analysis.
• Post-processing of results (stress, displacement, and damage visualization).

In this tutorial, the dynamic response of a UHPC slab subjected to air blast loading is simulated, according to data from the work of Zhu et al.