3D modelling of reinforced concrete slab with yielding supports subject to impact load

Reinforced concrete slabs are the common structural elements in almost all reinforced concrete structures. An accidental impact load in such an element can be caused by mishaps in industry as well as accidents provided from transportation and artificial disasters or natural hazard as rock fall. The behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs under impact loads is not always respected or correctly taken into account. There are a number of ways to predict how an impact load will affect a reinforced concrete slab, some of which may be impractical or expensive, but because there have been significant developments in technology, numerical techniques rather than experimental approaches have become popular methods for developing detailed responses. The intent of this study is not to give an original development to any of the specific aspects (e.g. numerical cracking localisation, mesh discretisation, steel bar and concrete interactions and/or contact law between the hammer and concrete) involved in the problem. The intent is to give a finite element model to investigate the dynamic response and behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs subject to low velocity impact loading. Taking advantage of a commercial finite element package ABAQUS/Explicit code, three-dimensional numerical simulations have been performed, addressing the parameters associated with the impact load and reinforced concrete slab. The obtained results show a good correlation with the experiments.