Quasi-Elastic Modeling Software for Predicting Built-In Curling and Long-Term Deformations in Concrete Structures
This innovation is a quasi-elastic finite element method software program designed to evaluate the long-term structural behavior of concrete beams and slabs-on-grade during solidification. By substituting complex creep histories with time-dependent rate relationships, it accurately predicts irreversible early-age concrete deformations using only standard elastic input parameters.
Description
Conventional structural analysis tools assume concrete flatwork behaves as a linear elastic material governed strictly by a static Young's Modulus. However, early-age concrete undergoes significant creep, where material properties dynamically evolve over time. Traditional models capable of tracking these stress histories require highly complex, hard-to-obtain input parameters. This software resolves these limitations by implementing a streamlined alternative that focuses on the rates of change. Rather than attempting to map absolute stresses directly to absolute strains, the constitutive model establishes a direct relationship between the rates of stress, total strain, and thermal strain using an evolving, instantaneous Young's Modulus. The program integrates these rates over time steps to accurately track cumulative displacements, while a specialized foundation model accounts for the loss of subgrade contact. This approach seamlessly simplifies a mathematically exhausting creep analysis into a sequential series of highly manageable, fictitious elastic problems.Applications
- Pavement Infrastructure Design: Optimizing the longevity and structural layout of highway and airport concrete slabs-on-grade.- Industrial Flooring and Flatwork: Engineering highly stable, flat concrete floors for large warehouses, logistics centers, and manufacturing plants.
- Structural Foundation Analysis: Assessing structural beam-on-grade integrity and built-in shape deviations during initial concrete curing phases.
- Engineering Simulation Plugins: Integration into existing commercial finite element analysis suites to expand their early-age material tracking capabilities.
Advantages
- Simplified Data Requirements: Requires only standard, easily obtainable elastic input parameters while delivering the predictive depth of complex creep models.- High Predictive Accuracy: Successfully simulates irreversible concrete deformations and early-age built-in curling shapes.
- Thermal Stress Integration: Factoring in time-varying, non-linear temperature distributions allows for robust thermal strain assessments.
- Realistic Subgrade Modeling: Integrates foundation mechanics that explicitly account for the loss of contact between the slab/beam and the subgrade.