Learning Forum

[Alex R.]

Hello Sokpanha, 

Effective plastic strain is a measure used in finite element analysis to represent the accumulation of irreversible deformation in a material. When a material undergoes plastic deformation, it means that the material has been stressed beyond its elastic limit and will not return to its original shape when the load is removed. In the context of RC (reinforced concrete) structures, effective plastic strain is particularly useful for representing crack patterns and damage because it can indicate areas where the concrete has yielded and potentially cracked.

The reason effective plastic strain is used to represent crack or damage patterns in concrete is that it provides a way to quantify the extent of damage in a numerical simulation. As concrete is a brittle material, it does not exhibit significant plastic deformation before cracking. Therefore, the effective plastic strain can be used as an indicator of the initiation and propagation of cracks within the concrete. By analyzing the distribution of plastic strain, engineers can predict the locations where cracks are likely to form and assess the overall damage to the structure.

Please find article (formula)  about effective plastic strain on dynasupport:  https://www.dynasupport.com/howtos/general/effective-plastic-strain

Thank you,
Alex