A Numerical Study on RC Plates Behavior under Low Velocity Impact S. Istemihan Cosgun, Hasan Sesli, and Metin Husem Department of Civil Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey Email: sicosgun@ktu.edu.tr, {sesli, mhusem}@ktu.edu.tr Abstract—Structures may be subjected to impact and blast loading because of various reasons. In recent years, the behavior of structural members under impulsive loading has been investigated both numerically and experimentally. Development in computational engineering has facilitated the modeling of extreme loading conditions. In this study, the behavior of reinforced concrete plates was modeled with ABAQUS commercial finite element software. In finite element model (FEM), Drucker-Prager (DP) material model and Classical Metal Plasticity (CMP) model were used for modeling concrete and reinforcing steel, respectively. The four reinforced concrete plates with fixed and free support were analyzed under impact load. The impact force-time, impact force-mid-span displacement curves and total dissipated energy were obtained numerically. The numerical results were compared with each other. Result showed that span size is effective parameter on impact behavior of reinforced concrete plates. Index Terms—impact force, ABAQUS, fixed support, reinforced concrete, Drucker-Prager I. INTRODUCTION Reinforced concrete (RC) structures have been commonly used in construction industries. These structures usually subjected to static and dynamic loads such as self-weight, earthquake and wind load. However, the structures may be exposed to some impulsive loading. These extreme loading conditions has been divided two main categories. These are impact and blast loading. Generally nuclear plants, airports and military installations are exposed to explosion and impact loads. However, in normal structures, these conditions can be seen due to gas explosion and terrorist attacks. Because of this reason, in RC structures, the effect of impact loads that is gaining popularity should be investigated. In recent years, many researchers have been investigated behavior of reinforced concrete members under impact loading numerically and experimentally. Some of these studies are conducted by Sawamoto et al. [1]. There is an analytical model was developed to determine local strains that can be possibly seen for RC panel elements. RC panels under the impact load which are caused by bullet impact were modeled by applying the discrete element method. Analysis results that are obtained from Discrete Element Method were compared with the results that were obtained from experimental studies. Abbas et.al were made numerically and experimentally studies for Manuscript received December 9, 2017; revised April 4, 2018. defining the non-linear behaviors of RC plates and beams [2]. The study that was conducted by Zineddin and Krauthammer has aims to examine behaviors of RC flooring under impact loads and increasing their element’s impact strengths [3]. These researchers searched for effects of impact strengths of RC floorings under different types of reinforcement arrangements. Chen and May conducted a research about the effects of objects by creating impact loads with higher weights and impact in low velocities on RC elements like beams, plates, etc. [4]. Martin searched with numerical modeling for structural behaviors of structural elements under impact load [5]. Finite element models are searched for different structural behaviors under different material models. Effects of soft and hard impact loads were modeled both by deformable and rigid bullets. Studies that are conducted by Trivedi and Singh consist of numerical models to foresee the structural behaviors of RC under local strains that are exposed to impact loads [6]. Similarities of the failure type and the fracture energy (G f ) values were obtained from between the experimental works and FEM analyses were conducted by Zineddin and Krauthammer. In this study, RC plates with different span sizes are examined numerically. The impact force-time, impact force-mid-span displacement curves and total dissipated energy were obtained. The numerical results were compared with each other. II. FINITE ELEMENT MODEL (FEM) Reinforced concrete plates were simulated with ABAQUS-Explicit [7]. The reinforcement arrangement and geometrical properties of plate P1, P2, P3 and P4 are given Fig. 1. (a) P1, P2 134 International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research Vol. 7, No. 2, May 2018 © 2018 Int. J. Struct. Civ. Eng. Res. doi: 10.18178/ijscer.7.2.134-137