Published: 2025

Publication Name: Numerical simulation of artificial cracks in concrete structures for damage detection

Publication URL: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3051576

Abstract:

TIDC Project 1.03

 

Numerical simulation is a major and efficient approach in structural health monitoring (SHM) and nondestructive evaluation (NDE) for damage detection. It can perform parametric study to determine optimal inspection parameters, before expensive and time-consuming physical experimentation is carried out. In civil engineering, detection of concrete cracking is a valuable but challenging technique. Numerical simulation methods such as finite elements (FE), boundary elements (BE), discrete elements (DE), and finite difference time domain (FDTD) have been applied to simulated concrete cracking for damage detection. In this paper, a new approach to numerically simulate artificial cracks in concrete structures is presented, using Julia set fractals and an artificial time function. A 400-by-400 grid numerical domain was chosen to generate Julia set fractals (as artificial cracks) through an iterative process with different lengths and thicknesses. A range of complex numbers were used as the initial condition to generate Julia set fractals. The relations among the maximum iteration number, crack area, and crack length were studied and modeled. From our study, it was found that the increase of the maximum iteration number n reduces crack length and crack opening width. An artificial time function was proposed to control the development of artificial cracks to mimic the growth of real cracks in concrete structures.