Nonlinear analysis of concrete structures using GFEM enrichment strategy with a microplane constitutive model

Abstract One of the most widespread methods to the nonlinear analysis of structures is the Finite Element Method (FEM). However, there are phenomena whose behavior is not satisfactorily simulated by the standard FEM and this fact has quickened the development of new strategies such as the Generalized Finite Element Method (GFEM), understood as a variation of the FEM. In parallel, nonlinear analysis of concrete structures requires the use of constitutive models that represents the nucleation and propagation of cracks. In this paper it is used an anisotropic constitutive model, based on the microplane theory, which is able to represent the behavior of concrete structures, together with the GFEM approach. These resources are incorporated on the INSANE system (INteractive Structural ANalysis Environment), used in the numerical simulations presented here to demonstrate the feasibility of using the GFEM enrichment strategy, in the nonlinear analysis of concrete structures, with validation made from comparisons with experimental results available in the literature.