Simulations of the gap test for concrete using CDPM2

This dataset contains input and selected output data related to simulations of the gap test for concrete, based on the CDPM2 damage-plastic model for concrete.
Detailed description of the test setup and discussion of the results can be found in the paper by Jirásek and Li on Lessons learned from simulations of the gap test, to be published in the proceedings of Euro-C 2026 (Computational Modelling of Concrete and Concrete Structures, Seefeld in Tirol, Austria, 9-12 March 2026).

The paper presents preliminary numerical simulations of the gap test for plain concrete using an advanced damage-plastic constitutive model. A few fundamental model parameters are calibrated against standard bending tests of geometrically similar specimen sizes of three different sizes. The primary objective is to trace the evolution of the stress and damage distributions during the two loading stages of the full gap test, and to reveal the mechanisms underlying the observed increase and decrease in peak bending load. The results show that the non-uniform, multiaxial stress state and the resulting damage pattern induced during the initial compressive stage critically affect the specimen’s performance in the subsequent bending stage. Such structural effects are suggested to play a more important role than the specific material behavior under tension combined with transversal compression.