Predicting the Dynamic Properties of Plain Concrete Under the Impact Load

Materials subject to high strain exhibit an enhancement in its mechanical properties. High strain is caused by loads ranging from gas explosion and aircraft impact to hypervelocity impact. The dynamic increase factor (DIF) is a method used to take account of the strain rate. DIF is defined as the ratio of dynamic strength to static strength. Methods to determine the dynamic properties of a material are achieved via either conducting dynamic compressive and tensile testing or utilising formulae from the literature. CEB-FIP model code [3] presents the most comprehensive formulae for predicting the strain rate enhancement of concrete. Quasi-static flexural and compression tests of plain concrete were conducted using standard test machines on concrete cubes and prisms, respectively. CEB-FIP compression and tensile DIF models were then used to calculate the strength for the compression and tensile strain rates between 10−2 and 100, which are most relevant to common dynamic load cases in civil engineering structures.