A Failure Criterion for Concrete

A four-parameter failure criterion containing all the three stress invariants explicitly is proposed for short-time loading of concrete. It corresponds to a smooth convex failure surface with curved meridians, which open in the negative direction of the hydrostatic axis, and the trace in the deviatoric plane changes from almost triangular to a more circular shape with increasing hydrostatic pressure. The formulation of the criterion in terms of one function for all stress states facilitates its use in structural calculations. The criterion is demonstrated to be in good agreement with experimental results over a wide range of stress states, including both triaxial tests along the tensile and the compressive meridian and biaxial tests. The values of the four parameters are determined so that they only depend on the ratio of uniaxial tensile to compressive strength, and parameter values are given for three typical ratios. A review of some earlier proposed failure criteria is included.