Numerical Analysis of Ultimate State of Reinforced Concrete Slabs under Low-Velocity Impact

The goal of this study was to establish a numerical analysis method for predicting the ultimate state of rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) slabs simply supported on all four sides under low -velocity impact loading. To meet this goal, three-dimensional (3-D) elastoplastic dynamic response analyses were conducted, and the applicability of the new method was investigated by comparing predictions with the experimental results. First, a preliminary analysis was conducted to determine an appropriate element size of the concrete component, a constitutive model for the concrete, and the damping factor. Then, the applicability of the method was investigated by comparing predictions with experimental results for concrete slabs with various compressive strengths. The results showed that the proposed method provides safe predictions of the maximum impact energy capacity, which may be equivalent to the load -carrying capacity of RC slabs under impact loading.