Analysis of Shrinkage Cracking of a Slab on the Ground Using a Probabilistic and Deterministic Approach

This paper gives insight into the influences of spatially varying material properties on the non-linear finite element modeling of the rectangular and square-shaped floor slabs. Modeling the properties of the concrete using spatially distributed properties instead of using constant properties is more realistic. We analyzed the influence of probabilistic concrete property modeling on the development of cracks in floor slabs. A concrete floor subjected to a shrinkage load was analyzed using the material model with randomly distributed compressive strength. Consequently, the tensile strength and elastic modulus were also randomly distributed. The concrete properties were defined by the random field generator that uses the Fast Fourier Transformation method and the guidelines given by the Joint Committee on Structural Safety Probabilistic Model Code. The obtained results are compared with the values from modeling with constant concrete properties. The comparison shows that the crack development in the slabs with and without varying material properties is statistically significantly different.