A lattice approach to model flow in cracked concrete

This paper presents a lattice approach to model the influence of cracking on inviscid flow in concrete. A mechanical lattice model based on a damage–plasticity constitutive model was combined with a new dual lattice of conduit elements for flow analysis. The diffusivity of the conduit elements depends on the crack-opening obtained from the mechanical lattice. The coupled lattice model was applied to several benchmark tests for aligned and random lattices. The results for mechanical loading and flow analysis obtained with the new approach were shown to be independent of the size of lattice elements used.