Comparative study of plasticity models for concrete material by using different criteria including Hsieh–Ting–Chen criterion

The purpose of this study is to investigate nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) structures with the plasticity modeling. For this aim a nonlinear finite element analysis program is coded in MATLAB. This program contains several yield criteria and stress–strain relationship for compression and tension behavior of concrete. In this paper, the well-known criteria, Drucker-Prager, von Mises, and a new criterion, Hsieh–Ting–Chen, are taken into account. The elastic–perfectly plastic and Park–Paulay stress–strain relationships in compression behavior and tension stiffening in tension behavior of concrete are used with four different yield criteria mentioned above. It is concluded that the proposed models are in good agreement with the experimental and analytical results taken from the literature. It is also concluded that the coded program, the proposed models, and Hsieh–Ting–Chen criterion can be effectively used in the nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete beams.