Shape Optimization of Hollow Concrete Blocks Using the Lattice Discrete Particle Model

Hollow concrete blocks are one of the widely used building elements of masonry structures in which they are normally loaded under combined action of shear and compression. Accordingly and due to their structural importance, the present study intends to numerically search for an optimum shape of such blocks. The optimality index is selected to be the ratio of block’s failure strength to its weight, a non-dimensional parameter, which needs to be maximized. The nonlinear analysis has been done using a homemade code written based on the recently developed Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM) for the meso-scale simulation of concrete. This numerical approach accounts for the different aspects of concrete’s complex behavior such as tensile fracturing, cohesive and frictional shearing and also its nonlinear compressive response. The model parameters were calibrated against previously reported experimental data. Various two-core configurations for the hollow blocks are examined, compared and discussed.