Peridynamic modelling of concrete under impact loading: A critical review of theories, models, applications, and challenges

XH Yu and HC Chang and HS Jin and S Linforth and PR Wang and AR Chen and T Ngo, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMPACT ENGINEERING, 206, 105457 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2025.105457

The damage and failure of concrete under impact loads pose serious risks to the resilience and longevity of critical infrastructure. Classical continuum mechanics often falls short of accurately capturing the complex, discontinuous behaviour of concrete under such dynamic conditions. In contrast, the peridynamics theory, as a non-local approach, reformulates the equilibrium equations of continuum mechanics into an integral form, providing a unique alternative to address these existing issues. To this end, this paper provides a review of the latest advancements in this field, including theoretical developments, modelling techniques, and engineering applications. For the first time, a comparative study is conducted, including a vertical comparison between different PD methods, and a horizontal comparison between PD methods and other numerical methods frequently used in impact modelling. Lastly, we identified four critical areas that require further investigation: theoretical universality, algorithm development, computational efficiency, and practical validation, followed by a bottom-up, actionable roadmap. The insights offered aim to not only advance the scientific understanding of impact dynamics in concrete but also to guide engineers in applying peridynamics-based models in real- world applications.

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