Discrete <i>vs</i> smeared crack models for concrete fracture: bridging the gap

Abstract Discrete and smeared crack models for concrete fracture are discussed in a historical perspective. It is argued that these two computational approaches, originally conceived as very different, can be brought together by exploiting the partition‐of‐unity property of finite element shape functions. The cohesive segments method, which exploits this partition‐of‐unity property, exhibits advantages of both the discrete and smeared crack approaches, and is capable of describing the transition from distributed micro‐cracking to a dominant crack. The versatility of the cohesive methodology is shown by incorporating water diffusion and ion transport into the formulation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.