Discrete Cracking Model:

Smeared cracking:
This approach treats the cracked material in continuum where cracking is a
constitutive phenomenon. Thus, concrete is considered isotropic material before
cracking. After each loading increment the principle tensile stress is checked for
exceedance with respect to specified limits. Once the limit is surpassed concrete is
treated as orthotropic. The mesh topology need not account for location or direction
of crack in prior.
Smeared cracking approach has two variants:
Fixed Crack:
Here the crack direction and material axes are defined by principal stress by the
onset of cracking and for the further analysis this direction remains fixed. If the
stresses redistribute the trial tensile stress is again checked for exceedance and if
specified further crack can also be allowed conforming to respective specifications.
Here as the crack initiates the direction is calculated on the basis of principal stress
direction. This crack direction is kept constant henceforth and referred as material
axis of orthptrophy.
There occurs a shift in material behavior from linear isotropic to orthotropic on
formation of crack. If this transition is sudden then there are possibilities of situation
of numerical instabilities. To avoid that the reduction is done in initial isotropic
stiffness which is accounted by shear retention factor or stiffness reduction factor.
This is also to account for the tension carried by concrete in between the cracks.
Also choice of shear retention factor is not arbitrary while using the
original form of smeared crack concept as it does not consider aggregate
interlock models.
Fixed Smeared crack with strain decomposition:
The original form of constitutive relationship in smeared cracking theory contains
overall strain of cracked solid i.e. strain due to cracked solid in between the cracks
and strain due to cracking. This smeared constitutive relation of cracked solid does
not make any distinction between solid between cracks and the cracks. The
disadvantage of this original smeared crack concept is that it lacks to simulate the
exact behavior which where crack laws are governed by cracking strain and not the
total strain. Hence decomposition of total strain is done into solid strain (for
concrete between cracks) and cracking strain.
Rotating crack model:
Here the orientation of the crack co-rotates with the direction of the
principal strain. On redistribution further cracks may be allowed to form.
Fixed multidirectional smeared crack concept:

This is an intermediate between the fixed and rotating smeared crack approaches.
The decomposition of total strain paves way for further sub-decomposition of
cracking strain to consider separate contributions from number of multi directional
cracks that simultaneously occur at sampling point.

Drawbacks are:

Discrete Cracking approach:

Here interface elements are introduced along the path through which possible crack
might propagate within the original mesh. These interface elements are given
appropriate material characteristics like tensile strength and tensile stress-load
displacement relationship. The initial stiffness of the elements is assigned a large
dummy value in order to simulate the uncracked state with rigid connection
between overlapping nodes. Upon violating a condition of crack initiation, for
instance a maximum stress condition, the element stiffness is changed and a
constitutive
model for discrete cracks is mobilized.
The advantage of discrete crack model is that these interface elements are
sophisticated to use and yield agreeable results but only when their location of
modelling is relevant and hence the location and path of propagation should be
foreseen intuitionally by the user. Then in such cases the extent and effect of cracks
is visualized and hence behavior can be understood in better manner. It can be

done that prior to discrete cracking analysis a smeared cracking analysis can be
performed to get an estimate of the location of the crack.
Hence following two major drawbacks:

Due to geometric discontinuity at crack location which is modelled by

interface elements change in nodal connectivity occurs.
The crack is constrained to follow the predefined path along interface
elements which may not necessarily predict the actual behavior.

Fixed Multi-Directional Cracked Model:

It allows number of Non orthogonal cracks. As soon as major principle tensile
strength is violated a crack is formed in perpendicular direction. If the material is
cracked then another crack is allowed to form if:

Tensile strength is violated again

The angle between existing crack and direction of major principle tensile
stress exceeds the threshold angle.