• Beatrice Pomaro, Department of Civil, Environmental And Architectural Engineering, University Of Padova
• Gianluca Mazzucco, Department of Civil, Environmental And Architectural Engineering, University Of Padova

Modeling the post-peak behaviour of building materials is still a challenge from the point of view of computational mechanics, due to the strong nonlinearities arising in the material behaviour during softening/hardening and the complexity of the yield criterion that may describe their deformation capacity under generic triaxial stress states. This is challenging both for composite brittle materials and for ductile materials. Additionally, when analyzing the interaction between phases (like aggregates and cement paste in concrete or aggregate and Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) in concrete) or between materials (like in reinforced concrete, masonry or in presence of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) or steel jackets) some numerical strategies are needed to overcome the additional nonlinearities due to contact at the interface.
Generally, numerical modeling of building materials requires the definition of realistic 3D geometries of samples together with robust mathematical/numerical formulations to define the mechanical behavior, namely irreversible inelastic deformations and material degradation (crack opening-and-closure mechanisms for brittle materials or vacancies/dislocations for metals and alloys) beyond the elastic regime due to monotonic or cyclic loading and under generic multiaxial stress states.

The aim of this Mini Symposium is to gather researchers/scientists/experts in the field of computational mechanics applied to building materials at the material and structural scale, with novel approaches on the most challenging numerical/geometrical issues related to these materials in an efficient way.
Authors are encouraged to present their innovative contributions in the field of theoretical and numerical models for constitutive laws aimed at predicting the mechanical behavior of building materials like steel, concrete, reinforced concrete, FRP, wood, asphalt, mixed concrete-steel under service and ultimate scenarios. The studies are not limited to conventional materials but are open to their use in combinations with polymers, metallic fibers, improved mixtures/components, as well as eco-sustainable materials.
The aspects related to the modeling approaches will play a central role. The modeling approaches may pertain to the framework of continuous or discrete mechanics, poro-mechanics or homogenized scale. Both probabilistic and deterministic approaches are welcomed. Coupling between multi-physics phenomena may be taken into account, in relation to the specific application field. Solid modeling may involve CAD, reverse engineering, tomography-based reconstruction, ad hoc algorithms or other approaches that may be useful at the purpose.