Crack formation and growth in reinforced concrete members is, in many cases, the cause for the collapse of buildings. Such serious failures impair the structural behavior and can also damage property and persons. An intensive investigation of the crack propagation is indispensable. Numerical methods are being developed to analyze crack growth in a concrete member and to detect fracture failure at an early stage. For reinforced concrete components, however, further research and action is required in the analysis of shear cracks. This paper presents numerical simulations and continuum mechanical modeling of bending shear crack propagation in a concrete beam without transverse reinforcement. As numerical method to map discrete cracks the extended finite element method (XFEM) is applied. The crack propagation is compared with the smeared crack approach using concrete damage plasticity material model. For validation, the crack patterns of a real beam tests are compared with the results of the different finite element models. The numerical analysis will provide further understanding of crack growth and redistribution of inner forces in concrete members. The XFEM makes it possible to predict the fracture behavior of concrete members.
