Cracking analysis of plane stress reinforced concrete structures

This article presents the numerical analysis' results of reinforced concrete elements subjected to plane stress in early cracking stage. The elements are modelled by a concrete two-dimensional matrix, discrete reinforcement bars and bond-slip elements. The aim of this study is to investigate the behaviour of RC structures before and after the formation of the first cracks to understand the influence on the crack spacing and width of bar orientation with respect to the crack direction, bar spacing and diameter and presence of shear stresses on the crack. Discrete crack non-linear analysis of elements with reinforcement both orthogonal and skew to the crack directions are performed. The interaction between concrete and steel is ensured by a non-linear bond slip law at the interfaces between the two materials. The crack spacing obtained numerically are compared with the ones calculated using different design codes. The analysis of models with different reinforcement geometries allows individuating and discussing the main factors governing two-dimensional plane stress concrete cracking behaviour.