Fundamentals for Cracking Verification of Reinforced Concrete Structures

A mathematical model, named as general method, has been set up to study the cracking behaviour of a concrete tie reinforced by ordinary bars, subjected to a monotonic load. The analysis is performed considering both the crack formation stage and the stabilized cracking stage. In particular, secondary cracks occur in the stabilized cracking stage, modifying the distribution of bond stress along the transmission length. As in the stabilized cracking stage the solution of the general method requires to carry out an iterative numerical procedure, for design purposes the maximum crack width can be determined through a simplified method that allows the main aspects of the structural behaviour to be taken into account.