Title:
Crack Width Prediction Using Compatibility-Aided
Strut-and-Tie Model
Author(s):
Ronnie R. H. Zhu, Wirat Wanichakorn, Thomas T. C. Hsu, and John Vogel
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
100
Issue:
4
Appears on pages(s):
413-421
Keywords:
bent caps; cracking; reinforced concrete.
DOI:
10.14359/12649
Date:
7/1/2003
Abstract:
Unacceptable diagonal cracks frequently occur at service load in the vicinity of the re-entrant corners in structures such as the dapped ends of bridge girders and the ledges of inverted T bent caps. Such diagonal cracks are not only visually intimidating but also impose a potential danger of corrosion of reinforcing bars. Controlling such cracking is difficult due to the lack of a rational theory for crack prediction. In this paper, a compatibility-aided strut-and-tie model (CASTM) is proposed for predicting the diagonal crack widths at re-entrant corners. The validity of this model is supported by tests of seven full-scale specimens.