Deformation Regularity of Concrete Beam after Cracking

Abstract

The deformation regularity of concrete beams after cracking is studied. Finite element (FE) models of a simply supported beam under distributed loading and a continuous beam under distributed loading are built using ANSYS. Cracks with different widths, depths, and locations are simulated after deleting some elements in these models, and the maximum displacement and deformation regularities are observed. The result of FE simulation shows that (1) the crack width has a negligible effect on the maximum displacement of the beam; (2) the crack depth evidently affects the maximum displacement, that is, a deeper crack results in a larger extent of the effect; and (3) the location of the crack affects the maximum displacement of the beam by changing the location of the maximum displacement in the beam, that is, a deeper crack results in a larger extent of the effect.