Accurate and Efficient Method for Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Abstract

An accurate and efficient finite‐element method for the analysis of reinforced‐concrete structures is presented. Not only mechanical problems but also heat‐conduction problems are targeted. Considering the fact that reinforcement details in concrete structures are inherently complex, the embedded representation of reinforcement is advantageous and is therefore used herein. Effort is then made to improve computational efficiency. To this end, although the embedded representation is usually associated with higher‐order elements, a four‐node quadrilateral element is employed since mathematical manipulation of lower‐order elements is much easier. By solving several example problems, the accuracy of the embedded representation used in connection with lower‐order elements and the efficiency of the present approach are confirmed. Clear‐cut advantages of the embedded representation over the widely used discrete representation are also demonstrated.