Size Effect on Flexural Stress-Strain Relationship of Reinforced-Concrete Beams

철근콘크리트 보의 휨압축강도 및 변형률에 대한 크기효과

It is important to consider the effect of depth when estimating the ultimate strength of a concrete flexural member because the strength always decreases with an increase of member size. In this study, the size effect of reinforced concrete beam was experimentally investigated. For this purpose, a series of beam specimens subjected to 2-point bending load were tested. More specifically, three different depth (d=15, 30, and 60 cm) of reinforced concrete beams were tested to investigate the size effect. The shear-span to depth ratio (a/d=3) and thickness (20 cm) of the specimens were kept constant where the size effect in out-of-plan direction is not considered. The test results are fitted using least square method (LSM) to obtain parameters for modified size effect law (MSEL). The analysis results indicate that the flexural compression strength and ultimate strain decreases as the specimen size increases. Finally, more general parameters for MSEL are suggested.