• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.87-98
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• 2011

Crack formations are inevitable in reinforced concrete structures. To estimate crack widths, empirical formulae are used widely and indirect crack controling methods of limiting bar spacing and bar diameter are also used due to their simplicity. In EC2, the characteristic crack width is calculated by multiplying maximum crack spacing and average strain. In this study, limit values of maximum bar spacing and bar diameter are examined as the material characteristics are varied. Two models of tension stiffening effect and maximum crack spacing and their effects are evaluated. The obtained results are compared with the values obtained using KCI method. The results showed that a significant difference is found when two tension stiffening effect are employed, and an under-estimation is found when 2nd order tension stiffening effect and maximum crack spacing limit from Part II were implemented. Therefore, a rational indirect crack control method attained using the tension stiffening effect of 2nd order form is needed. Also, a consistency in serviceabiliy analysis in flexural members needs to be secured. In order to achieve these goals, two crack controling models are suggested.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.193-202
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• 2018

This paper proposed a crack spacing calculation formulation which is an important parameter for calculating the crack width, that is the main factor for verification of serviceability limit states and durability performance evaluation of reinforced concrete members. The basic equation of average crack spacing is derived by considering the bond characteristics which is the governing equation for the analysis of cracking behavior in reinforced concrete members. In order to consider the effect of the cover thickness and concrete compressive strength, the crack spacing measured in 124 direct tensile tests performed by several researchers was analyzed and each coefficient was proposed. And, correlation analysis was performed from 80 specimen data where the maximum and average crack spacing were simultaneously measured, and a correlation coefficient that can easily predict the maximum crack spacing from the average crack spacing was proposed. The results of the proposed average crack spacing equation and maximum crack spacing correlation were compared with those current design code specification. The comparisons of proposed equations and the Korean design codes show that the proposed formulation for the average crack spacing and the maximum crack spacing improves the accuracy and reliability of prediction compared to the corresponding provisions of the Korean Concrete Structural Design Code and Korean Highway Bridge Design Code (Limit States Design).

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.227-232
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• 2002

This paper describes a calculation of an average crack spacing and the maximum crack width for the high-strength concrete tensile and flexural members. Based on the uniform bond stress distribution of the average steel and concrete strains over the transfer length, the crack spacing and the crack width are proposed to utilize influence of the concrete strength and the cover thickness. This analytical results presented in this paper indicate that the proposed equations can be more effectively estimated the maximum crack width and the average crack spacing of the reinforced concrete flexural and tensile members.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.903-908
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• 2001

This paper deals with the estimation of the maximum flexural crack widths using minimum crack spacing for reinforced concrete members. The proposed method utilizes the conventional crack and bond-slip theories as well as bonding transfer length and effects of creep and shrinkage between the reinforcement and concrete. An analytical equation for the estimation of the maximum flexural crack width is formulated as a function of mean bond stress. The validity, accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are established by comparing the analytical results with the experimental data and the major code specifications (e.g., ACI, CEB-FIP Model code, Eurocode 2, etc.). The analytical results of analysis presented in this paper indicate that the proposed method can be effectively estimated the maximum flexural crack width of the reinforced concrete members.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.98-105
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• 2018

Cracks in RC members occurred as a result of material and structural factors. The crack width and a crack location are very difficult to examine. A direct crack control method and indirect crack control method to control a crack are presented in the KHBDC (LSD) and KSCDC (2012). In the KSCDC text, cracks are controlled by steel spacing indirectly under a service load. On the other hand, in the KSCDC appendix, cracks are controlled by a crack width directly under a sustained load. In particular, the loading state considered is different. On the other hand, cracks are controlled under a combination of service load and an effective elastic modulus is used in KHBDC. Therefore, in this study, an effective elastic modulus that can reflect the ratio of the sustained load and live load was applied, and a maximum steel spacing was calculated through a design crack width. A variable interpretation was carried out, and a rational crack control method was assessed. As a result, a steel spacing through the design crack width in the KSCDC was smaller than that from the design crack width in the KHBDC, which leads to a conservative design. In addition, the maximum steel spacing suggested in this study has a consistency eliminating the difference between direct crack control and indirect crack control.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.471-478
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• 2011

For a practical simplicity in designing of reinforced concrete structures, the indirect crack controlling method of limiting bar spacing is adopted in KCI structural design provisions. In addition, a direct method for evaluating crack width is also provided in the appendix of the code. But there may be some mismatched results between these two crack controlling methods. In this study, limit values of maximum bar spacing calculated from KCI provisions, KCI appendix, and Frosch's equation are examined as concrete strength, cross-section height, and concrete cover are varied, and the differences are analyzed. From the results, it becomes clear that the differences between maximum bar spacing calculated from KCI code text provisions and those from KCI code appendix provisions are too significant to be neglected. Therefore, rational crack models are suggested in order to get rid of the discrepancy between the direct and indirect control methods.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.51-59
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• 2011

Tensile stress occurs and random crack develops in concrete pavement slab when it contracts by variation of temperature and humidity. The tensile stress decreases and the random crack is minimized by sawcutting the slab and inducing the crack with regular spacing. The random crack, joint damage, decrease of load transfer efficiency are caused by too wide joint spacing while too narrow joint spacing leads to increase of construction cost and decrease of comfort. A mechanistic-empirical joint spacing design method for the concrete pavement was developed in this study. Structurally and environmentally weakest sections were found among the sections showing good performance, and design strengths were determined by finite element analysis on the sections. The joint width for which the load transfer efficiency is suddenly lowered was determined as allowable joint with referring to existing research results. The maximum joint spacing for which the maximum tensile stress calculated by the finite element analysis did not exceed the design strength were found. And the maximum joint width expected by the maximum joint spacing were compared to the allowable joint width. The new method developed in this study was applied to two zones of Hamyang-Woolsan Expressway being designed. The same joint spacing as a test section constructed by 8.0m of joint spacing wider than usual was calculated by the design method. Very low cracking measured at 6 years after opening of the test section verified the design method developed in this study.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.375-391
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• 2022

This paper discussed and analyzed the interfacial stress distribution characteristic of adjacent cracks in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) plate strengthened concrete slabs. One un-strengthened concrete test beam and four CFRP plate-strengthened concrete test beams were designed to carry out four-point flexural tests. The test data shows that the interfacial shear stress between the interface of CFRP plate and concrete can effectively reduce the crack shrinkage of the tensile concrete and reduces the width of crack. The maximum main crack flexural height in pure bending section of the strengthened specimen is smaller than that of the un-strengthened specimen, the CFRP plate improves the rigidity of specimens without brittle failure. The average ultimate bearing capacity of the CFRP-strengthened specimens was increased by 64.3% compared to that without CFRP-strengthen. This indicites that CFRP enhancement measures can effectively improve the ultimate bearing capacity and delay the occurrence of debonding damage. Based on the derivation of mechanical analysis model, the calculation formula of interfacial shear stress between adjacent cracks is proposed. The distributions characteristics of interfacial shear stress between certain crack widths were given. In the intermediate cracking region of pure bending sections, the length of the interfacial softening near the mid-span cracking position gradually increases as the load increases. The CFRP-concrete interface debonding capacity with the larger adjacent crack spacing is lower than that with the smaller adjacent crack spacing. The theoretical calculation results of interfacial bonding shear stress between adjacent cracks have good agreement with the experimental results. The interfacial debonding failure between adjacent cracks in the intermediate cracking region was mainly caused by the root of the main crack. The larger the spacing between adjacent cracks exists, the easier the interfacial debonding failure occurs.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.475-482
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• 2014

This paper presents the experimental results concentrically reinforced concrete tension members and compares cracking behavior of amorphous steel fiber and normal steel fiber reinforced concrete members. Two kind of steel fibers were included as a major experimental parameter together with the six cover thickness to bar diameter ratio ($c/d_b$). The presence of amorphous steel fibers effectively controlled the splitting cracks initation and propagation. In the amorphous steel fiber reinforced specimens, no splitting cracks were observed that becomes higher with cover thickness to bar diameter ratio is 2.0. Crack spacing of the each specimens reinforced with amorphous steel fibers and normal steel fibers becomes larger with the increase in cover thickness, and also measured maximum and average crack spacing are significantly smaller than current design code provision. Based on the measured crack spacings, a relationships for predicting the crack spacing is proposed using the measured average crack spacing in amorphous steel fiber reinforced concrete tension members.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2006.05b
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• pp.369-372
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• 2006

In this paper, analysis method of HPFRCC is proposed as predicting properties flexural behavior. For analyzing HPFRCC beam, properties of strain-hardening, multiple cracking, and crack spacing control are considered as non-homogeneous material properties of the beam. This paper focused on the deflection, maximum moment of the flexural beam, distribution of crack width with the monte carlo simulation.