INFLUENCE OF TENSION STIFFENING EFFECT ON DESIGN AND BEHAVIOUR OF REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

Abstract

This paper presents the beneficial act of the tension stiffening effect in the design proceso according to the rules of the EC 2 Eurocodeand DIN 1045-1. Different approaches for the modeling of thes phenomenon are offered. To describe this effect two different basic approaches are possible using micro ou macro-elements. The first technique is couple with discrete representation of cracking, while the second onde is coupled with smeared representation of cracking. The advantages and the disadvantages of using these models are discussed. A numerical example shows the beneficial act of the tension stiffening effect on a reinforced concrete plate. The economy in reinforcement, when the tension stiffening effect is taken into account during the deign procedure, us quantified. Finally, non-linear analyses expose the different in stiffness and deflection, when tension stiffening is considered.