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STRUCTURAL DESIGN -I 06. FLEXURAL BEHAVIOUR

OF REINFORCED CONCRETE SECTIONS

Presentation · July 2022

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25619.35366

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Kiran S R
Central Polytechnic College Trivandrum
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STRUCTURAL DESIGN – I
06. FLEXURAL BEHAVIOUR OF REINFORCED
CONCRETE SECTIONS

KIRAN S R
Lecturer

Department of Civil Engineering

Central Polytechnic College Trivandrum
 STRUCTURAL MEMBERS
• BEAMS - a horizontal structural element that
withstand vertical loads, shear forces and bending
moments. It transfers loads from slabs to columns.
• COLUMNS - a vertical structural member that carry
loads mainly in compression. It transfers vertical
loads from roof slab/beam, to next floor or
foundation.
• SLABS - constructed to create flat and useful
surfaces such as floors, roofs, and ceilings. They
are supported by beams, columns or walls. The
depth of a concrete slab floor is very small
compared to its span.
• FOOTINGS - Footings are structural elements that
transmit load of entire superstructure to the
underlying soil below the structure.
Page 2
Department of Civil Engineering, Central Polytechnic College Thiruvananthapuram
 FLEXURAL BEHAVIOUR
• Flexure or Bending occurs in structural elements such as beams/slabs, subjected to
loads acting transverse (i.e., perpendicular) to the axis/plane of the element.
• Concrete is very weak in tension, but strong in compression. Hence in a structural
member subjected to flexure, steel bars are embedded in the tension zone of
concrete due to the incapacity of concrete to resist tensile stress.
• Flexural members develop both tensile stress and compressive stress in the cross
section, on either sides of the neutral axis.

Department of Civil Engineering, Central Polytechnic College Thiruvananthapuram Page 3

EULER-BERNOULLI ASSUMPTION
IN BEAM THEORY (for Strain Distribution)
• “Plane cross-sections (taken normal to the longitudinal axis of the beam) remain
plane even after the beam bends”.

• For initially straight members, the assumption implies that the distribution of normal
strains across the beam cross-section is linear. That is, the normal strain at any
points in the beam section is proportional to its distance from the neutral axis.

Department of Civil Engineering, Central Polytechnic College Thiruvananthapuram Page 4

CLASSICAL FLEXURE FORMULA
(for Stress distribution)
• From the Theory of Bending, it can be deduced that:

Modulus of Rupture (fcr) is the

theoretical maximum flexural tensile
stress reached in the extreme tension
fibre of a beam at which the concrete
cracks for the first time. The
corresponding value of bending moment
at that section is known as Moment at
first crack or Cracking moment (Mcr).

Department of Civil Engineering, Central Polytechnic College Thiruvananthapuram Page 5

CLASSICAL FLEXURE FORMULA
(for Stress distribution)
• From the Theory of Bending, it can be deduced that:

Modulus of Rupture (fcr) is the

theoretical maximum flexural tensile
stress reached in the extreme tension
fibre of a beam at which the concrete
cracks for the first time. The
corresponding value of bending moment
at that section is known as Moment at
first crack or Cracking moment (Mcr).

Department of Civil Engineering, Central Polytechnic College Thiruvananthapuram Page 6

If a reinforced concrete section is subjected to gradually increasing load, it
shall go through three distinct stages before complete failure.
 This phase is the Limit State of
Summarized as follows… Collapse in Flexure and shall be
analyzed….

1. Uncracked Phase 2. Linearly Elastic Cracked 3. Non-linear Cracked

Phase Phase
Applied moment at any Applied moment at any section Applied moment at any section
section is < Mcr is > Mcr is >> Mcr
Maximum tensile stress Maximum tensile stress Maximum tensile stress
developed in concrete is < fcr developed in concrete is > fcr , developed in concrete is >> fcr ,
but within linearly elastic region. and stress in non-linear range.
Entire section is effective in Since cracks are initiated at the Since cracks are initiated at the
resisting the moment extreme tension fibres, concrete extreme tension fibres, concrete
on the tension side is ignored on the tension side is ignored
- - This phase depends on whether
the steel reinforcement may or
maynot yield before the final
crushing of concrete
Page 8
Department of Civil Engineering, Central Polytechnic College Thiruvananthapuram
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