Finite element analysis of size effect on structural behavior of reinforced concrete

Abstract

This paper was mainly devoted to the numerical investigation of size or dimensional changes of the reinforced concrete (RC) beam on structural performance in terms of ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state. To investigate the sensitivity of size effect, the RC beams were modelled by plane stress element and the reinforcement bar elements using finite element analysis program, LUSAS. The result of the investigation revealed that the size or dimensional changes in concrete had significant effects on the structural performance, namely, first crack load, failure load and deformation or serviceability.