Thick Reinforced Concrete Walls Subjected To Non-Uniform Restrained Shrinkage

Several researchers have studied the behavior of reinforced concrete walls under restraint shrinkage, which demonstrate the variation of the degree of restraint with different Length/Height ratios. In general, concrete standards and codes of practice recommend a minimum amount of reinforcement for shrinkage effects. This research investigates the response of thick reinforced concrete walls subjected to restraint shrinkage. The parameters studied are the thickness of reinforced concrete walls, and non-uniform distribution of shrinkage along the Length\Height and through the thickness of the wall. This study uses the non-linear finite element method to simulate the cracking behavior of the concrete and to predict tensile stresses in the reinforcement in the vicinity of Cracks. Moreover, this study investigates the influence of reinforcement ratio and compares the results with well-known concrete standards and codes of practice. It is concluded that the non-uniform shrinkage through the thickness of the wall may have significant impact on the cracking behavior of thick concrete walls. In addition, as expected, higher reinforcement ratio results in lower tensile stresses in the reinforcement. The thesis also provides guidelines for minimum reinforcement ratio.