Role of bond on crack width in reinforced concrete members in tension

This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of 1D numerical models in representing the global and local behaviour of reinforced concrete tension ties. These simplified approaches, mainly based on bond, neglect the contribution of stress diffusion in concrete blocks between cracks, which has been recognised as one of the most influencing parameters, especially for the evaluation of crack width. To investigate the influence of this assumption, a simplified 1D model has been here developed and verified through comparisons with reliable experimental data, as well as with results provided by a more refined 2D Finite Element model. The main results have shown that simplified models appear to be suitable to investigate local behaviour of the analysed elements and can be adopted to perform extensive parametric studies investigating the main variables influencing crack width.