Evaluation of thermal crack width and crack spacing in massive reinforced concrete structures subject to external restraints using RBSM
Puttipong Srimook, Ippei Maruyama, Kazutoshi Shibuya, Sayuri Tomita, Go Igarashi, Yo Hibino, Kazuo Yamada
Abstract
This study aimed to develop a numerical method to evaluate thermal cracking, in terms of parameters such as thermal crack width and crack spacing, on massive reinforced concrete (RC) wall structures externally restrained by a base structure. The existing experimental study was investigated using the rigid body–spring model (RBSM) with new constitutive laws developed for this objective. Thermal cracks, which localized and propagated throughout the wall thickness, were successfully reproduced, and the good agreement with the experiment indicated the capability of the proposed numerical method. The time-dependent cracking behavior and the impacts of factors affecting thermal cracking, which are difficult to investigate experimentally, are discussed.