New Analytical Approach of Flexural Crack Width Estimation for Reinforced Concrete Beams

This paper deals with the prediction of crack width for reinforced concrete structural members under pure bending. An analytical method is proposed to estimate the flexural crack width for reinforced concrete members. The proposed method utilizes conventional crack theory. Also, to consider stress conditions in tensile zone reinforced concrete members, a bond-slip relationship developed from axial tension tests was used. An analytical equation for the estimation of maximum crack width is formulated as a function of maximum bond stress. The validity, accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are obtained by comparing the analytical results with the experimental data, and major design codes, as well as a number of analytical solutions. The analytical results presented in this paper indicate that the proposed method can effectively estimate the flexural crack width of reinforced concrete members under bending.