Cracking behavior of reinforced concrete beams: experiment and simulations on the numerical influence of the steel-concrete bond

Experimental and numerical results are provided in this contribution to study the global and cracking behaviors of two reinforced concrete beams subjected to four point bending. Experimentally, the use of image correlation technique enables to obtain precise information concerning the cracking properties (spacing, cumulated, maximum and mean values of the opening). Numerically, two simulations are compared taking into account a bond model between steel and concrete or supposing a perfect relation between the two materials. In both cases, a good agreement is achieved between numerical and experimental results even if the introduction of the bond effects has a direct influence during the development of the cracks (better agreement during the “active” cracking phase).