A nonlinear computational model for predicting flexural fracture behavior of reinforced concrete beam based on beam theory and its verification and validation

Abstract

This paper proposes a nonlinear computational model for predicting flexural fracture behavior of reinforced concrete beam based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The model is verified by showing the convergence rate to the theoretical solution, and then validated by the comparison between the numerical and experimental results. The material nonlinearity of steel and concrete brings two nonlinear problems for finding the bending moment, stress, strain and curvature, and the problems are solved by coupling the bisection algorithm and Newton method. After formulating the four-point bend problem of reinforced concrete beam based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, several numerical examples are presented to verify and validate the proposed nonlinear computational model.