The cracking behaviour of a reinforced concrete member can be influenced by the type of loading condition that it is subjected to, i.e. one-way or two-way loading conditions. There are many instances in which the structural member undergoes a two-way loading condition, such as elements of nuclear reactor containment, gaseous or liquid containing structures, slabs in the floor system of a building, etc. The mechanism of cracking in this type of structural members is more complex than in the one-way structural members, with many unknowns still remained unanswered. The experimental data available in the literature on this subject is very limited, which indicates the need for further research. The goal of this study is to contribute to the understanding of such a cracking phenomenon through an experimental investigation. Accordingly, three medium-scale reinforced concrete panels are subjected to pure tension in one direction and to bending moment in the other perpendicular direction. The effects of the reinforcement ratio and the spacing of the reinforcing bars are considered. The collected data consist of steel and concrete strains, crack pattern, crack width, and total elongation. Also, the water leakage through a few selected cracks is examined. A number of new findings are drawn from the results of these experiments, which can help better understanding ofthe fundamentals of cracking in two-way members.
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