Compressive membrane action in reinforced concrete one-way slabs

摘要

The behaviour of reinforced concrete one-way slabs subjected to horizontal translational end restraint is described in this paper. The presence of the end restraint induces compressive membrane action in the slab, increasing its strength and stiffness above that calculated using flexural theory. The experimental component of this investigation involved the fabrication and testing of 16 one-way slabs, which were load tested under various boundary conditions. A very stiff reaction frame was used to impose the boundary conditions on the slabs. The results showed a significant increase in load-carrying capacity (up to 2.5 times greater) when the slabs were subjected to horizontal translational end restraint compared to simply supported slabs. This increase can be attributed to the presence of compressive membrane forces in the slabs. The results from these tests were compared to non-linear finite element models and a method of analysis developed by Rankin and Long. Good agreement with the experimental results was obtained using both finite element analysis and Rankin and Long's method. Variables that affected the peak load, according to Rankin and Long's method, were also investigated.