The plasticity of unreinforced concrete

摘要

Mass concrete is a brittle material. If a structure is cast in unreinforced concrete-a dome, say, or a Roman cross vault-then that structure will inevitably crack in response to the movements imposed by the environment (settlements of foundations, spread of abutments). Such cracks are in themselves not signs of danger; they allow the structure as a whole to deform in a ductile way, and its behaviour may be interpreted by the use of plastic theory.