Dimensional analysis approach to the plastic rotation capacity of over-reinforced concrete beams

摘要

The development of ductility in reinforced concrete beams in bending is a complex nonlin-ear phenomenon characterised by several variables. For this reason, an exhaustive and syn-thetic description of the rotational capacity is impossible to be achieved on the basis of the individual values of the variables involved in the phenomenon. In the present paper, such a drawback is overcome by means of the application of dimensional analysis to the numer-ical results obtained from a model based on nonlinear fracture mechanics concepts. Although the proposed model relies on several mechanical and geometrical parameters, in fact, it is demonstrated that only two nondimensional numbers, N_P and N_C are respon-sible for the available ductility. Experimental confirmations to the numerical approach are also proposed.