Project: Reinforced Concrete Job ref: SIN 773

Structures Calc sheet no: 1 of 5

Struct: Cracking Ex 2b Filename: Crck_Ex02b.xmcd
Drawing ref: ______ Checked by: ______
Calc by: JMR Date: ______
Date: 2008-07-13

Example 2b: Comparing crack widths

Adapted from: Cope, R.J., and Clark, L.A. 1984. Concrete Slabs: Analysis and Design, Elsevier, London,
Par. 6.4.4.6, p. 336.

Input
Long-term moment in service M := 30⋅ kN⋅ m
Height of slab h := 200 ⋅ mm h
Y12 bars φ
Diameter of reinforcement ϕ := 12⋅ mm c
Cover c := 15⋅ mm s

Spacing of reinforcement s := 150 ⋅ mm

Characteristic compressive cube strength (28 days) fcu := 30⋅ MPa

Modulus of elasticity for concrete (to BS 8110)

For normal weight concrete Ko := 20⋅ GPa

⎛ fcu ⎞
Ec := Ko + 0.2⋅ GPa⋅ ⎜ ⎟ Ec = 26 GPa
⎝ MPa ⎠
Modulus of elasticity for reinforcement Es := 200 ⋅ GPa

ϕ
Depth of reinforcement d := h − c − d = 179 mm
2
To take into account the effects of creep, the effective modulus of elasticity is assumed to be
Ec
Eeff := Eeff = 13 GPa
2
Es
Modular ratio αe := αe = 15.385
Eeff

Consider a unit width b := 1 ⋅ m

Reinforcement per meter width

As := ⎛ π ⋅ ϕ2⎞ × 1000⋅ mm As = 754.0 mm

2
⎜4 ⎟
⎝ ⎠ s

Cracked transformed section properties

2
αe⋅ As = 11600 mm b
d
Guess x :=
2 x
x d
Given b ⋅ x⋅ = αe⋅ As ⋅ ( d − x) (d – x)
2 αe As

x := Find ( x) x = 53.88 mm
 Project: Reinforced Concrete Job ref: SIN 773
Structures Calc sheet no: 2 of 5
Struct: Cracking Ex 2b Filename: Crck_Ex02b.xmcd
Drawing ref: ______ Checked by: ______
Calc by: JMR Date: ______
Date: 2008-07-13

Cracked transformed second moment of area

1 3 2
Icr := ⋅ b ⋅ x + αe⋅ As ⋅ ( d − x)
3
6 4
Icr = 233.7 × 10 mm

Method proposed by Beeby (1971)

M ⋅ ( d − x)
Stress in the reinforcement fs := αe⋅ fs = 247.1 MPa
Icr

Tension stiffening strain from Eq. (6.10):

At the soffit a' := h a' = 200 mm

( 0.0007⋅ MPa ) ⋅ b ⋅ h ⋅ ( a' − x)

ε ts := −6
As ⋅ f s ⋅ ( h − x ) ε ts = 751.5 × 10

Strain at the soffit ignoring tension stiffening

⋅ ⎡⎢
1 M ⋅ ( h − x) ⎤ −3
ε 1 := ⎥ ε 1 = 1.443 × 10
Eeff ⎣ Icr ⎦
Average strain at soffit
−6
ε m := ε 1 − ε ts ε m = 691.2 × 10
ε1 − εm
It is interesting to note that tension stiffening reduced the soffit strain by = 52.1 %
ε1

The maximum crack width would occur midway between two bars:

2 2 φ
a cr := ⎛ s ⎞ + ⎛c + ϕ ⎞ − ϕ
⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
⎝2⎠ ⎝ 2⎠ 2 acr acr
c
a cr = 71.88 mm
s/2 s/2

Assuming a 20 % probability of exceedence

K4 := 3 K5 := 2

From Eq. (6.25) the crack width is

K4⋅ a cr⋅ ε m
w := w = 0.084 mm
a cr − c
1 + K 5⋅
h−x
 Project: Reinforced Concrete Job ref: SIN 773
Structures Calc sheet no: 3 of 5
Struct: Cracking Ex 2b Filename: Crck_Ex02b.xmcd
Drawing ref: ______ Checked by: ______
Calc by: JMR Date: ______
Date: 2008-07-13

BS 8110 (2002)

Width of the section at the centroid of the tension steel b t := b b t = 1000 mm

From Eq. 12 in Part 2 of BS 8110 the average soffit strain is

b t⋅ ( h − x) ⋅ ( a' − x) −3
ε m := ε 1 − ε m = 1.065 × 10
(3⋅MPa− 1)⋅E ⋅A ⋅(d − x) s s

It is interesting to note that the tension stiffening predicted by this equation

b t⋅ ( h − x) ⋅ ( a' − x)
ε ts.2 := −6
(3⋅MPa )⋅E ⋅A ⋅(d − x)
−1
s s
ε ts.2 = 377.2 × 10

ε ts.2
is only = 50.2 % of the value predicted by Eq. (6.10).
ε ts

Minimum cover to the tension steel cmin := c cmin = 15 mm

From Eq. 12 in Part 2 of BS 8110:

3 ⋅ a cr⋅ ε m
wmax := wmax = 0.129 mm
⎛ a cr − cmin ⎞
1 + 2⋅ ⎜ ⎟
⎝ h−x ⎠

CEB (1978)
Characteristic compressive cylinder strength (28 days)
f'c := 0.8⋅ fcu f'c = 24 MPa

Design tensile strength is given by

ft = 0.3⋅ f'c
0.67 (
⋅ 0.6 + 0.4⋅ h
− 0.25 )
⎡ − 0.25⎤
However, since the term ⎢0.6 + 0.4⋅ ⎛⎜ h ⎞⎟ ⎥ = 0.706 < 1, the term will be set equal to 1
⎣ ⎝ mm ⎠ ⎦
0.67
⎛ f'c ⎞
ft := 0.3⋅ MPa ⋅ ⎜ ⎟
⎝ MPa ⎠

Second moment of area of uncracked section

1 3 6 4
Ig := ⋅ b⋅ h Ig = 666.7 × 10 mm
12
h
Neutral axis depth for the uncracked section xg := xg = 100 mm
2
 Project: Reinforced Concrete Job ref: SIN 773
Structures Calc sheet no: 4 of 5
Struct: Cracking Ex 2b Filename: Crck_Ex02b.xmcd
Drawing ref: ______ Checked by: ______
Calc by: JMR Date: ______
Date: 2008-07-13

Cracking moment

ft ⋅ Ig
Mcr := Mcr = 16.82 kN⋅ m
h − xg

Stress in the reinforcement for a cracked section at the cracking moment

Mcr⋅ ( d − x)
fscr := αe⋅ fscr = 138.5 MPa
Icr

From Eq. (10-9) the tension stiffening is

fs = 247.1 MPa as before

β1 := 1 for deformed bars
β2 := 0.5 for sustained load
K2 := β1 ⋅ β2 K2 = 0.5

2
K 2⋅ f s
⎛ fscr ⎞ −6
ε ts := ⋅⎜ ⎟ ε ts = 194.1 × 10
Es ⎝ f s ⎠
ε ts
Note that this is only = 51.5 % of the value calculated by BS 8110.
ε ts.2

The steel stress without taking tension stiffening into account

fs −3
ε s := ε s = 1.235 × 10
Es
Average stress at the level of the reinforcement
−3
ε m := ε s − ε ts ε m = 1.041 × 10

The effective area around a bar in the slab is given by

h−x 3 2
Aeff := s⋅ Aeff = 10.96 × 10 mm
2

For Eq. (6.27) the following is required

π 2
⋅ϕ
4 −3
ρ := ρ = 10.32 × 10
Aeff

From Eq. (6.27) with

k1 := 0.4 deformed bars

k2 := 0.125 for flexure

s = 150 mm < 15⋅ ϕ = 180 mm OK

⎡
w := 1.7⋅ ⎢2 ⋅ ⎛⎜ c +
s ⎞ + k1⋅ k2⋅ ϕ⎤⎥ ⋅ ε w = 0.209 mm
⎟ m
⎣ ⎝ 10 ⎠ ρ ⎦
 Project: Reinforced Concrete Job ref: SIN 773
Structures Calc sheet no: 5 of 5
Struct: Cracking Ex 2b Filename: Crck_Ex02b.xmcd
Drawing ref: ______ Checked by: ______
Calc by: JMR Date: ______
Date: 2008-07-13

ACI-318 (1995)
Number of bars in tension x
As b NA
n := n = 6.667 or = 6.667 d
π 2 s h
⋅ϕ
4 h1 Ae
h2
Distance from the extreme tension fibre to centroid of 2ds
reinforcement ds
c bw
d s := ⎛⎜ c +
ϕ⎞
⎟ d s = 21 mm
⎝ 2⎠

Effective tension area of concrete surrounding the main tension reinforcement and having the same centroid
as that reinforcement
3 2
Ae := b ⋅ 2 ⋅ d s Ae = 42 × 10 mm

Effective tension area of concrete divided by the number of bars

Ae 3 2
A := A = 6.3 × 10 mm
n

Thickness of cover measured from the extreme tension fibre to centroid of bar closest to that fibre

d c := ⎛⎜ c +
ϕ⎞
⎟ d c = 21 mm
⎝ 2⎠

Neutral axis depth x = 53.88 mm (as before)

Distance from the extreme tension fibre to the working stress neutral axis
h 2 := h − x h 2 = 146.1 mm

Distance from the centroid of the main reinforcement to the working stress neutral axis

h 1 := d − x h 1 = 125.123 mm

h2
βh := βh = 1.168
h1

Service load in the reinforcement fs = 247.1 MPa (as before)

Crack width at the tension face

−6
11 × 10 3
w := ⋅ βh ⋅ fs ⋅ d c⋅ A w = 0.162 mm
MPa