Shrinkage in reinforced concrete structures: a computational aspect

Abstract

This paper introduces the recent state of research on shrinkage of concrete. It reviews prediction models of shrinkage strain and curvature analysis methods of reinforced concrete members. New test data on concrete shrinkage has been presented. Various factors that influence shrinkage have been discussed. A calculation technique on short-term deformations of cracked reinforced concrete members including shrinkage has been introduced. The technique is based on layer model and smeared crack approach. Shrinkage influence on behaviour of reinforced concrete beams was investigated numerically and compared with test data reported in the literature. It has been shown that shrinkage has significantly reduced the cracking resistance and leads to larger deflections.