Numerical evaluation of plastic rotation capacity in RC beams

The objective of the present paper is the analysis of the parameter “$ pl ” in reinforced-concrete beams by means of smeared crack approaches. The effects of the compressive strength and the size dependence in bending are re-investigated. The non-linear analyses were carried out by means of the Finite Element Method. The programs DIANA, CASTEM 2000, and QUEBRA2D/FEMOOP were used in the numerical simulations. Appropriate constitutive models for concrete, rebars and bond-slip interfaces were implemented to represent more realistically the behavior of the structural system. Interface and reinforcement (discrete and embedded approaches) finite elements were used to accomplish an explicit representation of the concrete-reinforcement bond.