Authors
Abstract
This research deals with nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete deep beams with openings by three dimensional finite element method under static load. The constitutive models of the material nonlinearity are adopted to take into account the nonlinear stress-strain relationships of concrete and steel, such as (cracking and crushing of concrete, and yielding of reinforcement). A twenty-noded isoparametric brick element with sixty degrees of freedom is employed to model the concrete while the reinforcing bars are modeled as axial members embedded through the brick element with perfect bond. Parametric study is considered to deal with the effect of opening location on the ultimate strength of deep beams. It was found that providing an opening at the shear zone causes sharp decrease in ultimate load by about (31%-56%) for simply supported deep beams. Therefore, if the designer has to provide an opening in a deep beam, he should keep it far away from the load path
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