A New Calculation Method for Cracking Width of Beam with High Strength Rebar

With the application of high strength concrete and rebar, the influence of concrete strength on cracking width of reinforced concrete beam with high strength rebar is becoming more and more important. To investigate the effect of concrete strength on cracking width of reinforced concrete beam with high strength rebar, the experiment including 6 simply supported T-beams with high-strength rebar and 2 beams with ordinary-strength rebar have been made. Then the relevant specifications advised in Code for Design of Concreter Structure (GB50010-2002) are revised according to the experiment results so as to considering the influence of concrete on cracking width. A new cracking width method considering the influence of concrete strength on cracking width for reinforced concrete beam with high strength rebar is proposed. Finally, the comparisons between predictions and experiment results have been conducted, which shown that the proposed new cracking width method agreed with experiment results well.