Influence of tensile softening of concrete on crack development and failure in concrete and reinforced concrete beams

In the paper, the own test results were presented. The experimental investigation was focused at determining the cracking and load capacity of beams made of concrete. The beams were characterized by different longitudinal reinforcement ratio from zero — plain concrete beams, through low ratio 0.12% — slightly reinforced concrete beams, middle ratio 0.9% — typical reinforced concrete beams, up to the ratios 1.3% and 1.8% — higher reinforced concrete beams. On the basis of the performed experiments and the results of numerical calculations, the process of crack’s formation and crack’s development in plain concrete, slightly reinforced concrete and reinforced concrete beams with different reinforcement ratio was described. When discussing cracking process in the beams, the contribution of strain softening of tensile concrete in the microcracked zone on the character of beams’ failure was analysed as well. Keywords: civil engineering, concrete and reinforced concrete members, cracking and load capacity.