FULL-RANGE BEHAVIOR OF HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE FLEXURAL MEMBERS - COMPARISON OF DUCTILITY PARAMETERS OF HIGH AND NORMAL-STRENGTH CONCRETE MEMBERS

High-strength concrete (f(c)' > 50 MPa) is a far more brittle material than normal-strength concrete. As a result, doubts have been expresse d as to the ductility inherent in members made of high-strength concre te. This paper details tests on flexural members made with high-streng th concrete with a view of determining three key ductility parameters: hinge lengths, softening slopes, and hinge rotation capacities. These key parameters are then compared with similar parameters for normal-s trength concrete, and the implications of designing with high-strength concrete are discussed. Tile paper concludes that high-strength concr ete members exhibit qualitatively similar trends in ductility when com pared with normal-strength concrete, and that, despite high-strength c oncrete being a more brittle material, flexural members made with high -strength concrete exhibit greater ductility.