ANALYSIS OF CONCRETE MASONRY BEAMS

This paper presents an in-depth structural engineering and structural reliability analysis of concrete masonry beams. The ductile response o f masonry beams was studied in detail. A limit-state design methodolog y for reinforced-concrete masonry beams is presented in this paper bas ed on the principles of structural reliability. Recommended values of capacity-reduction factors were developed that explicitly account the design safety of the limit states. The reinforcing steel bars are unif ormly distributed throughout the beam section. Three different ductili ty definitions (strain, curvature, and displacement) were derived and presented, This paper also formulated a structural reliability analysi s method to establish limitations on the quantity of steel in masonry beams. Equations were derived for the expected capacity at yield and u ltimate limit states. An important part of this paper was to quantify the uncertainty in the design capacity of concrete masonry beams of di fferent limit stares resulting from the variation of design variables, A Monte Carlo analysis was performed to incorporate the uncertainties in material properties, structural engineering equations, and constru ction quality control.