THE INFLUENCE OF THE REINFORCING BAR DIAMETER ON THE BEHAVIOR OF MEMBERS IN BENDING AND INPLANE TENSION

A series of six, full-scale specimens was tested in bending and in-pla ne tension with the aim of determining the influence of the reinforcin g bar diameter on the amount of tension stiffening in reinforced concr ete members. AII specimens had the same external dimensions and had th e same area and location of longitudinal reinforcement. Three of the t ested beams were reinforced using No. 10M reinforcing bars and three w ere reinforced using No. 20M reinforcing bars. The specimens were rest ed in three different ratios of in-plane tension to bending. The test results showed a decreased stiffness in beams reinforced with less but larger diameter reinforcing bars. The rests can be used for the devel opment of a rational model for tension for cracked reinforced concrete , as well as for calibrating the existing theoretical models used in t he analysis of reinforced concrete structures.