VI.
Long term Deflection
Long-term deflection response of reinforced concrete flexural members is influenced by the
interaction of complex physical phenomena, such as concrete creep, shrinkage and cracking, which makes
their prediction difficult. A number of approaches are proposed by design codes with different degrees of
simplification and accuracy.
This paper statistically investigates accuracy of long-term deflection predictions made by some of the
most widely used design codes (Eurocode 2, ACI 318, ACI 435, and the new Russian code SP 52-101) and
a numerical technique proposed by the authors. The accuracy is analyzed using test data of 322 reinforced
concrete members from 27 test programs reported in the literature. The predictions of each technique
are discussed, and a comparative analysis is made showing the influence of different parameters, such as
sustained loading duration, compressive strength of concrete, loading intensity and reinforcement ratio,
on the prediction accuracy.
The long-term deflection is almost two to three times of the short-term deflection. The following are the
major factors influencing the long-term deflection of the structures.
(a) Humidity and temperature ranges during curing,
(b) Age of concrete at the time of loading, and
(c) Type and size of aggregates, water-cement ratio, amount of compression reinforcement, size of
members etc., which influence the creep and shrinkage of concrete.
Calculation of Deflection of R/C beams
Review of theory of deflection of homogeneous beams in elastic flexure:
ACI code method
Examples:
1.)
Problem 1:
Figures 7.17.1 and 2 present the cross-section and the tensile steel of a simply supported T-beam of 8 m
span using M 20 and Fe 415 subjected to dead load of 9.3 kN/m and imposed loads of 10.7 kN/m at service.
Calculate the shortand long-term deflections and check the requirements of IS 456.
f = 0.7 f (cl. 6.2.2 of IS 456) = 3.13 N/mm2
Mr = fcr Igr /yt = 3.13(11.384)(10)9/429.48 = 82.96 kNm
Es = 200000 N/mm2
Ec = 5000 ck f (cl. [Link] of IS 456) = 22360.68 N/mm2
m = Es /Ec = 8.94
2.)
VII. Continuous Beams
The analysis of continuous beams and frames to determine the bending moments and shear is an
essential step in the design process of these members. Furthermore, the evaluation of the maximum
deflection is a mandatory step in checking the adequacy of the design. There are many computer
programs available to perform these tasks. However, a hand spot checks for moments at selected points
still necessary.
Also, a quick determination of moments, even they are approximate, is usually required for simple
structures and preliminary evaluation of complicated ones. The aim of the present work, is to develop a
simple and reasonably accurate method to determine moments and deflection for continuous beams.
The slope-deflection method and a beam analysis code are implemented to analyze a large number
of continuous beams of equal spans length. Beams of various span numbers and loading distribution are
investigated. The method of superposition is used to represent a continuous beam by the appropriate
single-span beams (each span by two propped cantilevers and one simply supported beam). Simple
expressions are presented to determine the equivalent load on each of the substituent beams. From
which, the bending moment, shear force and deflection at any location can be calculated by the method
of superposition. The validity of the suggested method are examined by applying it to several cases of
continuous beams. The presented method is found to give exact values for beams of two and three spans.
While for the purpose of simplicity and getting compact expressions, approximate results with errors less
than 0.5% are obtained for beams of four and more spans.
