Fracture mechanics-based models have been widely used to predict the cracking process of lightly steel-RC beams but the bond behavior of steel-concrete interface has not been evaluated nor its influence on the crack propagation. In this paper, an analytical solution…
Fracture mechanics-based models have been widely used to predict the cracking process of lightly steel-RC beams but the bond behavior of steel-concrete interface has not been evaluated nor its influence on the crack propagation. In this paper, an analytical solution considering bond-slip effect of steel-concrete interface is proposed for modeling the Mode I crack propagation process in lightly RC beams subjected to three-point bending. Based on the classical tri-linear bond-slip model, the full-range interfacial bond behavior is described by five consecutive stages accounting for the local damaging process of the steel-concrete interface that extends with the increase of shear slip. Afterwards, the stress intensity factors (SIFs) induced by the steel force, cohesive force, and the applied load are calculated with the weight function by adopting the K-superposition method. Finally, an overall computational equation in terms of a single unknown is derived. Through comparison with the existing test results, it is indicated that the predicted P-CMOD curves and peak loads show a good agreement with the test results. Therefore, it can be concluded that the present solution considering bond-slip effect can be effectively used to predict the cracking behavior of lightly RC beams.