Design of T.C. cross-sections with stiffness control

Abstract

The analysis of Reinforced Concrete structures and the computation of its deflections require the knowledge of the stiffness of its cross-sections. These sriffnesses are usually estimated by some rule-of-thumb, such as the value corresponding to the uncracked concrete without considering reinorcement. This paper suggests the possibility of making more realistic initial estimates of the stiffnesses, controlling later on the validity of these estimates when the actual reinforcement ratio is obtained. This design procedure can be implemented by means of interaction diagrams which permit to control the stiffness of the designed cross-section.