An analytical model for crack spacing of thick reinforced concrete plates

A simple, practical, and new analytical model that is capable of predicting the crack spacing of orthogonally reinforced concrete plate elements is developed. The new model can account for the influence of the transverse reinforcement on the cracking behavior. The major parameters influencing the cracking behavior of reinforced concrete members, such as the tensile strength of concrete, reinforcement ratio, bar diameter and spacing in both longitudinal and transverse directions, are also considered. A reinforced concrete plate element is studied using equilibrium and compatibility equations to formulate the average stresses of steel and concrete. A series of verification comparisons with the experimental investigation conducted in this study, as well as the previous experimental work which involved various types of structural elements and loading conditions, are performed to measure the validity and reliability of the model. Also, this model for the crack spacing can be utilized to predict the value of crack width for various loading stages. In all of the studied cases, the model performs satisfactorily with respect to the measured responses from the experimental work.