Nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete beams strengthened in shear with embedded steel bars

This paper presents a two-dimensional nonlinear finite element (FE) model for reinforced concrete (RC)beams strengthened in shear with embedded steel bars. A rotating crack model, where the crackdirection changes with the change in the direction of the principal tensile stress, was used for theconcrete. The steel reinforcement was modelled as a plastic material with nonlinear strain hardening. TheFE model was validated using experimental results from the published literature. A parametric study wasconducted to investigate the effect of beam type and concrete compressive strength on the load carryingcapacity of simply supported and continuous strengthened beams. The FE model predicted thatcontinuous RC beams had load carrying capacities that were 20-22% lower than those of thecorresponding simply supported beams. The predicted load carrying capacities of both beam typesincreased by 12-15% with the increase in concrete cube compressive strength from 40 to 60 MPa.