RBSM-Based Analysis of Crack Control Effectiveness of Polymer Concrete Overlay for Reinforced Concrete Structures

This paper presents a method for numerical analysis of the effectiveness of using the engineered cementitious composites with polyvinyl alcohol fibers for concrete cover repairs. The numerical analysis utilizes a nonlinear three-dimensional Rigid-Body-Spring Model which has strong capabilities to assess the crack width and crack patterns in the concrete structures. The applicability of the analysis is demonstrated on a reinforced concrete frame corner which is subjected to both the action of the positive and the negative bending moment. The effectiveness of the added overlays is shown in a comparison of the frame corner with and without the engineer cementitious composite overlays. The added overlays reduce the crack width and thus extend durability of rein-forced concrete structures. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.23.6.18931