dc.description.abstract | Deflections are among the most complex aspects of reinforced concrete behavior.
Furthermore, deflection control is increasingly a governing criterion in
design, especially in the case of two-way members such as flat slabs or edgesupported
slabs. However, simple and theoretically sound and adequately verified
methods for calculating deflections of two-way reinforced concrete members
have been lacking. Therefore, in this study, a novel method is proposed
for deflection control of two-way slabs. The method is an extension of the
ζ-method (as defined by Eurocode 2 and the fib Model Code 2010) of interpolating
deflections between the uncracked and fully cracked state. As a basis,
the method uses elastic deflections that are obtained through linear elastic
analyses in finite element software. The elastic deflection is then adequately
transformed based on the properties of a representative section, to account for
cracking, shrinkage and creep according to a modified version of the ζ-method.
Finally, the method is validated against available experimental results from literature,
obtaining satisfactory precision and accuracy. The method proposed
in this study aims at providing an easy-to-use tool for designers carrying out
deflection control of two-way reinforced concrete slabs. | sr |