Uniaxial stress-strain relation for low- and normal-strength concrete in compression

Abstract

In the modelling and simulation of reinforced concrete structures, accurate definition of material properties is important in terms of obtaining precise results. Among the parameters defining the behaviour of concrete in structural analyses, stress-strain behaviour has great importance. Since the stress-strain behaviour of concrete is difficult to determine experimentally, many relations have been proposed in which this behaviour is predicted numerically. However, it is seen that the most commonly used of these stress-strain relations are produced with a limited number of samples, and that most of the relations are based on test results obtained from a single laboratory. Accordingly, the stress-strain behaviour relations constituted in different studies for the same concrete are quite distant from each other. Therefore, there is a need for an inclusive and valid relation for low- and normal-strength concrete. In this study, a simple and realistic stress-strain relation for low- and normal-strength ordinary Portland cement concretes in compression was proposed by using stress-strain data obtained from different laboratories by different researchers. The proposed relation, which predicts stress-strain behaviour with relatively low error rates when compared with similar relations, is presented, with comparative graphs, to the benefit of researchers and designers.