Effect of Tension Stiffening on the Deflection of a Tapered Reinforced Concrete Cantilever Under a Concentrated Load

Abstract

Tapered cantilever concrete beams are widely used in various types of applications. However, deflections for these types of beams are usually estimated using numerical techniques. In this research, an analytical solution is obtained for a non-prismatic tapered cantilever concrete beam that has a varying depth along the length when subjected to a concentrated load at its end. The dependence of the solution on the steel reinforcement ratio is simplified in order to obtain the solution. An effective moment of inertia model with tension stiffening is used in the formulation to obtain a better prediction for deflection. The obtained equation of deflection has the advantage of practicality and ease of use for designers and engineers. The finite element method is used to verify the analytical solution. A smeared cracking model with a tension softening effect was incorporated in the finite element model in order to obtain better simulation results. Despite the fact that the model predicted deflection well, the model lacks the ability to accurately predict the location of the neutral axis.