Equivalent Moment of Inertia Based on Integration of Curvature

Abstract

This paper evaluates the benefits of computing deflection with an equivalent moment of inertia based on integration of curvature to account for changes in member stiffness along the span. Results are evaluated for steel and fiber-reinforced polymer reinforced (FRP-reinforced) concrete flexural members with different loading arrangements and support conditions. Closed-form solutions of integrated expressions for deflection are expressed in terms of an equivalent moment of inertia Ie′ and compared to deflection computed with an effective moment of inertia Ie based on the stiffness at the critical section. Results from this comparison are validated with measured deflections from an experimental database for FRP-reinforced concrete. Current code-related approaches are also compared to the experimental database. It is shown herein that the use of an integration-based expression for the moment of inertia can lead to improved prediction of deflection, though the use of an effective moment of inertia based on member stiffness at the critical section gives a reasonably conservative estimate of deflection in many cases. The benefits of taking account of changes in stiffness along the member span are more evident when low reinforcing ratios are used in combination with FRP reinforcement, and use of the integration-based expression Ie′ may be warranted when deflection control is critical in such cases.