Abstract

In this study, finite elements method (FEM) was used for the nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete (R/C) plates under incremental loading up to failure load. Layered composite material model (LCMM) was used for the modeling of reinforced concrete plates. This approach differs from the other approaches since it considers the effect of tensile stiffness of concrete between cracks and uses a criterion based on the fracture energy concept considering the effect of finite element mesh size. Load-displacement relationships were determined according to the ‘layered composite material approach’. The results of the analyses were compared and found to be in agreement with the experimental results and the results of past studies. A computer program prepared with Fortran PowerStation 4.0 programming language was used in this study.

Key words: Non-linear plate analysis, finite elements method, layered composite materials.