DESIGN STRESSES FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES SUBJECT TO MULTI-AXIAL STRESSES

Abstract

The large quantity of published information on the mechanical behaviour of concretes under multi-axial stress states has been used to formulate simple expressions that show whether structural concrete under prescribed stresses is safe according to ultimate and serviceability limit states. The report is in three parts. The first discusses in general terms the basis upon which the design criteria have been formulated. This is followed by a brief section that gives the recommended stress levels both for normal and lightweight aggregate concretes. The third part is concerned with graphical representation and application of these equations. There is also an appendix which summarises the data used; it includes typical stress-strain curves and justifies the simplifications made in the representation of multi-axial stress data. An attempt has also been made to condense all of the information needed by a designer in a single table. /Author/TRRL/