Development of Design Guidance for Circular Reinforced Concrete Columns Incorporating Crack Width

Maximum crack width of reinforced concrete (RC) structures should be controlled for satisfying the serviceability and durability requirements of the structures. However, the crack width analysis of RC structures is not much easy because of the complexity of the parameters which affect the crack width. In the Sri Lankan context, there is no specific simplified guidance in terms charts and tables for crack width calculations of circular RC columns. Hence, it is important to develop such guidance. This research deals with the crack width analysis of circular RC columns in straight viaduct sections. A comprehensive study was carried out regarding the behaviour of the cracks in circular RC columns in viaduct sections as per the design standard, BS 5400. Autodesk Structural Bridge Design software was used to perform crack width calculations and MIDAS Civil software was used to do the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and validation process. The comprehensive design charts developed in this research will be useful in calculating the crack widths in circular RC columns without following any time-consuming methods. Therefore, the findings of this research will be helpful to enhance the efficiency of the design work related to the crack width calculations of circular RC columns.