Synopsis
Existing ultimate strength theories for reinforced concrete structures are not sufficient to describe behaviour under cyclic loading. In particular, the phenomenon called ‘incremental collapse’ or its converse, ‘shake-dow’, must be considered. An elastic-perfectly-plastic theory has been developed, but its applicability has been questioned. If the material properties show evidence of strain-hardening, the system will shake down under cyclic loads up to and greater than the perfectly plastic limit load. This paper applies strain-hardening concepts to the theoretical response of reinforced concrete structures and verifies the predictions so obtained by comparing results with experimental responses of a set of reinforced concrete continuous beams.
