Deflection and ductility of continuous RC beams

Recent research work by the Author in the fields of deflection and ductility of reinforced concrete beams has shown that in design-oriented procedures both these aspects can be controlled through effective depth-linked requirements. The present study compares the required effective depth to meet a specified deflection limit with the effective depth satisfying a given ductility capacity. Domains are identified that are governed by deflection or by ductility limitations. It has been concluded that many practical continuous beams that meet the usual deflection limits are also satisfactory in regard to ductility. Thus the need to examine ductility falls away in many instances. A numerical example is used to illustrate the findings of this study.