A parametrical analysis for the rotational ductility of reinforced concrete beams

The assessment of the plastic rotation of reinforced concrete beams is an essential aspect to avoid structural brittle collapses. The value actually available can be generally determined as sum of two different components. The first, due to bending, the second for inclined shear cracks. This paper presents a simplified model which provides the flexural plastic rotation of the rectangular beams with a ``closed-form solution''. The approach is substantially dimensionless and includes main influencing factors the cross -section, as mechanical material properties, ductility, geometrical and mechanical reinforcement ratio, confinement effects. In closing, in order to appreciate the reliability of the procedure, a comparison with models proposed by international technical standards is made