THE ULTIMATE LIMIT STATE FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAMES

The conventional procedure for calculating the strength of reinforced concrete frames consists of an elastic analysis with, sometimes, a limited amount of moment adjustment permitted to allow for inelastic effects. From such an adjusted moment field, the cross-sectrional properties may then be checked by so-called ultimate load principles. It is well recongised that this procedure is quite irrational, and numerous attempts have been made to provide a more consistent method for non-linear reinforced concrete frame analysis. This paper reviews those methods briefly, and compares the predictions and foundations of these methods to experimental observations on real or model frames. It will be shown that the theories singularly ignore the behaviour of beam-column joints, which are shown to play an important part in real frame behaviour. The number of the covering absatract for the conference is TRIS no 394142. (Author/TRRL)