Nonlinear Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Slabs

An efficient numerical procedure for the material and geometric nonlinear analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete slabs and panels including the time-dependent effects due to load history, temperature history, creep, shrinkage and aging of the concrete and relaxation of prestress is developed. The procedure, based on the finite element method, is capable of predicting the response of these structures throughout their service load history as well as throughout elastic, cracking, inelastic and ultimate load ranges. An updated Lagrangian formulation is employed to take the effects of changing structural geometry on the response of planar structures into account. Slabs or panels having an arbitrary tendon layout with either pretensioned, or bonded or unbonded post-tensioned tendons can be analyzed. Two numerical examples are presented to study the validity and applicability of the present method. The results obtained are compared with experimental and/or analytical results obtained by other investigators.