ABSTRACT

Widths of exural cracks at service loads need to be considered in design (1) if the structural element is visible and (2) if it is exposed to a corrosive environment. One may get the impression from engineering literature that exural cracking consideration in design requires calculation of crack widths to a precision of 0.001 in. We shall make no such pretense. Our goal is to provide a simple understanding of the dominant factors affecting exural crack widths.