ABSTRACT

I n Chapter 3 we considered the behaviour of ordinary reinforcedconcrete members (not prestressed) as they suffer the effects of bending, bending combined with direct compression, and shear and torsion. The chapters following Chapter 3 demonstrate the use of reinforced concrete members in various practical applications, including frames, bunkers, silos, reservoirs, tall chimneys, founda­ tions, and so on. In all the foregoing, the fundamental principle has been, that, owing to its intrinsic weakness in tension, concrete is incapable (or at any rate unreliable) in resisting tensile stresses, and as a result, structural members in plain concrete would crack. Reinforcement is therefore built into the members to provide the tensile strength they otherwise would lack.