ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the truss analogy theory, as suggested by Ritter (1899)1 and supported by Morsch (1902 and 1906),2 appears to be incorrect. It demonstrates how in a flexurally bent reinforced concrete (RC) beam (either cracked or uncracked) there cannot be any truss formation, and that there is no similarity between a cracked RC beam and a real truss in the behavior of load distribution and stress condition. As long as the neutral axis is present, flexural tension and compressed struts (between any two adjacent stirrups) cannot coexist at the same time and at the same place. If a diagonal crack passes through the entire compressed zone, then an arch, with its hinge at the compressed zone, is created but not a truss.
