Seismic performance of polymer modified concretes in flexure-modelling

Considerable research has been carried out in the recent years in the development of models to simulate the inelastic responses of reinforced concrete elements. The enhancement of ductility and the post-peak behaviour are of special interest for the seismic design of structures. Polymer modified fibre concretes are found to be ideal for seismic application with its inherent structural characteristics. An experimental investigation has been undertaken to understand the flexural behaviour of the polymer-modified fibre concrete modified with natural rubber latex. The results are compared with the response of normal strength concrete beam. Analytical modelling of the beams were carried out in a user friendly finite element software to accurately predict the monotonic behaviour of the beams which is considered to be the envelope of cyclic curve. The strains developed were found and are compared with the theoretical results.