Unit 3 Topic 2: Plastic Bending of Sections:Theory

The fundamentals of pure bending remain the same whether dealing with linear
elastic analysis or with plastic analysis of section behaviour:

Definition: Neutral Surface - Surface on which strains are zero.

• Plane sections remain plane, i.e. strains vary linearly throughout the section
depth.
• The net axial force on the section is zero.
• There is a neutral surface which demarcates between the parts of the section
in tension and in compression.

Consider how the strains and stresses will change in a beam with a clearly defined
yield point and long yield plateau, see Figure on next page. Once the strain at the
top/bottom of the section exceeds the yield stress of the material, the stress in the
outer fibres cannot increase further under increasing curvature. At extreme
curvature, the whole of the section will be stressed at yield in either tension or
compression. While such an extreme could not actually be reached, remember that
the parts of the beam close to the neutral axis have relatively little influence on
bending resistance, and some minor approximation is acceptable.
 y is the strain at which yield occurs : fy = E. y

The difference between the elastic and plastic approaches results from the higher
strains assumed in the latter instance. As the material in the cross section is all
assumed to be strained beyond the yield point, either in tension or in compression,
then the value of the stress is known as it is determined by the characteristics of the
material.
Plastic bending of sections - no axial load

General assumptions for bending :

1) Strains vary linearly throughout depth of section.
Particular assumptions for plastic bending
2) Strains exceed value at which material starts to yield throughout the depth of
the section.
3) Long yield plateau
4) Slenderness of web and flange are low enough to avoid buckling of these
elements of the cross section.
Consider a rectangular cross section, and assume the material has the same yield
strength in tension and in compression

Step 1 : Determine
neutral axis location
More generally, iIf the material has the same yield stress in tension and compression
(a reasonable approximation for most civil engineering type steel structures) then it
follows that the areas of material above and below the neutral surface are equal.

Step 2 : Calculate
moment of resistance

More generally, S is the first moment of area of the cross section about it’s neutral
axis. Note that the plastic section modulus for a rectangular section is 50% greater
than the elastic section modulus, Z=b.d2/6.
as before, where for a rectangular section, S= b. d2/4
Ex 1 Calculate plastic bending capacity Mp of the I section beam below. The
material has a yield strength fy of 250N/mm2 in tension and compression.

Neutral surface lies at at midheight (by symmetry)

Sx-x for rectangular section = b.d2/4

Calculate Sx-x for I section as :

(Sx-xfor rectangle bounding section)
- (Sx-x for shaded area)
Sx-x = (140 x 2802/4) - ((140-12) x 2402/4) = 900800mm3
Mp = fy Sx-x = 250N/mm2 x 900800mm3 = 225.2x106N.mm
= 225kN.m.

Note Zxx= 776076mm3. 14% less than Sx-x

Ex 2 Calculate plastic bending capacity Mp of the T section beam below. The
material has a yield strength fy of 250N/mm2.

Area above Neutral Surface = Area below

=> Neutral Surface lies at bottom of flange

Sx-x = 100 x 102/2 + 10 x 1002/2 = 55,000mm3

(Flange) (web)

Mp = fy. Sx-x = 250 x 55,000 = 15.1 x 106 N.mm

= 15.1kN.m
Ex 3 Calculate plastic bending capacity Mp of the T section beam below. The
material has a yield strength fy of 250N/mm2.

Location of neutral axis:

First moments of area:

Top flange 100 x 15 x (6.67+15/2)
Top part of web 12 x 6.672 /2
Lower part of web 12 x (80-6.67)2/2
Bottom flange 70 x 10 x (80-6.67+10/2)
Total 108884mm2
Reinforced concrete beams and slabs in bending

The approach has to be modified somewhat for a form of construction such as

reinforced concrete in which the concrete and the steel reinforcement have differing
strength characteristics.
Typical stress-strain relationships for concrete in compression are provided in
documents such as EC2 the Eurocode for design of concrete structures, Figures 3.2
to 3.4. For calculation purposes here the equivalent rectangular stress block only
will be used, Figure 3.5 of the Eurocode and below. Stress-strain relationships for
steel reinforcement are as shown in the previous section. Concrete is weak in
tension - it’s tensile strength is neglected when considering plastic bending
resistance.
Example here limited to concrete of Grade C50/60 or lower

The safety factors used in structural design are not included here.
Notation

h - overall depth of section

b - breadth of compression zone
d - ‘effective depth’ ; distance from compression face to centroid of
reinforcement
x - depth to neutral surface
z - lever arm from centroid of concrete stress block to steel: z = d - 0.4 x
As - area of tension reinforcement

(For singly reinforced beams, i.e beams without reinforcement in compression zone)
Failure criterion for rc structures - concrete crushes at compressive strain of 0.0035
The neutral surface depth x/d may be limited (to 0.5 say) to ensure reinforcement is
at yield when concrete begins to crush at strain of 0.0035:

High yield bars yield at a strain of y = fy/Est =

= 500/200 000 = 0.0025
By similar triangles, strain in reinforcement at onset of crushing of concrete crushing
= 0.0035(d-x)/x
0.0025
=> x/d  0.5 ensures steel attains yield prior to crushing of concrete
Calculation procedure
Calculate the force in the tension reinforcement when it yields, then balance the
tension force with the force in the concrete in compression, and knowing the stress
at which the concrete will be acting, determine the area and hence the depth of the
concrete in compression.

Tension force in reinforcement T = As fyd

Compression force in concrete C = fcd . b. 0.8x

For horizontal Equilibrium, C + T = 0

Bending strength M = T z = C z
where z = d - 0.4 x

(The above follows EC2, but is essentially the same approach as in BS8110 with
only minor differences in coefficients).
The suffix ‘d’ denotes design values are used.
Example:
Calculate the resistance moment of the reinforced concrete beam section shown
below. Take yield strength of reinforcement fyk and compressive strength of concrete
fck as 500N/mm2 and 40N/mm2 respectively.

As = 942mm2
T = As fyd = 942 x 500 = 471kN
C = fcd . b. 0.8x & C = T, hence equate to find neutral axis depth x
x= T/(fcd . b. 0.8) = 49mm
z = d - 0.4 x = 380mm
M = T.z = 179kN.m

End of Topic