Deformation Analysis of Reinforced Beams Made of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

In the present trend of constructing taller and longer structures, the application of lightweight aggregate concrete is becoming an increasing important advanced solution in the modern construction industry. In engineering practice, the analysis of lightweight concrete elements is performed using the same algorithms used for normal concrete elements. As an alternative to traditional engineering methods, nonlinear numerical algorithms based on constitutive material models may be used. The paper presents a comparative analysis of curvature calculations for flexural lightweight concrete elements, incorporating analytical code methods EN 1992-1 and ACI 318-14, as well as a numerical analysis using the constitutive model of cracked tensile lightweight concrete recently proposed by the authors. To evaluate the adequacy of the theoretical predictions, experimental data of 51 lightweight concrete beams tested during five different programmes were collected. A comparison of theoretical and experimental results showed that the most accurate predictions are obtained using numerical analysis and the constitutive model proposed by the authors. In the future, the latter algorithm can be used as a reliable tool for improving the design standard methods or numerical modelling of lightweight concrete elements subjected to short-term loading.