ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION OF CRACKING IN A PARTIALLY PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM.

The formation and distribution of flexural cracks in a partially prestressed simply supported beam and the variation of crack width both over the depth and along the span are predicted by a non-linear finite element analysis and compared with experimental data. It is suggested that the variation of crack width is due as much to the sequential propagation of the cracks as to the inherent variability of the constituent materials and their bonding properties.