Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea ISSN:1229-3059(Print) 2287-2302(Online) 한국전산구조공학회 논문집

When designing a reinforced concrete member using nonlinear finite element analysis results, the bending moment at the critical section should be calculated. In this paper, a bending moment calculation method using the results of reinforced concrete finite element analysis(FEA) using continuum elements is presented and the optimum element size according to the order of the displacement function of the finite element is proposed. The bending moments calculated by integrating the stresses from the FEA are compared with the bending moments calculated using the static equilibrium conditions. In the method of integrating the stress, both the stress due to the reinforcing bar and the stress of the concrete are considered. In addition, various factors affecting the accuracy of the stresses calculated by the FEA were analyzed and the influence of the displacement function and the element size was verified. If the purpose of the analysis is to roughly observe the behavior of the members, it is appropriate to use the first order displacement function and the element size should be about 25% of the section height of the analytical model. When the bending moment of a member with high accuracy is required, it is suggested that the secondary displacement function be used and the element size be 12.5%.