Assessment of cracking performance in edge restrained RC walls

Excessive cracking due to restraint of thermal and shrinkage strains is a widespread problem in the concrete construction industry. In design, restraint induced cracking is managed by the provision of reinforcement intended to distribute internal strains in such a way as to control the cracking pattern and limit crack widths. The area of secondary (horizontal) reinforcement required in members such as retaining walls and water tanks is often governed by the need to control early age thermal cracking. This paper presents results from four edge restrained walls tested at Imperial College London and the University of Leeds as part of an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funded project into restraint induced cracking. The paper describes the development of volumetric strain and cracking in the tested walls. The cracking performance is assessed by comparing the restrained strain with the tensile strain capacity of concrete.