Investigation of compressive membrane action in ultra high performance concrete slab strips

Reinforced concrete slabs are found in very common structural systems in both civilian and military applications. The boundary conditions that support the slab play an important role in the response to a particular load. Specifically, the amount of lateral and rotational restraint dictates how a slab responds to a particular load. Compressive membrane (i.e., in-plane) forces are present in slabs when the boundaries are sufficiently stiff, therefore restricting the slab from both lateral translations and rotations.;Advancements have been made to account for the additional capacity due to compressive membrane forces in conventional strength concrete. In today's world, concrete performance is improving because of increasing compressive strengths and additional ductility present in concrete members. As a result of this current improvement, there is an urgent need to investigate compressive membrane theory in ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) slabs to better understand their behavior. Existing compressive membrane theory should be revisited to determine if current theory is applicable, or if it is not, what modifications should be made. This study will provide insight into the validity of existing theory that is currently used to predict the ultimate capacity in conventional-strength concrete slabs and attempt to modify the existing equations to account for high-strength concrete materials.;A matrix of 14 normal-strength concrete (NSC) and 13 UHPC slabs was tested both statically and dynamically to better understand the behavior of each material set and the effects that boundary conditions have on slab response. The results from these experiments were then compared to response calculations made from existing theory as well as finite element analyses.;Valuable data sets on rigidly restrained UHPC slab response were obtained through an experimental research program. The experiments helped to validate the associated numerical analysis that was performed. It was determined that the existing theory should be used with caution to calculate the ultimate resistance in UHPC slabs. It was also determined from the experimental and numerical results that the increased compressive strength that is present in restrained UHPC slabs results in a two-and-ahalf- times increase in resistance over the traditional yield-line theory resistance for UHPC slabs. 31.