Abstract

One of the fundamental features in the design of rigid pavements is the rupture modulus, which value is obtained experimentally using a bending test and indicates the maximum load that a concrete beam can support. To determine this value is expensive and impractical since the tests require rather large stress values, there is always a risk of producing brittle fractures in the probes used. For this reason, it is proposed in this paper an implementation of a numerical estimation for the deformations due to the maximum load through a simple interpolation model that allows the generation of the stress/strain diagram using the only data available: the maximum load. The results show that it is possible to calculate the maximum deformation value in the beam previous to the failure. Also, it is possible to generate the stress/strain diagram and distinguish the elastic and elastoplastic areas of the concrete.