Deformation and cracking of post-tensioned brickwork beams

The paper presents a theoretical method for calculating the moment-curvature and thus the load-deflection relationships of post-tensioned brickwork beams. The theoretical method takes into account the various sources of non-linearity in brickwork behavior, e. g. stress strain relationship, tensile cracking, and tension stiffening. A theoretical expression for predicting the crack width in terms of crack spacing and average strain at the level of crack is also desribed. The theoretical results are compared with the test results of post-tensioned brickwork beams built from different brick strengths (low, medium, and high) with various % of steel. A very good correlation is obtained between the experimental and theoretical results.