Approximate solution of

creep of orthogonal
anisotropic concrete thin
plates
Ren-Gen Zhou and Yu-Xiu Hu
Department of Ctvd Engmeering, Taivuan Umversity of Technology, Talyuan, Shanxl,
030024, China

Lian Duan
Department of Ctvd Engmeenng, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, RapM
Ctty, SD 57701, USA

Wai-Fah Chen
Department of Structural Engmeering, School of Civil Engmeermg, Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
(Received August 1991, rewsed verston received November 1991)

This paper presents an approximate solution of the stress redmtribut=on due to concrete creep in a rectangular orthogonal anisotropic thin
plate subjected to uniformly distributed loads. Using the aging theory
and the conversion modulus, simply supported concrete thin plates
were analysed by the approximate solution developed in this paper.
It was found that there are a significant stress redistribution and a
notable deflection increase due to concrete creep in an anisotropic
plate. The larger the difference of creep characteristics of t w o directions, the larger the stress redistribution. The calculated results are
very close for both the aging theory and the conversion modulus
theory when the stress redistribution is not very large. It is found that
the results predicated by the theory of conversion modulus are adequate for engineering practme for all situations considered.

Keywords: creep, anisotropic concrete thin plates

Creep is one of the major properties of concrete_ This

time-dependent behawour has very sigmficant effects on
stress and deflections of concrete structures. Since Hatt
of Purdue University first reported the creep results of a
series of deflection tests of beams m 1907, experimental
and theoretical studies on concrete creep have provided
a good understanding of the nature of concrete creep
under well-defined laboratory condmons ~-t4. Design
considerations of effects of concrete creep are discussed
in detail m the two ACI pubhcations 36 A comprehenswe state-of-the-art summary of recent experimental and
theoretical studies on creep and shrinkage m concrete
structures is contained in the excellent book edited by
Bazant and Wlttmann ~5
In the paper, we shall first derive the approximate
solution of the stress redistribution due to creep of
concrete m a rectangular orthogonal amsotroplc thin

plate subjected to uniformly distributed loads Then, we

shall present the apphcation of the conversmn modulus
theory to plate structures. Finally, as an example, a
simply-supported thin square concrete plate is solved and
the results are dmcussed.

Basic equations
The following assumptions are made for the present
study
(1) For a thm concrete plate, the torsion moments are
neghglble. Polsson's ratio v is taken to be zero and
the influence of transverse creep is not considered_
(2) The term orthogonal anisotropic means the differences between the moduli of elasticity and creep propertles m the x- and y-directions.
(3) The modulus of elastloty is time independent

0141 0296 93:010061 06

,c', 1 9 9 3 B u t t e r w o r t h - H e m e m a n n Ltd

Eng. Struct. 1993, Vol. 15, No 1 61

Creep tn orthogonal amsotroplc concrete thin plates: R -G Zhou et al

(4) All d e f o r m a t i o n s are small, and stresses m a thinplate vary monotonlcall3, with time

,,',here
I

m o m e n t of inertia ol unit width

c]os~-

,~ec[lOl]

It should be noted that torsional m o m e n t s are not

considered here This a s s u m p t i o n ts only valid for a ver)
thin-plate, for example, a thin-slab co'~enng a grid of
intersecting b e a m system Based on the a b o v e a s s u m p tions, for a r e c t a n g u l a r thin-plate subjected to umforml?
d i s t r i b u t e d l o a d q as shown in Ftgme 1, the e q u i l i b r i u m
e q u a t i o n and generalized s t r e s s - s t r a i n e q u a t i o n s due to
creep are o b t a i n e d as

modulus of elastlClD m ~-and ~-dlrec

Et i , E 2

nons, respecUvely
m o m e n t a b o u t \-- and ~'-dlrectlons at
any time t, respectlvel)
deflection at an2,' time t
creep charactenstlc~ in ,,- and v-d~rec
tlons, respectwely

M,it). M~.(t)
w(t)
GIt. r). ~,(t. r)

Solutions of Mx(t) and M~(t~

?2M,(t)
?2M,(t)
?x-2 +
:-) -v - - q

d2w(l)

(~2w(t) d'y 2

C o n s i d e r i n g the creep c h a r a c t e n s n c ~b, as an m d e p e n d e n t

variable a n d i n t r o d u c i n g the r e l a n o n s h l p ~, = kqS,, we
obtain

(1)

Mx(t ) +

qS~dr

[
i,'l
1 Mv(t ) + L
d- dr ]
E~2I [
M~'(r) drrCh~

(2)
?G

(3)

3x 2

E, 1I

,~ ,~2w(G)_

k I ?-Mv(~,) + My(~,)l

"1"
X , LI

(5)

J i

I
I
I
I
m

y,v

y, v

a
0

dy
dx

C
Figure 1
element

62

~1~

ay

~x

ax

Retangular rumply-supported concrete th~n plate (a), loads and coordinates, (b), boundary supports, (c), equlhbnum of small

Eng. Struct. 1 9 9 3 , Vol. 15, No 1

Creep m orthogonal anisotropm concrete thin plates: R.-G. Zhou e t al.

Solving the d~fferentml equations (4) and (5), we find

When q~t = 0, we find

n 4
M~(O,) = - e -~' I E, aI fo" e ~'~ ~)~
OX2
/~ c~2w(~b,)

(6)

d q ~ - M~(O)1
M~(0,) = - e -k'

E~21

Dividing equation (14) by e -k*, and then differenUatlng

it with respect to 4), once, we obtain

ek~' ?~0~ (~y2

(7)

dqS~ - M, (0)]

D, fferentmtmg equations (6) and (7) twice with respect

to x and y, respectwely, and subsmutmg the results so
obtained into equation (1)gwes
e -e~, I E~ I f o~he 4'~ t~ -(34W(q~)
d~b~

(16)

?2Mx(0)l
Rearranging equation (16) gwes

ek" C~gr (.~y~

+ e kept Ec21

(32y j

= q

m 4

(8)

A.,. = k Bm.

For a simply-supported rectangular plate, the boundary condmons are

w~(0L:o = w~(0L_o = 0

(9)

w,,(0)~,_o = w,,(0)~,:h = 0

(10)

The general expressions for the deflection surface of a

thin plate with simply-supported boundaries can be
represented by the double mgonometrlc series
wo =

B,..(x. y) sm

mrcx

m=l n=l

nTty
sm - b

(17)
The general solution of equation (17) ms

Am"=Clexp

- (m)4D1 ..}_(~)4"D2dP' + C2

[(-:)'o,

(11)

(18)

and
w(~p,) =

A...(x,y,c~,) sin - - a

sm T

(12)

m=l n=l

Using the initial condmon, we obtain

Using the notatmns Ecll = D~ and g,2I =

boundary condmons (9) and (10), we have:
D l e '~'

e~'~ ~

e-k,

D 2,

and the

~, = 0,

(19)

where

n '~ ~
g
e k 0 " s ~ A,..

m 4.
___[,e-,-l,(;)o,

A =

B=

(7]

+ ( e k4,,_ 1) ~

A,..(0) = B,..

A
B
C
}
~5[1 -- e-e*,] + ~k4~, + 1 B,..

A... =

A,,,. d~br

w(~,) = Wo.

DE B,~.

(13)

1)z

DiD2(k-

()" (7
a

O,k +

(20)

D2

(21)

Dwldmg equaUon (13)by e -~, and then differentiating

it with respect to 4~, once, we obtain
Finally, the following equaUons for calculating the deflections and moments at any time t are obtained as

w(~b,) = ~=J .=l

~

+ D2
=

(1 - - k ) e - k ~

a [1

e -~et] -t--

kq~t + 1 B,..

e k4,' bt~r

D1 - [(1 - k)e k0, _ 1]

D 2 B,.. (14)

mrcx
nny
sin - sin - a
b

Eng. Struct. 1993, Vol. 15, No 1

(23)

63

Creep m orthogonal antsotroptc concrete thm plates. R -G Zhou e t al

moments are obtained as
'

"

M.14,,~= D, y.

y.

\a

1 n=

4-

{/.Wo:t,-kto +ck}
lr/~x
- -

sin

w(~,) =

x Bmn

I1

m'~_i n--i

(,,]4 +

I +,/,, \ a /

ll~),
- -

sin

D,

(24)

sin

illr_~
- - a

l) 2

I 4 h4,,

Ilgl'
-h

sin

(tl

4 1~,,,,,

t,)
(31)

M,(q~,) -

M,,(,~,) = o~ Z

m=l

n=I

o:t,,)

o,
l +~,
m~x

B,. n sin

- -

nny
sin

(25)

- -

7,

sin - -

sin . . . .
a

It is observed that equations (23)-(25) have the following features'

1 + l,c),

o
sin - -

The long-term conversion m o d u l u s is defined as

E,-

gt

1 + ~b~

(26)

m which E~ is the m o d u l u s of elasticity of concrete

Replacing the elastic m o d u l u s E~ in equations (2) and
(3) by equation (26) gives

,~w(qO
c%c~
~-

1 + q~,
-

~'-w(qS,)
~ ?v

D ~ M~(t)

(27)

1 + kcb,
-

D~

(28)

M~,(t)

from which we have

I

n, l + 4,,

?4w(qS,)

,~-',~ + D~ I + k4,~, - ?y'*

-

~%'o
= D~ ~8x +

D2

--q

?4w0
(n),4

(29)

Substituting equations (11) and (12) Into equation (29),

we obtain

D1(m)4 + D2(b) 4
A,..= 1
(m) 4 +1 D2

4B""

(30)

Thus, using the conversion modulus the following

equations (26) and (12), for determlng the deflection and

64

Eng. Struct. 1993, Vol. 15, No 1

(32)

M,,(~b,) =

(1) W h e n 4~, = 0 , all solutions reduce to the elastic

solutions, that is, w ( 0 ) = Wo, M , ( 0 ) = M,0, and
M>(O) = Myo
(2) W h e n k = 1, i.e., the creep characteristics o f the x
and y directions are the same, there is no stress
redistribution.

Application of conversion modulus theory

(:y.-

+~-~,1+

= l ,,=~

c, r
a

sin

(331

Using equations (31)- (33), we can obtain the following

special s o l u t i o n s firstly when qS, = 0, we have elastic
solutions, and secondly when k = 1, there are no stress
redistributions,
and
M,(q~,) = M:, o,
Md(o t) = M,.o,
w(0,) = (1 + 4),)wo

Example
As an example of the apphcatlon of the approximate
solutions derived, a simply-supported square thin plate
due to concrete creep is analysed. The results predicted
by equations (23)- (25) (aging theory), and by equations
(31) (33)(conversion modulus theory) are given in Table
1 The deflection and m o m e n t diagrams for the cases of
q~, = 2, k = 0. 0 2, 0_6 and 1 are shown in Figure 2
In Table 1, all results are calculated by equations
(23) (25) based on the aging theory, the data shown m
brackets are obtained by equations (31)-(33) from the
conversion modulus theory It can be seen from Table 1
that when k = 0 and ~b, = 3, the m o m e n t redlstribunons
of M x and M~ are most significant F o r the case of
D~ = 2D2 the value of Mx is decreased to 0 38 times that
of elastic value, while the value of M, is increased to 2_13
times that of the elastic solution.
For an anlsotroplc plate (or beam system) there are
significant stress redistributions and notable deflection
increases due to concrete creep The larger the difference
in creep characteristics between the two orthogonal
directions, the larger the stress redistributions Comparing the results of w, Mx and M e, obtained by the progression terms m, n = 1, 3, 5, the error of results using
progression terms m, n = 1 and 3 is less than 2 %
It is also observed from Table I that the results
calculated by the aging theory and the conversion

Creep ~n orthogonal anlsotropic concrete thin plates: R.-G. Zhou e t

q

al.

tax (

~L~

D1 = D 2

"

D1 = 2 D 2

M/qo2

M/qa2

20 1

D1=2D2

qo

qa4

Figure2
Table I

w / m

w/

D1~2

Dl~2

Moment redtstrlbut~on and deflection curves of a simply-supported square thm plate due to concrete creep
Approximate solutions for a s=mply-supported square thin plate due to concrete creep
D1 = D2

D1 = 2D2

M~ (0,)
Mx (0)

My (@r)
My (0)

w (~)
w (0)

Mx (r)
Mx (0)

My (~t)
My (0)

w(~,)
w (0)

1
2
3

0 63 (0 58)
041 (044)
0 28 (0 35)

1 34 (1 40)
1 56 (1 31)
1 70 (1 40)

1 40 (1 33)
1 66 (1 51)
1 81 (1 60)

0 69
0 51 0 38

1 50
1 70
2 13

1 28
1 49
1 63

02

1
2
3

0 65 (0 67)
0 61 (0 65)
0 56 (0 59)

1 26 (1 19)
1 38 (1 30)
1 45 (1 37)

1 49 (1 53)
1 76 (1 90)
2 00 (2 34)

0 74
0 63
0 56

1 34
1 62
1 80

1 56
2 08
2 56

06

1
2
3

0 85 (0 88)
0.79 (0 84)
0 77 (0 81)

1 10 (1 08)
1 15 (1 13)
1 19 (1 14)

1 80 (1 80)
2 60 (2 59)
3 32 (3 37)

0 86
0 82
0 80

1 16
1 24
1 27

1 84
2 68
3 53

1 O0

1 O0

1 + ~t

1 O0

1 O0

1 + ~,

10

Values =n brackets are obtained by equations ( 3 1 ) - ( 3 3 ) based on the conversion modulus theory Other results are calculated by
equations ( 2 3 ) - ( 2 5 ) based on the agmg theory

Eng. Struct.

1993,

Vol.

15, No 1

65

Creep ~n orthogonal amsotrop~c concrete thm plates R.-G. Zhou et al

modulus theory are very close to each other when the
stress redlstrtbunon ts not very large For a simplysupported square thin plate, the results predicated by' the
conversion modulus are accurate enough, except that for
the case of/, = 0, the difference between the aging theorx,
and the conversion modules IS about 10%

Conclusions
Based on the aging theory and the conversmn modulus
theory, approximate solutions of stresses redistribution
due to creep of concrete in a rectangular orthogonal
anlsotroplc thin plate subjected to uniformly distributed
loads are derived The following conclusions can be
drawn from the example d~scussed in th~s paper, Firstly,
in an anlsotroplc thin plate or an orthogonal beam
system, there is a notable stress redlstnbutmn and a
s~gnlficant deflectmn increase Secondly, when the stress
redistribution is not significant, the results predicted by
both the aging theory and the conversion modulus theory
are very close and finally for a simply supported square
plate, the results of the conversion modulus ts adequate
for engineering practice, compared ~,~th the aging theory_

7
8

9
10

l1

12

13

References
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elailu and ~teep (Ed G E Large). (2nd edn), Ronald Press Co ,
New York 1957, pp 3 1 6 - 3 3 8

66

Eng. Struct. 1993, Vol. 15, No 1

[4

15

Ross A D Creep of,.om.rete under ,.arnable ~,tre','. 1(I I Pro,

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a precp, ol recent developments
Me(hant(~ Fo&t~. Vol 2.
Pergamon Press. New York. 1075 pp 1 93
Branson D E Deflwmalton O/ COII(ICIc ~ttu(tute~ McGraw Hdl
New York. 1977
Jonasson, J E Analysts ot creep and shrinkage m concrete and its
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397-318
Bazant, Z P 'Mathematical models for creep and shrinkage ot conc[ete', In Cteq~ and ~llll?l{{l~[' lit ( o m r e t e ~tru(ltltes (Ed Z P
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pp 163 256
Anderson C A Numerical creep analysis of structures' Creep and
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a,kguz S and Tasdemlr, M A 'On the creep of concrete under
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