Ultimate strength of reinforced concrete members subjected to transient high temperature distribution

In order to assure the safety of an RCCV (reinforced concrete containment vessel) in a severe accident beyond its assumed design limits, it is necessary to establish an estimation method of the ultimate strength of the RCCV in severe conditions, such as it would receive under heavy internal pressure in a markedly elevated atmospheric temperature. The non linear finite element analysis which takes into proper account the alteration of the mechanical properties of concrete and the reinforcing bars due to the elevated temperature seems to be an effective method. However, there are only a few experimental data available at present to examine the propriety of these analytical methods. This study was plotted to examine the fundamental properties of RC members subjected to an elevated surface temperature through a loading test reflecting the condition of a severe accident to an RCCV. Through the test, many useful experimental data were obtained to examine the availability of an analytical method for estimating the ultimate strength of an RCCV in a severe accident. An estimation method of the ultimate strength of RC deep beams subjected to elevated surface temperatures was also proposed in this paper