Control of crack width - comparison of predictions in CICIND and EC2
Bierrum N.R., Noakowski P., Schäfer H.G., Woitzik M.
CICIND REPORT Vol. 15, No. 2, 1999
Order No: CR-185
Most problems with concrete structures are caused by wide cracks. Since control of crack width is especially rlevant with industrial structures, CICIND and DIN EN 13084-2 incorporated a method which has been used for 15 years for design of tower-like structures. The EUROCODE 2 (EC2), however, which covers concrete structures in general, contains a different computation method. For this reason it is necessary to clarify the differences between CICIND and EC2.
The study finds that the mathematically based CICIND method able to predict crack width more reliably than the empirical EC2 method. The CICIND method is better able to assure limited crack width in sensitive engineering structures.