No. 47. Concrete Innovations in Materials, Design and Structures. - 16th fib Symposium Proceedings - 27-29 May 2019 - Krakow, Poland PDF

The paper reviews the development of limit analysis, from Galileo through Coulomb to the mathematical theory of plasticity formulated by Hill and Hodge, Prager and Drucker, and independently by Gvozdev. Its application to structural concrete slabs was pioneered by Johansen and Gvozdev, and later extended to walls (membranes), beam shear, and punching shear by Nielsen and the Copenhagen Shear Group. Simultaneous and subsequent advances were—and continue to be—made by research groups in, among others, Zurich, Cambridge, Toronto, Houston, and Lausanne.

The concept of yield lines, which is essential for the development of solutions, is introduced, and the distinction between yield lines and conventional cracks is discussed. An overview of applications is provided, focusing on slab flexure, in-plane and beam shear, and punching shear.