Primeiramente agradeço à minha família, sem ela, nada seria possível. Ao meu esposo, Nivaldo, amigo e companheiro de todas as horas, pela compreensão e paciência. À minha mãe, Marlene, minha grande amiga, por ter cuidado da minha filha em todos os momentos em que precisei me ausentar. Ao meu pai, José Luiz, meu mestre, por sempre me apoiar e ser o maior incentivador desse trabalho. À minha filhinha Letícia, que apesar da pouca idade, compreendeu, de sua maneira, e me ajudou a continuar esta jornada. Ao Professor José Samuel Giongo pela orientação dedicada e pela oportunidade de realização deste trabalho, pela compreensão e amizade. Ao amigo Eng. Rodrigo Barros, pela amizade, um colega sempre pronto a ajudar, e, pelas sugestões na elaboração de algumas etapas deste trabalho. A Faculdade de Tecnologia FATEC JAHU e ao Centro Paula Souza pela concessão do afastamento, de minhas atividades como professora, para o término das atividades de laboratório. Aos colegas do departamento que de alguma forma contribuíram: Marcela Filizola,

MUNHOZ, F. S. (2004). Analysis of reinforced concrete pile-caps behaviour subjected to center top surfaces loading. Dissertação (Mestrado)

The transition between the columns of building and foundation had been used the pile-cap structural elements. The most appropriate method for the pile caps design is the Strut and Tie model. In most cases in the structural project is not considered the influence of certain parameters: the columns cross section and the amount of longitudinal reinforcement columns. This paper studies the effect of the variability of the geometric section of square and rectangular columns, with different longitudinal reinforcement rates, in the main reinforcement traction two pile caps. The basis for study was development experimental program in the Structures Laboratory of EESC-USP . The traction reinforcement bars strains are reduced the pile-caps central section to pile-caps sections that approximate cutting axis shows the experimental results. In models with columns of elongated rectangular section and with great reinforcement rates this reduction is smaller.

This paper describes the parametric analysis applied to assess the influence of column anchorage-reinforcement length on concrete two-pile caps under uniform compression. The non-linear numerical analysis was conducted with the bi-dimensional elements of ATENA 2D software, considering perfect adherence between steel and concrete. Simulation was based on the experimental reference model by Munhoz [1], which was the parameter adopted to validate the numerical modeling. From the validated model, four different anchorage reinforcement lengths were adopted, 34,0 cm, 20,0 cm, 10,0 cm e 3,0 cm, in order to compare pile caps behavior after these changes. Pile cap simulations presented similar behavior, i.e., column anchorage reinforcement length is not a preponderant factor for the internal mechanisms that regulate the function of these elements.