This paper investigates in detail the flexural ductility of structural concrete sections, i.e., reinforced concrete (RC), prestressed concrete (PC) and partially prestressed concrete (PPC) sections. Flexural ductility is defined as the ratio of the section ultimate and yield curvatures. Realistic, rather than conventional, standard estimates are attempted on the basis of actual material behavior, consistent description of all behavior states, and unified analysis of structural concrete sections. The effects of section shape, degree of prestressing, material laws, compression reinforcement, and other parameters are considered. Finally, some ACI Code revisions are proposed.
