International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials

Vol.10, No.4, pp.513–525, December 2016

DOI 10.1007/s40069-016-0168-1
ISSN 1976-0485 / eISSN 2234-1315

Experimental Verification of Resistance-Demand Approach for Shear

of HSC Beams
Ahmed K. El-Sayed1,2),*, and Ahmed B. Shuraim3)

(Received February 10, 2016, Accepted August 14, 2016, Published online November 18, 2016)

Abstract: The resistance-demand approach has emerged as an effective approach for determining the shear capacity of reinforced
concrete beams. This approach is based on the fact that both the shear resistance and shear demand are correlated with flexural
tensile strain from compatibility and equilibrium requirements. The basic shear strength, under a given loading is determined from
the intersection of the demand and resistance curves. This paper verifies the applicability of resistance-demand procedure for
predicting the shear capacity of high strength concrete beams without web reinforcement. A total of 18 beams were constructed
and tested in four-point bending up to failure. The test variables included the longitudinal reinforcement ratio, the shear span to
depth ratio, and the beam depth. The shear capacity of the beams was predicted using the proposed procedure and compared with
the experimental values. The results of the comparison showed good prediction capability and can be useful to design practice.
Keywords: shear strength, reinforced concrete beams, resistance, demand, high strength concrete, verification.

Abbreviations VRD Basic shear capacity (the intersection of the

As Area of tension reinforcement, mm2 resistance and demand curves), kN

av Shear span (distance between the concentrated load VRD Resistance-demand shear capacity, kN
and the support), mm Vs Shear capacity provided by stirrups, kN
bw Web width of the beam, mm Vu Ultimate shear capacity, kN
ci Depth of the neutral axis associated to eic , mm Vu exp Experimental shear capacity, kN
d Effective depth of tensile reinforcement, mm e0c Initial concrete compressive strain
fc0 Specified compressive strength of concrete, MPa eic Concrete compressive strain
ft Concrete tensile strength, MPa euc Maximum usable compressive strain in the concrete
h Total depth of the beam, mm eix Strain in the tension reinforcement associated to eic
M Bending moment, kN.m q Longitudinal (flexure) reinforcement ratio, As/bwd
Msi Bending moment associated to eic , kN.m wi Curvature of the cross-section of the beam
V Shear force, kN associated to eic
Vc Shear capacity provided by concrete (concrete
contribution), kN
Vcr Inclined cracking shear capacity, kN
VDi Shear demand associated to eic , kN 1. Introduction
i
VR Shear resistance associated to eic , kN
The extensive research on the flexural behaviour of rein-
forced and prestressed concrete members has clarified
mechanisms to such an extent that well-understood conclu-
sions are now incorporated in most of the current design
codes. However, the dilemma of the shear behaviour of
1)
Department of Civil Engineering, Center of Excellence reinforced and prestressed concrete members has not been
for Concrete Research and Testing, King Saud
settled in spite of the extensive research. Shear behaviour in
University, Riyadh 11421, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
reinforced and prestressed concrete members has been the
*Corresponding Author; E-mail: [email protected]
subject of many controversies and debates since the turn of
2)
Housing and Building National Research Center, Giza, the last century. The shear mechanism is indeed a complex
Egypt. phenomenon involving many variables and cannot be
3)
Department of Civil Engineering, King Saud rationalized into a simple model. Several models are intro-
University, Riyadh 11421, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. duced by different codes defining the design procedure and
Copyright Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published the applicability conditions (ACI 318 2014; Eurocode 2
with open access at Springerlink.com 2004; CSA Standard A23.3 2004).

513
 Shear failures in reinforced and prestressed concrete feature of HSC that affects the structural response is the
members are sudden and catastrophic in nature and should tendency of cracks to pass through instead of around the
be avoided in the design process. That is why reinforced aggregates due to the smaller difference between the
concrete members are first dimensioned in flexure and then strength of aggregate and concrete matrix. This creates
verified for shear. The effect of shear is to induce tensile smoother crack surfaces, reducing the contribution of
stresses which may result in diagonal cracks. Diagonal aggregate interlock and hence, reducing the shear force
cracks occur when these stresses along with the longitudinal carried by concrete Vc (El-Sayed et al. 2006; Harkouss
stresses due to bending exceed the tensile strength of con- and Hamad 2015). As a result, higher dowel forces occur
crete. Unless appropriate amounts of web reinforcement in the longitudinal reinforcing bars. These higher dowel
have been provided, these diagonal cracks can result in a forces together with the highly concentrated bond stresses
premature shear failure. Most of the shear design provisions in HSC beams, result in higher bond-splitting stresses
superimpose the shear strength of a flexural reinforced where the shear cracks cross the longitudinal tension bars.
concrete member into two components. The two components These combined effects can lead finally to brittle shear
comprise the concrete contribution to shear strength, Vc, and failures. The applicability of the resistance-demand pro-
the shear reinforcement contribution, Vs. The provisions give cedure is examined by comparing the predictions of the
separate design equations for evaluating Vc and Vs. The procedure with the experimental shear strength of the
design shear strength is therefore the summation of Vc and beams. The results of the comparison are presented and
Vs, multiplied by a suitable strength or material reduction discussed.
factor.
Generally, the concrete contribution Vc to shear strength of
reinforced concrete beams is affected by five principal 2. Resistance-Demand Procedure for Shear
variables. These variables include the concrete tensile
strength, ft, usually expressed as a function of the com- The design procedure developed earlier (Shuraim 2014)
pressive strength; the longitudinal reinforcement ratio, involves two elements. First, shear resistance relationship
q = As/bwd; the shear span to depth ratio, av/d or M/Vd; the which expresses the shear degradation as a function of the
axial force or amount of prestressing, if exists; and the depth longitudinal strain in the bottom reinforcement, among other
of the member to account for size effect (ACI-ASCE 445 variables. Second, shear demand relationship which repre-
2009). Several multi-parameter empirical equations have sents the required shear as the applied load increases, and
been developed for evaluating Vc shear component (Kim and also can be expressed as a function of the longitudinal strain
Park 1996; Rebeiz 1999; Okamura and Higai 1980; and in the bottom reinforcement. Typical curves are shown in
Zsutty 1968). However, shear empirical equations have been Fig. 1.
recognized to produce a large degree of scatter due to the
scatter in test results and to the uncertainty in assessing the 2.1 Shear Versus Strain Relationship
influence of complex parameters in a simple formula (ACI- The shear resistance-longitudinal strain relationship is
ASCE-445 2009). expressed as follows:
Previous studies have indicated that shear strength in
0:63 0
concrete beams decreases with increase in strain in the VRi ¼ f 1=3 bw d ð1Þ
longitudinal reinforcement through various hypotheses 1 þ 500 eix c
(Vecchio and Collins 1986; CSA Committee A23.3 2004; where fc0 is the concrete compressive strength, bw is the web
AASHTO 2008; Muttoni and Ruiz 2008). Another family width of the beam, and d is the effective depth of the bottom
of theoretical models relates concrete shear strength to the reinforcement. Finally, the longitudinal strain is expressed as
strain in the longitudinal reinforcement through various follows with reference to Fig. 2.
hypotheses regarding the crack location, orientation and the
state of strain or stress (Zararis and Papadakis 2001; Tur- eix ¼ wi d  eic ð2Þ
eyen and Frosch 2003; Park et al. 2006; Jeong and Kim
2014). Recently, Shuraim (2014) introduced an approach,
which relates the shear strength capacity or shear resistance
in a concrete beam with the internal shear resulting from
applied load, thus termed as shear demand.
This investigation focuses on evaluating the shear
strength of reinforced concrete beams without transverse
reinforcement. This study is of a relevant importance to
structural concrete members that are constructed without
transverse reinforcement such as slabs, footings, joists,
and lightly stressed members. The beams were cast using
concrete strength of 55–60 MPa representing the low class
of high strength concrete (HSC) that is commonly used in
HSC applications in the local construction industry. One Fig. 1 Typical shear resistance and demand curves.

514 | International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016)
 Fig. 3 Schematic steps for developing shear demand curve.

Repeating the process for a sufficient number of concrete top

strains such that (e0c  eic  euc ) is to be performed in order to
generate the demand and resistance curves (eix ; VDi ; VRi ).
Therefore for any top strain value, eic , the associate values
for wi, Msi ; eix ; VRi and VDi become readily available. The next
step is to graph VRi and VDi versus the strain as shown in
Fig. 2 Schematic steps for developing shear resistance
Fig. 4, where the shear demand follows an ascending path
curve.
while the shear resistance follows a descending path. Their
intersection point defines the basic shear strength, VRD, for a
Figure 2a shows a linear strain distribution in a typical normal size beam without stirrups.
reinforced concrete cross section of a simple beam under
arbitrary static loading. eic is the compressive strain at the top 2.3 Size Effect Factor
layer while ci is the depth of the neutral axis measured from Studies (ACI-ASCE Committee 445 2009) have shown
the compression face. Under such assumptions, the curvature that there is a significant size effect or depth of member
will be wi ¼ eic =ci . Figure 2b shows typical moment–cur- effect on the shear strength of members without transverse
vature relationship that can be developed in incremental
form by increasing the top strain eic , and adjust the neutral
axis depth in order to satisfy equilibrium, from which the
associated sectional moment, Msi , is obtained. The results of
eic , wi , and Msi are to be tabulated in order to compute eic and
VRi as per Eqs. (1) and (2).

2.2 Shear Demand Curve

For a simply supported beam subjected to two concen-
trated loads, VDi , at a shear span, av, the internal shear force
and moment diagrams are as shown in Fig. 3. The shear
demand that is associated with a particular shear resistance
and longitudinal strain, eix , is computed from Msi and av, such
that:
Fig. 4 Defining basic shear: the intersection of the resistance
VDi ¼ Msi =av ð3Þ and demand curves.

International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016) | 515
reinforcement where the average shear stress to cause failure divided into two main groups according to the beam depth.
decreases with the increase of the effective depth. Several Group I comprised 9 beams with a total depth of 700 mm
models have been proposed in the literature to account for and Group II comprised 9 beams with a total depth of
such an effect. This study adopts a size reduction factor 400 mm. Three different reinforcement ratios, q, of 0.73,
following the Canadian Standard CSA S806 (2012). The 1.21, and 1.83 % were used along with three different av/d
size factor is to modify the basic shear strength, such that: ratios of 3, 4, and 5. All beams had the same beam width of
 250 mm and the beam length was 6.0–7.3 and 4.5 m for
 VRD d  300 mm beams of Group I and II, respectively.
VRD ¼ 750 ð4Þ
450 þ d V RD d [ 300 mm
All beams had overhang length of 252–345 mm beyond
the supports on each side as anchorage length for the rein-
forcing steel to avoid premature bond failures prior to shear
3. Experimental Program failures. In addition, both overhangs behind the supports
were provided with 8 mm-diameter steel stirrups (3 stirrups
The experimental program described in this paper con- each) to enhance the bond behavior and to fix the longitu-
sisted of shear tests on 18 full-scale reinforced concrete dinal bars in their positions. No stirrups were included
beams without stirrups. The test variables included the within the shear span of the beams between the point load
amount of longitudinal reinforcement, the shear span to and support. The details of the test specimens are given in
depth ratio, and the beam depth. Table 3 and shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The designation of the
beams uses the character B standing for beam and the first
3.1 Material Characteristics number 700 or 400 refers to the beam depth. The second
The target compressive concrete strength of the concrete number (3 to 5) stands for av/d ratio. The characters r1, r2,
used in the beams was 55–60 MPa after 28 days which and r3 refer to the reinforcement ratio of 0.73, 1.21, and
represents the lower category of HSC. The concrete was 1.83 %, respectively.
provided by a local ready-mix supplier. Table 1 gives the
mix proportions of the concrete used in this study. Standard 3.3 Test Setup and Instrumentation
concrete cylinders 150 9 300 mm were cast during casting The beams were simply-supported and tested in four-point
the beams and cured under the same conditions as the test bending. Each tested beam was loaded directly on the top
beams. The average compressive strength at the time of compressive face with two equally concentrated loads
beam testing, based on standard tests on concrete cylinders, according to the considered av/d and supported at the bot-
ranged between 59.6 and 64.3 MPa. tom. The beams were tested using closed-loop Instron
Deformed steel bars were used in reinforcing the test beams. actuator with a capacity of 500 kN.
Steel bars with diameters of 12, 14, 18, and 20 mm were used Electrical resistance strain gauges were attached to the
as main tensile reinforcement while steel bars with diameter of reinforcement and concrete surface. In each beam, elec-
10 mm were used as top reinforcement. The actual tensile trical resistance strain gauges were bonded to the rein-
properties of the reinforcing bars were determined using forcing steel at various locations along the length of the
standard tensile tests performed on three samples of each bar beam and were bonded to the top concrete surface at
size. The actual properties of the bars are given in Table 2. midspan of the beams. The deflection at midspan was
measured using two LVDTs at each side of the beam.
3.2 Test Specimens During testing, load was monotonically applied at a
A total of 18 full-scale reinforced concrete beams were stroke-controlled rate of 1.0 mm/min and the formation of
constructed and tested up to failure. The test beams were the cracks on the sides of the beams were also marked and

Table 1 Concrete mix proportions.

Water-cement ratio 0.37
3
Water (kg/m ) 167
3
Cement content (kg/m ) 450
Fine aggregate content (kg/m3) 787
Coarse aggregate size (mm) 9.5–19
3
Coarse aggregate content (kg/m ) 971
3
High-range water-reducing admixture (L/m ) 3
Air (%) 2
Slump (mm) 140

516 | International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016)
 Table 2 Properties of reinforcing steel.
Bar diameter (mm) Yield strength (MPa) Ultimate strength (MPa) Modulus of elasticity (GPa)
10 533 765 195
12 569 658 207
14 565 671 183
18 546 671 179
20 542 666 179

Table 3 Details of test beams.

Beam Target h (mm) d av =d av af ex (mm) Length Sec. # q
designation fc0 (mm)
(B-h-av/ MPa
d-r)

Group I: 700 mm-depth beams

1 B700-5-r1 60 700 612 5 3060 600 580 7300 1 0.73
2 B700-5-r2 60 700 612 5 3060 600 580 7300 2 1.21
3 B700-5-r3 60 700 612 5 3060 600 580 7300 3 1.83
4 B700-4-r1 60 700 612 4 2448 600 504 6000 1 0.73
5 B700-4-r2 60 700 612 4 2448 600 504 6000 2 1.21
6 B700-4-r3 60 700 612 4 2448 600 504 6000 3 1.83
7 B700-3-r1 60 700 612 3 1836 1800 528 6000 1 0.73
8 B700-3-r2 60 700 612 3 1836 1800 528 6000 2 1.21
9 B700-3-r3 60 700 612 3 1836 1800 528 6000 3 1.83
Group II: 400 mm-depth beams
10 B400-5-r1 60 400 335 5 1675 600 550 4500 4 0.74
11 B400-5-r2 60 400 335 5 1675 600 550 4500 5 1.22
12 B400-5-r3 60 400 335 5 1675 600 550 4500 6 1.82
13 B400-4-r1 60 400 335 4 1340 1300 520 4500 4 0.74
14 B400-4-r2 60 400 335 4 1340 1300 520 4500 5 1.22
15 B400-4-r3 60 400 335 4 1340 1300 520 4500 6 1.82
16 B400-3-r1 60 400 335 3 1005 1800 690 4500 4 0.74
17 B400-3-r2 60 400 335 3 1005 1800 690 4500 5 1.22
18 B400-3-r3 60 400 335 3 1005 1800 690 4500 6 1.82

ex/2 ex/2
av P/2 P/2 av
af

Beam stations, mm

Fig. 5 Typical beam setup.

International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016) | 517
 Section 1
b=250 mm
Section 2
b=250 mm
Section 3
b=250 mm
4. Test Results and Discussion

1 10 1 10 1 10 A summary of the beam test results is presented in

8 8 8 Table 4. It should be noted that each beam was symmetri-
6 12 h h h cally loaded with two concentrated loads and consequently,
3 14 6 18
3 12 9 20 the shear force equals half the total applied load.

4.1 Load Deflection Response

The applied load versus midspan deflection plots for the
Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 tested beams are shown in Fig. 7. Each plot presents the
b=250 mm b=250 mm b=250 mm
deflection response of beams with different q but having the
1 10 1 10 same av/d. Table 4 gives also the midspan deflection at
1 10
8 8
failure for each beam. The load–deflection relationship was
8
h
h
h approximately bilinear for all beams except beam B400-5-r1
6 18
with lower q which showed trilinear behavior. For each
4 14 4 18 figure and for the bilinear behavior, the first part of the load–
deflection plot up to flexural cracking was similar repre-
Fig. 6 Typical cross-sections of beams. senting the behavior of the uncracked beam utilizing the
gross moment of inertia of the concrete cross-section. The
second part, post- cracking up to failure, represents the
recorded. The applied load, displacements, and strain cracked beam with reduced moment of inertia. In this part,
readings were electronically recorded during the test using the flexural stiffness of the tested beams was affected by the
a data acquisition system. amount of reinforcement showing increased stiffness with

Table 4 Summary of test results.

0
Beam fc (MPa) Load at failure Ultimate shear Midspan Midspan strain (le) Failure mode*
(kN) Vu exp (kN) deflection at Bars Concrete
failure (mm)
Group I: 700 mm-depth beams
B700-5-r1 64.3 209 104.5 28.3 3191 -975 DT
B700-5-r2 260 130 23.8 2754 -1150 DT
B700-5-r3 286 143 19.1 1533 -1032 DT
B700-4-r1 211 105.5 14.1 2213 -1283 DT
B700-4-r2 280 140 13.3 1938 -690 DT
B700-4-r3 324 162 11.7 1620 -843 DT
B700-3-r1 232 116 12.8 2264 -764 DT
B700-3-r2 312 156 13.0 1568 -709 DT
B700-3-r3 408 204 15.3 1502 -535 DT
Group II: 400 mm-depth beams
B400-5-r1 59.6 135 67.5 59.8 9013 ** FL
B400-5-r2 154 77 16.3 2578 -960 DT
B400-5-r3 215 107.5 15.6 2359 -1128 DT
B400-4-r1 155 77.5 20.3 4198 ** DT
B400-4-r2 215 107.5 19.6 2798 -1025 DT
B400-4-r3 243 121.5 15.7 2014 -975 DT
B400-3-r1 207 103.5 19.2 2840 -955 DT
B400-3-r2 260 130 20.2 2472 -902 DT
B400-3-r3 275 137.5 12.6 1638 -868 DT
* DT diagonal tension, FL flexural failure.
** Strain gauge malfunctioned.

518 | International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016)
 500 500
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
av /d = 5 av /d = 5
400 400

Applied load (kN)

Applied load (kN)
B700-5-r3
300 300
B700-5-r2 B400-5-r3
200 200
B400-5-r2
B400-5-r1
B700-5-r1
100 100

0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Deflection (mm) Deflection (mm)

500 500
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
av /d = 4 av /d = 4
400 400
B700-4-r3
Applied load (kN)

Applied load (kN)

300 300
B700-4-r2 B400-4-r3
B400-4-r2
200 200
B700-4-r1 B400-4-r1
100 100

0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Deflection (mm) Deflection (mm)

500 500
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
av /d = 3 av /d = 3
400 400
B700-3-r3
Applied load (kN)

Applied load (kN)

300 B400-3-r3
B700-3-r2 300
B400-3-r2

200 200
B400-3-r1
B700-3-r1
100 100

0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Deflection (mm) Deflection (mm)

Fig. 7 Load-deflection relationship.

Fig. 8 Flexural crushing of beam B400-5-r1. Fig. 9 Typical diagonal tension failure (B400-3-r1).

International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016) | 519
 350 the increase of q. Beam B400-5-r1 of trilinear behavior
300
showed yielding plateau in the third part of the curve indi-
cating that the reinforcing steel yielded before shear failure.
Shear force (kN)

250
VR 4.2 Crack Patterns and Modes of Failure
200
Similar characteristics of crack patterns were observed for all
150 VRD eighteen beams. Crack formation was initiated in the flexural
100 span between the two concentrated loads where the flexural
VD stress is highest and shear stress is zero. The cracks were vertical
50
perpendicular to the direction of the maximum principal tensile
0 stress induced by pure bending. As load increased, additional
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
flexural cracks opened within the shear span. However, because
Rebar strain x of the dominance of the shear stresses, the cracks became pro-
Fig. 10 Typical shear resistance and demand curves against gressively more inclined and propagated towards the load
rebar strain (B400-3-r3). points leading finally to diagonal tension failure. The failure

250 250
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
200 av /d =5 200 av /d =5

Shear force, kN
Shear force, kN

150 150

100 100

50 50
Vu RD
Vu RD
Vu exp
0 Vu exp
0
0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
Reinforcement ratio, % Reinforcement ratio, %

250 250
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
200 av /d =4 200 av /d =4
Shear force, kN

Shear force, kN

150 150

100 100

50 50
Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp
0 0
0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
Reinforcement ratio, % Reinforcement ratio, %

250 250
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
200 av /d =3 200 av /d =3
Shear force, kN

Shear force, kN

150 150

100 100

50 50
Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp
0 0
0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
Reinforcement ratio, % Reinforcement ratio, %

Fig. 11 Ultimate shear strength versus reinforcement ratio.

520 | International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016)
 250 250
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
=0.73 % =0.73 %
200 200

Shear force, kN
Shear force, kN
150 150

100 100

50 50
Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp
0 0
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Shear span to depth ratio Shear span to depth ratio

250 250
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
200 =1.21 % 200 =1.21 %
Shear force, kN

Shear force, kN
150 150

100 100

50 50
Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp
0 0
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Shear span to depth ratio Shear span to depth ratio

250 250
h = 700 mm h = 400 mm
200 =1.83 % 200 =1.83 %
Shear force, kN

Shear force, kN

150 150

100 100

50 50
Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp
0 0
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Shear span to depth ratio Shear span to depth ratio

Fig. 12 Ultimate shear strength versus shear span to depth ratio.

modes of the eighteen beams are given in the last column of B400-4-r1showed slightly higher steel strain than the aver-
Table 4. All beams failed in diagonal tension except beam age yield strain; indicating that the two beams started steel
B400-5-r1 which failed in flexure by yielding of the reinforcing yielding prior to the onset of shear failure.
steel followed by concrete crushing. Figures 8 and 9 illustrate
by photographs the flexural failure mode of beam B400-5-r1 4.4 Ultimate Shear Strength
and the typical diagonal tension failure mode of the beams of All beams failed in diagonal tension shortly after the for-
this investigation. mation of the critical diagonal crack except beam B400-5-
r1which failed in flexure. The shear strength of flexural
4.3 Strain in Reinforcement and Concrete members without web reinforcement is identified by the
Table 4 gives the measured midspan strains in the rein- formation of the critical inclined crack and the subsequent
forcement and concrete at failure for each beam. The con- sudden drop in load carrying capacity. In general, for
crete compressive strains at failure ranged from 535 to 1283 members with a shear span to depth ratio, av/d, greater than
micro-strain. The tensile steel strains were lower than the 2.5, the difference between the critical inclined cracking
average yield strain of 2900 micro-strain for the majority of shear capacity Vcr and the ultimate shear capacity Vu is
the beams, as given in Table 4. For beam B400-5-r1 that small. Therefore, for such members, the inclined cracking
showed yielding plateau (Fig. 7), the maximum steel strains shear capacity can be assumed to be the same as the ultimate
measured was 9013 micro-strain. Beams B700-5-r1and shear capacity for all practical purposes (Tureyen and Frosch

International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016) | 521
2003). In addition, shear strength at ultimate failure is a more The variations in ultimate shear strength with the shear
defined and reliable measure than cracking shear strength span-to-depth ratio, av/d, are shown in Fig. 11 for the two
(Rebeiz 1999). This investigation adopts the ultimate shear groups of beams. The figure shows that the ultimate shear
capacity Vu as the concrete shear capacity Vc. The experi- strength increased with decreasing av/d. Decreasing av/d
mental ultimate shear strengths, Vu exp, of the tested beams from 5 to 4, increased the shear strength by 1 to 13 % for
are given in Table 4. Group I-beams and by 13 to 40 % for Group II-beams. In
The effect of the amount of the steel reinforcement on the addition, decreasing av/d from 4 to 3 increased the shear
ultimate shear strength of the tested beams is shown in strength by 10 to 26 % for Group I-beams and by 13 to 24 %
Fig. 10 for the two groups of beams. The vertical axis in the for Group II-beams.
figure represents the experimental ultimate shear strength To show the effect of the beam depth on the shear
while the horizontal axis represents the reinforcement ratio, strength of the test beams, the test results of beams of
q. It can be noted that increasing q from 0.73 to 1.21 % Group I were compared with their counterparts of Group II
increased the shear strength by 24 to 34 % for beams of which had the same q and av/d, as presented in Fig. 12. In
Group I and by 14 to 39 % for the beams of Group II. Also, this figure, the shear stresses at failure were plotted against
increasing q from 1.21 to 1.83 % increased the shear the beam effective depth. The shear stresses were normal-
strength of Group I-beams by 10 to 31 % and increased the ized with respect to the cube root of concrete compressive
shear strength of Group II-beams by 6 to 40 %. strength to account for the difference in concrete strength

Table 5 Comparison of RD predictions and experimental results.

 
Beam Ultimate shear VRD Vu exp =VRD
Vu exp (kN) (kN)

Group I B700-5-r1 104.5 86 1.22

B700-5-r2 130 121 1.07
B700-5-r3 143 139 1.03
B700-4-r1 105.5 105 1.0
B700-4-r2 140 131 1.07
B700-4-r3 162 150 1.08
B700-3-r1 116 122 0.95
B700-3-r2 156 145 1.08
B700-3-r3 204 163 1.25
Mean 1.08
SD 0.1
COV (%) 9
Group II B400-5-r1 67.5 62 1.09
B400-5-r2 77 87 0.89
B400-5-r3 107.5 100 1.08
B400-4-r1 77.5 75 1.03
B400-4-r2 107.5 94 1.14
B400-4-r3 121.5 108 1.13
B400-3-r1 103.5 89 1.16
B400-3-r2 130 104 1.25
B400-3-r3 137.5 117 1.18
Mean 1.1
SD 0.1
COV (%) 9

522 | International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016)
 0.50 0.50 0.50
= 0.73 % = 1.21 % = 1.83 %
av /d =5 av /d =5 av /d =5
0.40 0.40 0.40

Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

0.30 0.30 0.30

0.20 0.20 0.20

0.10 0.10 0.10

Vu RD Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp Vu exp
0.00 0.00 0.00
0 200 400 600 800 0 200 400 600 800 0 200 400 600 800
Effective depth, mm Effective depth, mm Effective depth, mm

0.50 0.50 0.50

= 0.73 % = 1.21 % = 1.83 %
av /d =4 av /d =4 av /d =4
0.40 0.40 0.40
Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)
Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

0.30 0.30 0.30

0.20 0.20 0.20

0.10 0.10 0.10

Vu RD Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp Vu exp
0.00 0.00 0.00
0 200 400 600 800 0 200 400 600 800 0 200 400 600 800
Effective depth, mm Effective depth, mm Effective depth, mm

0.50 0.50 0.50

= 0.73 % = 1.21 % = 1.83 %
av /d =3 av /d =3 av /d =3
Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

0.40 0.40 0.40

Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

Shear stress, v = V/(bwdfc'^1/3)

0.30 0.30 0.30

0.20 0.20 0.20

0.10 0.10 0.10

Vu RD Vu RD Vu RD
Vu exp Vu exp Vu exp
0.00 0.00 0.00
0 200 400 600 800 0 200 400 600 800 0 200 400 600 800
Effective depth, mm Effective depth, mm Effective depth, mm

Fig. 13 Ultimate normalized shear stress versus beam depth.

between the two groups of beams. The figure indicates that indicates that the extent of reduction in shear stresses
all beams showed reduction in failure shear stresses with appears to be affected by av/d ratio as the reduction in
the increase in beam depth. Beams of av/d = 5 showed shear stresses appears to increase with the decrease in av/d
reductions ranging between 10 and 29 %; beams of av/ ratio. On the other hand, it is not clear that the reduction in
d = 4 showed reductions of 27 to 30 %, and beams of av/ shear stresses due to the increase in beam depth is influ-
d = 3 showed reductions of 21 to 40 %. This result enced by the reinforcement ratio.

International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (Vol.10, No.4, December 2016) | 523
 5. Comparison of Resistance-Demand reinforcement ratio, the shear span to depth ratio and the
Predictions and Experimental Results beam size. The shear strengths of the tested beams were
analyzed using a rational procedure proposed based on
The ultimate capacity of the test beams was predicted resistance-demand approach. The main findings of the study
using the proposed resistance-demand procedure. The pre- can be summarized as follows:

dicted shear strength VRD of the tested beams is given in
1. In general, the shear strengths of the beams were
Table 5. It should be pointed out that the shear strength of
increased with the increase of the longitudinal rein-
the beams was calculated at the critical section which is
forcement ratio and with the decrease of the shear span
located at a distance d from the point load. Figure 10 plots
to depth ratio. In addition, the shear stresses at failure
the shear resistance and shear demand curves against the
decreased with the increase of beam depth indicating
rebar strain for beam B400-3-r3 as a typical. The fig-
size effect.
ure indicates that both shear resistance and shear demand of
2. One important feature of the proposed resistance-
the beam are strongly affected by the strain in the rein-
demand procedure is that both shear resistance and
forcement. The intersection of the two curves gives the shear
shear demand of the beams are dependent on the strain
strength VRD of the beam. Then, VRD is multiplied by the size
in the reinforcement. While the shear resistance of the
effect factor according to Eq. (4) to obtain the shear strength

beams decreases with the increase of the reinforcement
VRD of the beam.
strain, the shear demand increases.
A comparison of the predicted shear strength with the
3. The proposed procedure showed good and reliable
experimental ones is also provided in Table 5. The results of
predictions of the shear strength of the tested beams.
the comparison indicate accurate and consistent predictions
The procedure was capable of capturing the effect of the
for the ultimate shear strength of the tested beams. The

design variables on the shear strength of the beams in
average ratio of Vu exp =VRD was 1.08 with a coefficient of
terms of accuracy and consistency.
variation of 9 % for the beams of Group I while the corre-
sponding values for beams of Group II were 1.1 and 9 %.
To further examine the proposed procedure for capturing
the effect of the test parameters on the shear capacity of the Acknowledgments
tested beams, the predictions were compared with the
experimental ones with the variation of q, av/d, and d in This Project was funded by the National Plan for Science,
Figs. 11, 12, and 13, respectively. The presentation of the Technology and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz
prediction results versus the reinforcement ratio shows a City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
proportional increase of shear strength with the increase of Award Number (10-ADV1023-02). The help of the engi-
flexural reinforcement for all beams, as shown in Fig. 11. neers and technicians in the Center of Excellence for
Figure 12 presents the resistance-demand calculations Concrete Research & Testing (CoE-CRT) and in the
versus the shear span to depth ratio. The figure shows that structural laboratory of Civil Engineering Department at
the proposed procedure captures the trend of the increase of King Saud University is highly appreciated.
shear capacity with the decrease of shear span to depth ratio.
The resistance-demand predictions represented in terms of
normalized shear stresses are plotted against the beam depth Open Access
in Fig. 13. The figure indicates that the size effect on shear
strength is reflected by the proposed procedure as the pre- This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative
dicted normalized shear stresses of the beams decreased with Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
the increase of beam depth. It is interesting to notice that the (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which per-
level of accuracy for the predictions is approximately com- mits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any
parable for the two groups of the tested beams as the average medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original
 author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative
ratio of Vu exp =VRD is almost the same for the two groups as
given in Table 5. This indicates that the size effect factor Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
considered in the proposed procedure is capable of capturing
such an effect in a consistent way.

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