Laminated element analysis to predict the shear strength of concrete beams under distributed and concentrated loads

Abstract

In the present study, an advanced analytical method was developed to evaluate the shear strength of slender concrete beams under distributed and concentrated transverse loads. The concrete shear capacity of the concrete beams is mainly provided by the compression zone of intact concrete since the tension zone of the concrete beams is severely damaged by flexural cracks before shear failure. The concrete shear capacity is evaluated based on concrete material failure criteria addressing combined compressive normal and shear stresses in the compression zone along the critical shear crack surface. For complete analysis, laminated elements are applied to take into account the stress variation in each location of the compression zone. The proposed analytical method can be used not only to predict the shear strength, but also the location and the angle of the critical shear crack. The shear strength is predicted using the proposed method, and the results are compared to those of an experiment, covering a wide range of design parameters. In addition, analytical studies were performed for analytical beam models subjected to distributed and concentrated loads. Based on the analysis results, the effect of various parameters including the loading type (distributed and concentrated transverse loads) on the shear strength and the critical shear crack was investigated.