Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Wide Beams

Abstract

The equations recommended by the ACI code and the Egyptian code are conservative in estimating the shear strength of beams having a depth not exceeding 250 mm. Such codes ignore the contribution of web reinforcement to the shear strength of those beams. In addition the Egyptian code recommends a two-third reduction to the shear strength carried by the concrete. In this paper, an experimental program was conducted to study the shear strength of reinforced concrete wide beams having depths of 200 mm and 250 mm and a width to depth ratio between 1 and 2. The effect of web reinforcement was considered. Test results revealed the significant contribution of both concrete and the web reinforcement to the shear strength of wide beams. However, it was found that the shear strength of wide beams is reduced in the case of concentrated load applied to a part of the beam width. Furthermore, the equations presented by both the ACI code and the Egyptian code were found to be conservative in estimating the shear strength of wide beams. It is recommended that special provisions should be presented by codes for wide beams other than those provided for solid slabs, footings, and large members