Shear strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete beams with stirrups

Abstract

The present paper proposes a semi-empirical analytical expression that is capable of determining the shear strength of reinforced concrete beams with longitudinal bars, in the presence of reinforcing fibers and transverse stirrups. The expression is based on an evaluation of the strength contribution of beam and arch actions and it makes it possible to take their interaction with the fibers into account. For the strength contribution of stirrups, the effective stress reached at beam failure was considered by introducing an effectiveness function. This function shows the share of beam action strength contribution on the global strength of the beam calculated including the effect of fibers. The expression is calibrated on the basis of experimental data available in literature referring to fibrous reinforced concrete beams with steel fibers and recently obtained by the authors. It can also include the following variables in the strength previsions: - geometrical ratio of longitudinal bars in tension; - shear span to depth ratio; - strength of materials and fiber characteristics; - size effects. Finally, some of the more recent analytical expressions that are capable of predicting the shear strength of fibrous concrete beams, also in the presence of stirrups, are mentioned and a comparison is made with experimental data and with the results obtained by the authors.