Evaluation of Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams

Abstract

Reinforced concrete deep beams are said to transfer heavy gravity loads predominantly through shearing action to their supports. A significant characteristic of deep beams is their high shear strength and ductility. The high shear strength is attributed to the internal tied arch action which transfers the load directly to a support through concrete struts. Different definitions have been proposed for RC deep beams by different researchers and codes of practice that differ in concept. Also, various predictive models have been developed by various researchers and codes for the estimation of the shear strength of deep beams through analytical and extensive test campaigns. The study compared the definitions and the shear capacity models of deep beams per different code provisions, and found that the ACI-318 (2008) code definition and the strut-and-tie model (STM) are the most realistic definition and shear capacity model for the classification and shear strength prediction respectively for deep beams.