TESTS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE DEEP BEAMS WITH WEB OPENINGS

This study reports the test results for 18 reinforced concrete deep beams with web openings. The main variables that are studied are the compressive strength of concrete, the parameter of flexural steel, and the parameter of horizontal and vertical stirrups. The test results show that the shear strength of deep beams with web openings increases as the compressive strength of the concrete increases. The higher the parameter of flexural steel bars, the greater the shear strength of deep beams with web openings. In this study, 2-#7 horizontal steel bars are placed 35 mm above openings to provide sufficient horizontal tension so the shear strength of the deep beams that is transferred via the upper shear transfer path can be fully developed. The arrangement of 2-#7 horizontal steel bars above openings is highly important for the design of the deep beams with openings. This study also proposes an analytical method to determine the shear strength of reinforced concrete deep beams with web openings. The comparison shows that the proposed method accurately simulates the effect of various parameters on the shear strength of reinforced concrete deep beams with web openings. © 2021, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.