Predicting the responses of reinforced concrete slab strips subjected to axial tension and transverse load - a competition

Six large-scale tests on reinforced concrete slab strips were carried out at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, in order to investigate the loadbearing behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs subjected to axial tension and transverse load. Four of these tests were used for an international competition to predict the responses of the test specimens. The specimens differed in the axial tension applied and the presence of stirrups. This paper presents the test concept, the four test specimens, the test results and the predictions received, and also evaluates the results of the competition. Simplified hand calculation analyses of the experiments are also included. The tests showed that there is significant shear strength in reinforced concrete slabs under axial tension, and that the system capacity of such slab strips is not limited by a local shear failure. The prediction competition revealed that the modelling of a cracked reinforced concrete slab strip is still a significant challenge, even for experienced researchers using the latest analysis tools.