Experimental investigation on the shear capacity of RC dapped end beams and design recommendations

In this paper, the shear resistance behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) dapped end beams is investigated by 24 tests until failure load. The main parameters considered are the dapped end height, the type and effective range to provided the stirrups and the bent form of the longitudinal reinforcement. The failure behaviour of dapped end beams is presented and some conclusions are given. Inclined stirrups and longitudinal bent reinforcement have more influence on the shear capacity than vertical stirrups. Additionally, the shear mechanism of dapped end beams is analysed. Relatively simple semi-empirical equations for shear strength have been derived based on the results of 22 dapped end beams. The predicted results are in close agreement with the experimental ones. Finally, some design suggestions for the ultimate shear strength of dapped end beams are presented.