Force transfer mechanism and shear strength of reinforced concrete beams

This paper presents the development of an analytical model that accounts for the force transfer mechanism and shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The transfer mechanism of shear forces in RC beams can be characterized based on their load paths in the disturbed and the beam regions. This study proposes that the domains of these different regions are determined from the beam geometry, the number of longitudinal bars and transverse reinforcements. Different failure modes can be expected in these two regions: either shear-compression failure or shear-tension failure for the disturbed regions and shear-tension failure for the beam regions. Accuracy of the proposed model can be ascertained by comparing the model results with available test data. This proposed approach is more intricate than the one proposed by the ACI 318-05 Code, but would closely replicate the real behavior of the force transfer mechanism of the RC beams. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.