Quantification of shear transfer mechanisms in reinforced concrete deep beams using measured experimental data

This paper presents a method to quantify the shear transfer mechanisms in large-scale, shear-critical, reinforced concrete deep beams from detailed experimental data. The results provide a fundamental understanding of structural behavior upon which direct crack-based assessment methods and improved modelling of crack interfaces can be developed. The Two-Parameter Kinematic Theory describes the behavior of deep beams subjected to shear and outlines a framework whereby shear is transferred through four mechanisms: by stresses in the uncracked region near the loading zone, through aggregate interlock, through the transverse reinforcement and through dowel action of the longitudinal reinforcement. This paper proposes an approach to directly quantify these shear transfer mechanisms by using measured data from large-scale experiments in conjunction with constitutive models. That is, the load on the structure can be assessed solely from the displacement field data and boundary conditions. The experimental data from six large-scale deep beams monitored with full field-of-view Digital Image Correlation (DIC) equipment throughout loading are examined. The paper demonstrates that the assessed load agrees well with the measured load from the experiments at the peak and throughout loading.