Analysing shear strength of reinforced concrete beams using a meso-scale finite-element method

Abstract

An analytical exploration of the effects of shear span-to-depth ratio on the shear strength of reinforced concrete beams was carried out using a meso-scale finite-element method. Prior to the numerical analysis, a method of defining concrete as meso-scale composites of multi-phases was described. The concrete was assumed to be a composite with three phases (aggregates, cement matrix, and interfacial transition zone), and the material properties of each phase were applied for the numerical analysis. The shear failure behaviour of reinforced concrete beams was examined by the constructed numerical model, and the effect of span-to-depth ratio on shear strength was confirmed through these analyses. An investigation of cases where span-to-depth was less than 1.0 was also carried out. Moreover, the performance of the numerical model was evaluated by comparing the numerical results with the experimental results obtained from the model code and other researchers. It was confirmed that the application of a meso-scale finite-element method was appropriate for the study on the effect of span-to-depth ratio on shear strength and the occurrence and progress of bending and shear cracks.