Title:
Experimental Study on Interface Shear Resistance through Slant Shear Tests
Author(s):
B. Li, A. Campos Sanchez, H.-C. Wang, Y. Yu, A. C. Ferche, and O. Bayrak
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
123
Issue:
1
Appears on pages(s):
39-50
Keywords:
cold joint; concrete-to-concrete interface; interface roughness; interface shear resistance; slant shear
DOI:
10.14359/51749248
Date:
1/1/2026
Abstract:
This paper summarizes the results of an experimental study investigating interface shear resistance through slant shear tests. A total of 54 tests were conducted on 6 x 12 in. (150 x 300 mm) cylinders with inclined cold joints. Five key test parameters were investigated: cold joint inclination, interface roughness, variation in concrete compressive strength between layers, casting age difference, and aggregate size. The test results demonstrated that the most influential parameters affecting interface shear resistance were interface roughness, casting age difference between layers, and aggregate size. Conversely, cold joint inclination and variations in compressive strength between layers were identified as comparatively less influential factors. A comprehensive analytical study was conducted including the comparison of five current design codes. A modified approach is proposed for calculating the interface shear resistance, compatible with current design codes’ expressions. The proposed approach was validated using the experimental results generated from this study and a database of 124 slant shear test results from different research programs. Overall, the proposed approach resulted in more accurate estimations for the interface shear resistance, particularly for specimens with intermediary levels of amplitude at the interface.
Related References:
1. Birkeland, P. W., and Birkeland, H. W., “Connections in Precast Concrete Construction,” ACI Journal Proceedings, V. 63, No. 3, Mar. 1966, pp. 345-368.
2. Randl, N., “Design Recommendations for Interface Shear Tansfer in fib Model Code 2010,” Structural Concrete, V. 14, No. 3, 2013, pp. 230-241. doi: 10.1002/suco.201300003
3. AASHTO, “AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications,” ninth edition, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC, 2020.
4. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-19) and Commentary (ACI 318R-19) (Reapproved 2022),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2019, 624 pp.
5. CSA A23.3:19, “Design of Concrete Structures,” seventh edition, CSA Group, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2019.
6. EN 1992-1-1:2004, “Eurocode 2: Design of Concrete Structures - Part 1-1: General Rules and Rules for Buildings,” European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, Belgium, 2004.
7. fib, “fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010,” International Federation for Structural Concrete, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2013.
8. Hu, B.; Li, Y.; and Liu, Y., “Dynamic Slant Shear Bond Behavior between New and Old Concrete,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 238, 2020, p. 117779. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117779
9. Piancastelli, E. M.; Magalhães, A. G.; Silva, F. J.; Rezende, M. A. P.; Santos, W. J.; Carrasco, E. V. M.; and Mantilla, J. N. R., “Bond Strength between Old and New Concretes with Focus on the Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete—Slant Shear Test versus Double Sleeve Test,” Applied Mechanics and Materials, V. 864, 2017, pp. 324-329. doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.864.324
10. Mattock, A. H.; Li, W. K.; and Wang, T. C., “Shear Transfer in Lightweight Reinforced Concrete,” PCI Journal, V. 21, No. 1, Jan.-Feb 1976, pp. 20-39.
11. Figueiredo, P.; Garcia, S. L.; Cossetti, R.; and Leite, A., “Bond Performance between Normal-Strength Concrete and Sand-Lightweight Concrete,” ACI Structural Journal, V. 119, No. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 199-213.
12. Santos, P., and Júlio, E., “Factors Affecting Bond between New and Old Concrete,” ACI Materials Journal, V. 108, No. 4, July-Aug. 2011, pp. 449-456.
13. Saldanha, R.; Júlio, E.; Dias-da-Costa, D.; and Santos, P., “A Modified Slant Shear Test Designed to Enforce Adhesive Failure,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 41, 2013, pp. 673-680. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.12.053
14. Diab, A. M.; Abd Elmoaty, A. E. M.; and Tag Eldin, M. R., “Slant Shear Bond Strength between Self Compacting Concrete and Old Concrete,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 130, 2017, pp. 73-82. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.11.023
15. Patnaik, A. K., “Behavior of Composite Concrete Beams with Smooth Interface,” Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, V. 127, No. 4, 2001, pp. 359-366. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2001)127:4(359)
16. Kahn, L. F., and Mitchell, A. D., “Shear Friction Tests with High-Strength Concrete,” ACI Structural Journal, V. 99, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2002, pp. 98-103.
17. Soltani, M., and Ross, B. E., “Database Evaluation of Interface Shear Transfer in Reinforced Concrete Members,” ACI Structural Journal, V. 114, No. 2, Mar.-Apr. 2017, pp. 383-394.
18. Loov, R., and Patnaik, A., “Horizontal Shear Strength of Composite Concrete Beams with a Rough Interface,” PCI Journal, V. 39, No. 1, 1994, pp. 48-69. doi: 10.15554/pcij.01011994.48.69
19. ASTM C39/C39M-21, “Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2021, 8 pp.
20. CRD-C164-92, “Standard Test Method for Direct Tensile Strength of Cylindrical Concrete or Mortar Specimens,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, 1992, 4 pp.
21. ASTM C882/C882M-20, “Standard Test Method for Bond Strength of Epoxy-Resin Systems Used with Concrete by Slant Shear,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2020, 4 pp.
22. ASTM C617/C617M-15, “Standard Practice for Capping Cylindrical Concrete Specimens,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2015, 6 pp.