Shear Capacity of Skewed Reinforced Concrete Slabs

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Title: Shear Capacity of Skewed Reinforced Concrete Slabs

Author(s): Jiandong Lu, Eva O. L. Lantsoght, Yuguang Yang, and Max A. N. Hendriks

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 123

Issue: 4

Appears on pages(s): 89-101

Keywords: assessment; codes; effective width; flexure; load distribution; shear; skew angle

DOI: 10.14359/51749498

Date: 7/1/2026

Abstract:
In the Netherlands, existing reinforced concrete solid slab bridges require assessment for shear. Skewed slab bridges form a subset of this category. Previous experiments showed that stresses concentrate in the obtuse corner, which becomes governing for shear, and that the shear capacity in skewed members is reduced. The presented series of experiments studies the shear capacity of reinforced concrete slabs under concentrated loads. In total, five skewed slabs are tested, resulting in 15 shear experiments. The parameters that are studied are the skew angle, the reinforcement layout, the distance between the load and the support, and loading near the obtuse or acute corner. The results are compared to existing calculation methods and recommendations for determining the acting shear stress and shear capacity, which lead to reasonable results. Ultimately, the insights from these experiments can be used for the assessment of existing skewed slab bridges.

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