Title: Influence of High-Strength Bars on Shear Response of Containment Walls

Author(s): Giorgio T. Proestos, Gwang-Min Bae, Jae-Yeol Cho, Evan C. Bentz, and Michael P. Collins

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 113

Issue: 5

Appears on pages(s): 917-927

Keywords: axial stress; compression; high-strength steel; nuclear containment; shear; shell elements; tension; wall

DOI: 10.14359/51688750

Date: 9/1/2016

Abstract:
Current ACI Code shear provisions include some requirements that make the construction of complex heavily reinforced concrete structures more challenging. In particular, the 60 ksi (420 MPa) limit on the usable yield strength of shear reinforcement means it is not permissible to reduce shear reinforcement congestion by using high-strength bars. To investigate the consequences of using highstrength bars, 12 reinforced concrete specimens, representing wall elements of nuclear containment structures, were constructed with varying steel strengths and were loaded under different combinations of shear and biaxial stresses. The results demonstrate that high-strength bars can be effectively used in place of lower-strength reinforcement patterns. For the tested specimens, the ACI 318-14 shear provisions gave very conservative results, while the Modified Compression Field Theory was able to predict the failure shear stresses and strains well, along with the full load deformation response of all elements tested.