Title: Minimum Reinforcement in High Strength Concrete Beams

Author(s): I.A.E.M. Shehata, L.C.D Shehata, and S.L.G. Garcia

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 207

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 279-296

Keywords: beams; ductility; high-strength concrete; minimum shear reinforcement

DOI: 10.14359/12396

Date: 10/7/2002

Abstract:
Lightly reinforced concrete beams fail in a brittle manner, due to steel fracture soon after cracking. In order to avoid such a brittle failure and provide certain ductility at failure, codes of practice give formulae for minimum longitudinal and transverse reinforcement. This reinforcement is meant to resist loads in excess of the first crack load and ensure that several cracks form before failure. These design provisions are based mainly on empirical studies and different code formulae lead to quite different amounts of minimum reinforcement, particularly for high strength concrete beams. In this article, the minimum shear reinforcement ratio of beams with different concrete strength is discussed on the basis of theoretical considerations and experimental results from this work and others.