Prevention of diagonal tension failures in beams using a flexure—shear interaction approach

Abstract

The development of a flexure–shear interaction design model for the prevention of the diagonal tension failure in beams is described in this paper. The model is based on the understanding that failure of structural concrete members occurs as a result of the development of critical tensile stresses in the compression region of the beam structure. In this model, confining the concrete compression region with closed stirrups prevented this type of failure. The enhancement of the concrete strength due to the confining influence of the stirrups was utilized to offset the reduction in the flexural capacity of beams due to the effects of shear. The results from tests on 24 specially designed beams were used in the development of the flexure–shear model. The programme of experimental work for the validation of the proposed model consisted of ten full-size rectangular beams, which were selected to cover the entire range of Kani's valley. The test results confirmed the applicability and the efficiency of the proposed design model.