Development of Shear Capacity Equations for Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Beams

The problem of shear is not yet fully understood due to involvement of number of parameters. Designers are extra careful about shear, especially in beams and consequently higher safety factors are used in shear design. Several equations are available in literature to determine the shear capacity of beams, i.e. ACI equation, Zsutty equation and KIM & White equation. To verify the application of these equations, extensive experimental study was carried out on rectangular reinforced concrete beams without web reinforcement. Three parameters i.e. compressive strength, percentage of tension steel and shear span to depth ratio were considered and equations were developed for the shear strength prediction. Results of the study show that the concrete shear capacity ranges from 1.7√fc ́ to 1.8√fc ́ before any cracking is observed. After cracking, ρ.