Experimental Investigation and Development of Shear Models for RC Deep Beams Focusing on Size Effects

Shear failure of RC structures often occurs in a brittle and devasting manner. Currently, there is no widely accepted shear model due to the complexity of the problem. In most building codes, shear design of RC structures is based on semi-empirical formulas, which might be unsafe with the emergence of new materials and structural types. Therefore, a mature mechanical shear model is needed to describe the physical behaviour of structures. Moreover, the problematic point of shear behaviour, the size effect, remains unsolved. This research conducted an experimental investigation on the shear behaviour of RC deep beams, taking into account factors such as shear span to depth ratio, size effects, and the influence of stirrups. Validation and development of existing shear models that consider size effects are performed based on experimental results. Additionally, finite element analysis of the shear behavior of deep beams is performed and compared with the experimental results.