Experimental and numerical studies on shear failure behavior variability in RC beams without shear reinforcement

Abstract

© <2025> Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Reinforced concrete (RC) beams without stirrups are known to exhibit significant variability in shear failure behavior. In the present study, this variability is experimentally reproduced through non-destructive testing, revealing up to a 65% difference in shear failure loads and providing high-quality data for detailed analysis. Based on the test data, advanced diagnostic techniques—Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS)—are employed to explore the underlying causes, discovering that the observed variability is closely linked to differences in shear crack angles. To validate this finding, an enhanced bond-based peridynamic (PD) model incorporating anisotropy is developed, with improved capability in simulating crack propagation with varying orientations. The model accurately reproduces the load–displacement responses, crack patterns, and reinforcement strain distributions for both low- and high-capacity specimens, demonstrating its effectiveness. The validated model is further used to investigate the relationship between the critical shear crack angle and shear failure load, revealing a clear negative correlation. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying shear failure variability and support the development of effective numerical tools for RC beam design.

Acknowledged financial supports include the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFB2600200), the Science and Technology Project of POWERCHINA Ltd. (Grant No. DJ-HXGG-2024-06; DJ-ZDZX-2023-01) and the Grant PID2021-126405OB-C31 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”.

Peer Reviewed

Postprint (published version)