ACI STRUCTURAL JOURNAL
Title no. 91-S15
Shear Ductility of Reinforced Concrete Beams of Normal and
High-Strength Concrete
by Yuliang Xie, Shuaib H. Ahmad, Tiejun Yu, S. Hino, and W. Chung
An experimental investigation was conducted to study the ductility of shear
critical reinforced concrete beams of normal as well as high-strength con-
crete. A total of 15 shear critical reinforced concrete beams without and
with shear (web) reitiforcement were tested in a stiff testing facility, and com-
plete load-midspan deflection curves, including the post-peak portion, were
obtained. The experimental variables were the concrete compressive
strength, shear span-to-depth ratio, and the amount of shear reinforcement.
Concrete strength (fc') was varied between 5760 and 15, 760 psi (40 and 109
MPa). The shear span-to-depth ratio aid was varied between I and 4, and
the shear reinforcement ratio Yw was varied between 0 and 0. 784 percent.
For the range of variables tested, the results indicate that shear (web) re-
inforcement improves the shear ductility index of reinforced concrete beams
of normal as well as high-strength concrete. High-strength reinforced con-
crete beams with a/d of 3 exhibit a plastic post-peak response, when shear
reinforcement provided is about twice the minimum recommended by the
AC1 Building Code. Furthermore, for beams with shear reinforcement, the
shear ductility index for beams with aid of 1 decreases with an increase in
concrete strength, whereas for beams ~ith aid of 2 and 3 there is an in-
significant change in the shear ductility index due to an increase in the con-
crete strength.
Keywords: beams (supports); ductility; high-strength concretes; reinforced con-
crete; shear strength; span-depth ratio; web reinforcement.
The deformability of reinforced concrete flexural members
depends on a number of factors, including the tensile rein-
forcement ratio (p/pb), the amount of longitudinal compres-
sive reinforcement, the amount of lateral tie steel, and the
strength of concrete. 1-2 Information regarding the deflection
ductility of high-strength flexural members has been devel-
oped in a number of studies.3-7 Although adequate flexural
ductility is essential for structures in high-seismicity regions,
many serious problems relating to the behavior of reinforced
concrete structures under severe seismic action can be traced
to the poor characteristics of reinforced concrete when sub-
jected to shear.
A number of studies8· 12 have generated very useful infor-
mation on the strength and deformation characteristics of
shear critical reinforced concrete members of normal as well
as high-strength concrete. However, these studies are limited
to the diagonal cracking and the maximum load stage, and
there is no information available regarding the post-peak de-
140
TECHNICAL PAPER
formation behavior of shear critical reinforced concrete mem-
bers. Knowledge of the post-peak deformation characteris-
tics of shear critical reinforced concrete members is essential
to better understanding the contribution of the shear (web)
reinforcement and failure mechanisms in such situations as
seismic conditions, where higher ductility demands are placed
on reinforced concrete members.
It is well recognized that the diagonal tension (shear)
failure of concrete is sudden and brittle in nature. For ex-
ample, the diagonal tension (shear) failure of shear critical
concrete beams reinforced only with tensile reinforcement is
brittle and with little or no warning. It has been pointed out
by a number of investigators13-16 that testing methodology in-
fluences the mode of failure of concrete. For example, the
failure mode of concrete under compressive stresses changes
from an uncontrolled brittle-type failure when tested under in-
creasing load conditions to a controlled-type failure when
tested under deformation control conditions.
An energy-absorbing stiff testing facility was developed to
investigate the shear ductility of reinforced concrete beams,
and the details of the facility are described elsewhere.* In this
paper, the results of an experimental investigation of shear
critical reinforced concrete beams using the stiff testing fa-
cility are described. The results indicate that shear critical
beams, when tested in an energy-absorbing stiff testing fa-
cility, exhibit a stable and reproducible post-peak portion of
the load-midspan deflection curve. The post-peak deforma-
tion characteristics can be quantified by the shear ductility
index, which is defined later in the paper. For the range of
variables tested, the results indicate that shear (~eb) rein-
forcement improves the shear ductility of shear critical rein-
*Ahmad, S. H., Hino, S.; Chung, W.; and Xie, Y.; and Ahmad, S. H., "Testing Fa-
cility for Controlled Diagonal Failure of Shear Critical Reinforced Concrete Beams,"
to be published in Materials and Structures, Research and Testing.
ACI Structural Journal, V. 91, No.2, March-Aprill994.
Received Mar. 15, 1993, and reviewed under Institute publication policies. Copyright
© 1994, American Concrete Institute. All rights reserved, including the making of copies
unless permission is obtained from the copyright proprietors. Pertinent discussion will
be published in the January-February 1995 ACI Structura/.Journal if received by Sept.
I, 1994.
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
Yuliang Xili is an associate professor ofcivil engineering at Nanjing Architectural and
Civil Engineering Institute, Nanjing, China. Since 1991, he has been a visiting research
scholar at North Carolina State University, Raleigh. He graduated from Tongji Uni-
versity, Shanghai, China, in 1967 and received his MCE from the same university in
1981. His research areas are shear, torsion, high-strength concrete, and composite
members.
ACI Member Shuaib Ahnuul is a professor and director of the structural laboratory in
the Department of Civil Engineering at North Carolina State University. A recipient of
the Walter L Huber Civil Engineering Research Award and the Alcoa Foundation En-
gineering Research Award, he has published more than 50 papers in the areas of non-
linear analysis and design, high-strength concrete, multiaxial behavior of concrete,
fracture mechanics, and rehabilitation of bridges. He is a member ofACI Committees
440, Fiber Reinforced Plastic Reinforcement; 544, Fiber Reinforced Concrete; and
549, Ferrocement and Other Thin Reinforced Products.
Tiejun Yu is an associate professor of civil engineering at Tongji University. Since
1992, he has been a visiting research scholar at North Carolina State University. He
graduatedfrom Naf!iing Technology Institute, Nanjing, China, in 1965. He has 23 years
of educational experience in reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, and offshore
gravity concrete platforms.
Shin-ichi Hina is an associate professor of civil engineering at Kyushu University,
Fukuolal, Japan. During 1992, he was a visiting research scholar at North Carolina
State University. His research interests include high-strength concrete, joints, and com-
posite construction.
Wonki Chung is currently a research associate in the Department of Civil Engineering
at North Carolina State University. He received his PhD in 1992from North Carolina
State University. His research interests include nonlinear finite element analysis, high-
peiformance concrete, and shear and torsion of reinforced concrete structures.
forced concrete beams of normal as well as high-strength con-
crete and that shear ductility decreases with increasing con-
crete strength.
RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
Knowledge of the post-peak deformation characteristics of
shear critical reinforced concrete members is essential to
better understanding the contribution of the shear (web) re-
inforcement and failure mechanisms in such situations as
seismic conditions, where higher ductility demands are placed
on reinforced concrete members.
EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
A total of 15 shear critical reinforced concrete beams with
normal as well as high-strength concrete were tested. The test
variables were the concrete strength, the shear span-to-depth
ratio, and the amount of the shear (web) reinforcement. The
concrete strength.f/ was varied between 5760 and 15,760 psi
(40 and 109 MPa). The shear span-to-depth ratio aid was
varied between 1 and 4, and the shear reinforcement ratio Yw
was varied between 0 and 0. 784 percent. The summary of the
test program is given in Table 1.
Materials
The mixture proportions for normal and high-strength con-
crete are presented in Tables 2(a) and 2(b). Type 1 Portland
cement was used with natural sand having a fineness mod-
ulus of 2.62. For coarse aggregate, crushed limestone with
maximum size of 3/4 in. (19 mm) was used. To enhance the
strength of concrete for high-strength concrete by means of
pore refinement, silica fume was used. The workability of the
mix was improved by using a napthalene-based high-range
water-reducing admixture (superplasticizer).
All longitudinal reinforcement used in this investigation
was Grade 60. The stirrups used were No. 2 smooth bars of
Grade 40. The average yield strength of three specimens
tested in tension was 61 ksi (421 MPa) for the longitudinal
reinforcement and 47 ksi (324 MPa) for the stirrup rein-
forcement.
For beams with shear reinforcement, strain gages were
mounted on selected stirrups in the shear span to monitor the
strains during the testing. All the gages had a resistance of 120
ohms and active grid length of Y.-in. (6.25 mm). After

Table 1 -Test program for reinforced normal and high-strength concrete beams with and without shear
reinforcement

Width Effective Age at Tensile steel Compression steel Spacing of Web reinforcement
Beam of beams, depth, f,~ testing, A,, p, A,, p', #2 stirrups, ratio '(w,
no. in. in. ala ksi days in. percent p/pb in. percent p'/p in. percent
*NNN-1 5 8.5 1 6.81 60 0.88 (2#6) 2.07 0.48 0 0 0 0
NNN-2 5 8.5 2 6.00 61 0.88 (2#6) 2.07 0.55 0 0 0 0
NNN-3 5 8.5 3 5.76 72 0.88 (2#6) 2.07 0.57 0 0 0 0
NNW-1 5 8.0 I 6.15 53 1.28 (2#6+2#4) 3.20 0.83 0.40 (2#4) 1.00 0.31 4.0 0.49
NNW-2 5 8.0 2 6.30 59 1.28 (2#6+2#4) 3.20 0.81 0.40 (2#4) 1.00 0.31 4.0 0.49
NNW-3 5 8.0 3 6.22 64 1.28 (2#6+ 2#4) 3.20 0.82 0.40 (2#4) 1.00 0.31 4.0 0.49
NHN-1 5 8.5 1 15.05 70 0.88 (2#6) 2.07 0.25 0 0 0 0
NHN-2 5 8.5 2 14.99 76 0.88 (2#6) 2.07 0.25 0 0 0 0
NHN-3 5 8.5 3 15.11 85 0.88 (2#6) 2.07 0.25 0 0 0 0
NHW-1 5 7.8 1 14.17 66 1.76 (4#6) 4.54 0.59 0.40 (2#4) 1.03 0.23 3.9 0.51
tNHW-2 5 7.8 2 14.46 76 1.76 (4#6) 4.54 0.58 0.40 (2#4) 1.03 0.23 3.9 0.51
NHW-3 5 7.8 3 15.00 75 1.76 (4#6) - 4.54 0.56 0.40 (2#4) 1.03 0.23 3.9 0.51
NHW-3a 5 7.8 3 13.74 86 1.76 (4#6) 4.54 0.61 0.40 (2#4) 1.03 0.23 3.0 0.65
NHW-3b 5 7.8 3 15.76 78 1.76 (4#6) 4.54 0.53 0.40 (2#4) 1.03 0.23 2.5 0.78
NHW-4 5 7.8 4 15.09 82 1.76 (4#6) 4.54 0.55 0.40 (2#4) 1.03 0.23 3.9 0.51
*NNN-1: N =normal weight concrete; N =normal strength; N =no web reinforcement; I= shear span-to-depth (aft!) ratio.
tNHW-2: N =normal weight concrete; H =high strength; W =with web reinforcement; 2 =shear span-to-depth (altf) ratio.

ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994 141

-
r r+-1
11i ~[~}1
-An, 1+1:&;•I
I· ·I· a
(a) Without web reinforcement
(b) With web reinforcement
Fig. 1 -Reinforcement details for normal and high-strength
concrete beams
mounting, the strain gages were covered with a protective
coating to prevent damage during and after casting.
Casting and curing
The forms were made on~- in. (19-mm) thick plywood and
were reused. The concrete was placed in two layers in the
beam and was internally vibrated. Along with each batch, six
4 x 8-in. (102 x 204-mm) cylindrical specimens, referred to
hereafter as control cylinders, were also cast. Immediately
after casting, the beams and the control cylinders were cov-
ered with a polyethylene sheet to avoid escape of moisture.
Twenty-four hr after casting, the beams and their respective
control cylinders were stripped. The high-strength concrete
beams and their control cylinders were moved to the moist
room with 100 percent relative humidity for curing. The
normal strength concrete beams and their respective control
cylinders were moved to the structure laboratory for air-curing
under normal laboratory conditions.
Specimen details and testing
The summary of the testing program and the specimen de-
tails are presented in Table 1 and Fig. 1. All the beams were
5 in. wide and 10 in. deep.
The control cylinders were tested periodically to ascertain
if the concrete had reached the desired strength. One day be-
fore testing, the high-strength concrete beams and their re-
spective control cylinders were taken out of the moisture room
and allowed to dry. On the day of the beam test, three of the
control cylinders were capped and tested in compression to
determine the strength of the concrete.
To obtain a stable post-peak behavior, it is essential to ab-
sorb the energy that is released from the loading machine
during unloading of the test specimen that occurs due to the
rapid propagation of the diagonal tension crack after the peak
load. An energy-absorbing stiff testing facility was developed
to obtain a stable and controlled diagonal tension failure of
shear critical reinforced concrete beams. The details of the
stiff testing facility are described elsewhere.* However, a brief
*Ahmad. S. H.; Hino, S.; Chung, W.; and Xie, Y., "Testing Facility for Controlled
Diagonal Failure of Shear Critical Reinforced Concrete Beams," to be published in
Materials and Structures, Research and Testing.
142
Table 2(a) Mixture proportion for normal strength
concrete
Material Quantity
~
Type I cement 26.39 lb/ft3
Sand 38.96 lb/fP
1-1 Coarse aggregate (crushed limestone) 63.61lb/ft3
AEA* 7.39 mllft3
Retarder 15.65 ml/ft3
Water 11.89 lb/ft3
Air-entraining agent.
Table 2(b)- Mixture proportion for high-strength
concrete
Material Quantity
Type I cement 28.14lb/ft3
Sand 49.13 lb/ft3
Coarse aggregate (crushed limestone) 63.97 lb/ft3
Silica fume 5.17 lbfft3
HRWR* (naphthalene-based) 147.9 mllfP
Retarder 39.31 mllft3
Water 7.02lb/ft3
*High-range water-reducing agent (naphthalene).
description is presented in the next section.
The test setup with rigid supports of ultra-high-strength
concrete and cross steel beam is shown in Fig. 2. The span of
the cross steel beam (W12 x 35) is fixed at 24 in. (610 mm).
The steel cross beam and the test specimen share the total
load P1 from the loading jack. The section and span of the
steel cross beam were designed so that the total load Pt car-
ried by the specimen and steel cross beam did not decrease
during the test. Thus, there was no energy released by the test
facility during the test. Schematic load-deflection curves for
the test specimen and cross steel beam are shown in Fig. 3.
The reinforced concrete beams were loaded with a central
point load in the stiff testing facility with a 400-kip-(1780-
N)-capacity (Fig. 2). The total load on the test facility was mo-
notonically increased. The tests were conducted by increasing
the total load Pt from the loading jack at each stage of loading.
The magnitude of the total load increment was regulated by
the midspan deflection of the test specimens to keep the rate
of increase of midspan deflection of the test specimens fairly
constant over time. The reinforced concrete test beams ex-
perienced nearly an equal increment of deflection in the pre-
peak region as well as in the post-peak region of the load-
midspan deflection response. The deflection compatibility at
point A in the test setup requires that the midspan deflection
of the reinforced concrete test beam be the same as that of the
cross steel beam at the midspan [see Fig. 2(c)]. From this de-
flection compatibility condition, and noting that the maximum
allowable deflection of the steel cross beam has to be within
the elastic range of the cross steel beam, it can be seen that
the deflection up to which the reinforced concrete test beam
can be tested is limited, if the steel cross beam shares the por-
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
-

c) Deflection compatabillty of system

I• /eb
:>1

a) Side view b) Top View

d) Photograph of testing facility

Fig. 2 - Test setup with cross steel beam as stiffening element

~00 120

300 00

j .
~
~
~ 200 60
1i
1 .!l

100 30

0.0 0.2 0 -~ 0.6 0 ••

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 o.•
det" lect:lon (in. )

(a) Reaction jack are activated at the start of the test (b) Reaction jack are activated near the maximum load
capacity of the specimen

Fig. 3 - Schematic load-deflection curves for test specimen and steel cross beam

tion of the total load from the start of the test. Therefore, the
reinforced concrete beams were loaded up to about 60 to 70
percent of the anticipated maximum load, before the hydraulic
reaction jacks were used to initiate the contact of the rigid
supports with the cross steel beam. Once this was done, then
further increase in the total load Pr from the loading jack was
shared by the test specimen and the cross steel beam sup-
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
ported by the rigid supports. Hydraulic jacks were also used
in the post-peak region of the load-midspan deflection curve
to reduce the net deflection on the steel cross beam to ac-
commodate the deflection increment in subsequent increment
of the total load Pr.
Three load cells were used for monitoring the load on the
reinforced concrete test beam and the load. experienced by
143
 Table 3 - Diagonal cracking and ultimate loads for reinforced normal and
high-strength concrete beams
Diagonal
Beam f/*
c' f/,t cracking load Ultimate load
no. aid ksi ksi Pcr,:f:, kips Pu, kips Failure type
NNN-1 I 6.81 6.47 36.12 70.03 Diagonal compression
NNN-2 2 6.00 5.70 15.82 25.47 Shear-compression
NNN-3 3 5.76 5.47 13.04 16.49 Diagonal tension
NNW-I I 6.15 5.84 35.88 107.47 Diagonal compression
NNW-2 2 6.30 5.98 18.23 55.31 Shear-compression
NNW-3 3 6.22 5.91 16.30 39.13 Shear-compression
NHN-1 I 15.05 14.30 41.61 108.59 Diagonal compression
NHN-2 2 14.99 14.24 21.06 45.68 Shear-compression
NHN-3 3 15.11 14.35 18.16 20.56 Diagonal tension
NHW-1 I 14.17 13.46 46.33 145.37 Diagonal compression
NHW-2 2 14.46 13.74 28.49 80.10 Shear-compression
NHW-3 3 15.00 14.25 20.72 46.03 Shear-compression
NHW-3a 3 13.74 13.05 23.10 48.66 Shear-compression
NHW-3b 3 15.76 14.97 29.16 55.10 Shear-compression
NHW-4 4 15.09 14.34 18.69 42.14 Shear compression
*From 4 x 8-in. cylinder.
tUsing equivalent 6 x 12-in. cylinder strength assumed to be 95 percent of 4 x 8-in. cylinder strength ..
!Load at which diagonal tension crack crosses midheight of beam.

the hydraulic reaction jacks supported on the rigid supports.
Linear voltage differential transducer (LVDT) and strain
gages were used to monitor the vertical deflection at midspan
and the strains in the stirrups. The outputs from the load cells,
LVDT, and the strain gages were continuously recorded by
use of a PC computer and data acquisition system. During the
tests, the cracking pattern was also monitored. The results of
the cracking pattern and the stirrup strains are described else-
where.* The results indicate that for normal as well as high-
strength concrete beams with 1 ~ aid~ 4 and 0.49 percent
~ Yw ~ 0.78 percent, the stirrups yield at the maximum load
stage of the beams.
RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
The test results are presented in Tables 3 through 5. The
results in Table 3 include the observed values for diagonal
cracking load, the ultimate load, and the type of failure ob-
served. Information on the shear ductility and effectiveness
of shear (web) reinforcement is presented in Tables 4 and 5.
The experimental results are presented in two categories: the
load-deflection behavior and shear ductility.
Load-deflection behavior
The load-midspan deflection curves for all 15 test beams
of normal as well as high-strength concrete with different
shear span-to-depth ratio aid and different shear reinforce-
ment ratio Yw are shown in Fig. 4 through 8.
The effect of presence of shear (web) reinforcement on
load-midspan deflection for reinforced normal strength con-
crete beams with shear span-to-depth ratio aid varying from
1 to 3 is shown in Fig. 4. From this figure, it can be seen that
for normal strength concrete beams, as the shear span-to-
depth ratio aid increases, the effectiveness of the shear rein-
forcement in improving the ultimate load capacity and the
post-peak deformation characteristics increases. Note that
Beams NNW-1, NNW-2, and NNW-3 had the same amount
*Xie, Y., and Ahmad, S. H., "Effectiveness of Shear Reinforcement for Normal and
High-Strength Beams," to be published in Magazine of Concrete Research.
144
of shear reinforcement (Yw = 0.49 percent). A similar trend is
also observed for beams with high-strength concrete (Fig. 5).
Beams NHW-1, NHW-2, and NHW-3 had the same amount
of shear reinforcement (Yw =0.51 percent).
The effect of increasing the amount of shear reinforcement
ratio Yw on the load-midspan deflection response of shear crit-
ical reinforced high-strength concrete beams is shown in Fig.
5(c). Beams NHW-3, NHW-3a, and NHW-3b had shear re-
inforcement ratios of 0.51, 0.65, and 0.78 percent, respec-
tively. It can be seen that increasing the shear reinforcement
ratio increases the load capacity and decreases the slope of
the load-midspan deflection curves in the post-peak region.
This figure also shows that, even for a beam with concrete
strength of 13,740 psi (95 MPa), i.e., Beam NHW-3a, it is
possible to achieve essentially a plastic post-peak behavior if
an adequate amount of shear reinforcement is provided. For
Beam NHW-3a, the shear reinforcement ratio provided was
0.65 percent, which is about twice the minimum shear rein-
forcement requirement per Section 11.1.2.1 of ACI318-89 ,17
The effect of the concrete strength on load-midspan de-
flection for reinforced concrete beams without web rein-
forcement is shown in Fig. 6. From this figure, it can be seen
that the slopes of the descending portion of load-deflection
curves for high-strength concrete beams are steeper than those
for normal strength concrete beams.
The effect of shear span-to-depth aid ratio on load-midspan
deflection for reinforced normal and high-strength concrete
beams with and without web reinforcement is shown in Fig.
7 and 8. It can be seen that, for all the beams, the slope of the
prepeak region as well as the post-peak region is steeper for
aid of 1 compared to beams with aid of 2, 3, and 4.
Shear ductility
Member ductility can be broadly defined as the ability of
the member to withstand load while incurring additional de-
formation beyond the maximum load stage. This definition
is qualitative, and, to quantify the deflection ductility of shear
critical reinforced concrete members, two different defini-
tions were used. In the first definition,· shear ductility index
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
 0.1

(a) a/d=l (b) a/d=2 (c) a/d=3

Fig. 4 - Effect of web reinforcement on load-midspan deflection of normal strength con-

crete beam

o~--4---~---4--~
'·'
(a) a/d=l (b) a/d=2 (c) a/<1=3

Fig. 5- Effect of web reinforcement on load-midspan deflection of high-strength concrete

beam

A /II
\f4- N N-1
:/\--1:\ i I 1\-- NHN-2
i £ NHN-3

NNN-3

.! il J .!
lO 15

2 2 r/tr\. ~
~ f- NNN I ao
NNN-2
10
"-.
(( ~--
---
\.._
~ ~ 1-:--..
I r--
0
0.1 0.5 0.0 o.i:

~fleation (ln.)

(a) a/d=l (b) a/d=2 (c) a/<1=3

Fig. 6- Effect of concrete strength on load-midspan deflection for beams without web re-
inforcement

~
\ NNW-I ~ \ - :;:'!;:

/
(old• I)

~ ........______ ·-,
)
. A
:to 'I \ ............ NHN-2

j/- /_A ·~. . ._\ - ~~~]~

NNW-3 _____
. v- r-== ·---. (a/oM)

.
(lt/doo3)
.....l -·-···

0.0
4etl.e.,tioll (ill.)

(a) without web reinfOKement (b) with web reinforcement

(a) Without web reinfoo:ement (b) With web reinforcement

Fig. 7- Effect of shear span-to-depth ratio aldfor normal Fig. 8 - Effect of shear span-to-depth ratio aid for high-
strength concrete beams strength concrete beams

Jli was defined as the ratio of the area of the load-deflection It should be pointed out that the choice of 3&, is arbitrary and
response up to 0.75Pmax in the descending portion to the area was motivated by the maximum load Pmax for each individual
up to Pmax [Fig. 9(a)]. In the second definition, the shear duc- beam. Based on these two definitions, the shear ductility in-
tility index 1-12 was defined as the ratio of the area of the load- dexes were computed from the test results of the 15 test
deflection response up to 3& to the area up to & [Fig. 9(b)]. beams, and the results are presented in Table 4. Also shown
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994 145
- Table 4 - Shear ductility of reinforced normal and high-strength concrete beams

Beam Jc', p, Yw, Pu, A,,

no. aid ksi percent p/pb p'/p percent kips in. Ill* Jl2t
NNN-1 1 6.81 2.07 0.48 0 0 70.03 0.0631 3.24 4.01

NNN-2 2 6.00 2.07 0.55 0 0 25.47 0.094 1.17 2.46

NNN-3 3 5.76 2.07 0.57 0 0 16.49 0.103 1.94 3.00

NNW-I 1 6.15 3.20 0.83 0.31 0.49 107.47 0.0703 2.34 3.99

NNW-2 2 6.30 3.20 0.81 0.31 0.49 55.31 0.190 1.57 2.90

NNW-3 3 6.22 3.20 0.82 0.31 0.49 39.13 0.280 1.68 2.98

NHN-1 1 15.05 2.07 0.25 0 0 108.59 0.0656 1.98 3.05

NHN-2 2 14.99 2.07 0.25 0 0 45.68 0.104 1.30 2.07

NHN-3 3 15.11 2.07 0.25 0 0 20.56 0.0756 1.13 2.91

NHW-1 1 14.17 4.54 0.59 0.23 0.51 145.37 0.0674 2.13 3.00

NHW-2 2 14.46 4.54 0.58 0.23 0.51 80.10 0.167 1.27 2.77

NHW-3 3 15.00 4.54 0.56 0.23 0.51 46.03 0.2135 1.56 2.95

NHW-3a 3 13.74 4.54 0.61 0.23 0.65 48.66 0.252 4.12 4.27

NHW-3b 3 15.76 4.54 0.53 0.23 0.78 55.10 0.244 3.65 4.00

NHW-4 4 15.09 4.54 0.55 0.23 0.51 42.14 0.368 2.86 3.62
*1-1, =ratio of area of load-deflection response up to 0.75P- in descendmg portion to area up toP-.
tl-12 = ratio of area of load-deflection response up to 3&, to area up to t.o. Deflection of corresponding to P- is t.o.

p p

pmax Pmax

0.75Pmax

Fig. 9(a) - Schematic diagram for definition of deflection Fig. 9(b) - Schematic diagram for definition of deflection
ductility ratio )11 ductility ratio )12

in Table 4 are the maximum loads Pmax and the corre-
sponding deflections ~ recorded during the tests.
Table 4 indicates that for the same aid ratios of 1 and 3, the
shear ductility index fli for beams without shear reinforce-
ment (Beams NNN-1 and NNN-3) is higher than for beams
with shear reinforcement (Beams NNW-I and NNW-3). This
is contrary to the expected results and the results obtained by
using the second definition of shear ductility index, which
shows that the shear ductility index flz is smaller for beams
without shear reinforcement compared to beams with shear
reinforcement. From this result, it appears that the definition
of shear ductility index on the basis of the fraction of peak
load in the descending portion may not be well suited to quan-
tify the shear ductility index of reinforced concrete beams.
Influence of compressive strength-The influence of the
compressive strength of concrete on the shear ductility index
flz of beams without and with shear reinforcement are shown
146
in Fig. IO(a) and IO(b). Fig. IO(a) shows that for beams
without shear reinforcement and aid of 1 and 2, the shear duc-
tility index decreases with increase in the concrete strength,
whereas for beams with aid of 3, there is an insignificant
change with an increase in the concrete strength. Fig. 1O(b)
shows that for beams with shear reinforcement and aid of 1,
the shear ductility index decreases with an increase in the con-
crete strength, whereas for beams with aid of 2 and 3, there
is an insignificant change with an increase in the concrete
strength.
Influence of shear span-to-depth ratio-The influence of
shear span-to-depth ratio on the shear ductility index is shown
in Table 4 and Fig. IO(a) and lO(b).lt can be seen that for all
the test beams, the shear ductility index flz for beams with aid
of 2 is lower than for beams with aid of 1 and 3. The differ-
ence is less for the beams with stirrups than for the beams
without web reinforcement. This can be attributed to the dif-
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
 Table 5 - Effectiveness of shear reinforcement for reinforced normal and
high-strength concrete beams

*Energy
Beam f/, p, 'Yw, absorption ratio
no. aid ksi percent pip& p'lp percent
NNW-1 1 6.15 3.20 0.96 0.31 0.490 1.58

NNW-2 2 6.30 3.20 0.96 0.31 0.490 5.68

NNW-3 3 6.22 3.20 0.96 0.31 0.490 6.26

NHW-1 1 14.17 4.54 0.52 0.23 0.506 1.79

NHW-2 2 14.46 4.54 0.52 0.23 0.506 3.71

NHW-3 3 15.00 4.54 0.52 0.23 0.506 6.44

NHW-3a 3 13.74 4.54 0.52 0.23 0.653 10.80

NHW-3b 3 15.76 4.54 0.52 0.23 0.784 10.97

*Energy absorption ratio is area of load-deflection up to 3t.o for beams with web reinforcement to area of load-deflection up to
3t.0 for beams without web reinforcement with the same shear span-to-depth ratio. t.o is deflection corresponding toP~ for the
individual beam.

5 5

.. -~----_ /a/d=l
4

l / a/d= 3 ""'-----
~
a 3 a
.,
.
;.:::;
3
•·········· ,_........................ .....::.:::.::..::.--
~
.," .....................................;;....................... .g"
' a/d=2

2 2
!;; a/d= 2 !;;
~ ~
1 1

0 0
0 8 12 16 0 8 12 16

concrete strength (ksi) concrete strength (ksi)

Fig. 10(a)- Effect of concrete strength on shear ductility of Fig. JO(b)- Effect of concrete strength on shear ductility of
beams without web reinforcement beams with web reinforcement

ferent failure mechanisms for beams with aid of 1 and 3. The
cracking pattern showed that for beams with aid of 1, parallel
diagonal cracks developed prior to the maximum load, which
widened during the post peak region of the load-deflection
curve. For beams with aid of 3, at the maximum load stage
the top of the critical inclined crack(s) almost reached the
compression face of the beam, and the crack(s) widened with
load decreasing slowly in the post-peak region of the load-
deflection curve. For beams with aid of 2, after the maximum
load stage, the critical inclined crack(s) extended further to-
ward the compression zone along with the widening of the
crack(s) that occurred with load decreasing rapidly during the
post-peak region of the load-deflection curve.
Influence of shear reinforcement ratio-The influence of
shear reinforcement ratio on the shear ductility index !lz is
shown in Fig. 11. From this figure, it can be seen that in-
creasing the shear reinforcement ratio yw up to 0.51 percent
has an insignificant effect on shear ductility of beams with aid
of 1 and 3; however, for beams with aid of 2, the shear duc-
tility index increases. For beams with aid of 3, increasing the
shear reinforcement ratio from 0.51 to 0.65 percent increases
the shear ductility index by 43 percent. Further, increase in
the shear reinforcement ratio does not increase the shear due-
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
tility index, since the post-peak portion for a beam with 0.65
percent shear reinforcement is essentially plastic.
Although the shear ductility index indicates an improve-
ment in the post-peak behavior of the shear critical reinforced
concrete beams due to the presence of the shear (web) rein-
forcement, it does not demonstrate the effectiveness of the
shear stirrup reinforcement in increasing the ultimate load ca-
pacity and the post-peak deformability of the shear critical
beams. The effectiveness of the shear reinforcement in im-
proving the ultimate load capacity and the post-peak de-
formability can be more clearly demonstrated by computing
the energy absorption ratio for each of the beams with shear
reinforcement. The energy absorption ratio is defined as the
ratio of the energy absorbed by the beam with shear (web) re-
inforcement to the energy absorbed by a similar beam without
shear (web) reinforcement. The computed energy absorption
ratios for all the beams with shear reinforcement are presented
in Table 5. The energy-absorption ratio for each beam with
shear reinforcement was computed by computing the total
area under the load-midspan deflection up to 3Ao and dividing
this by the area under the load-deflection curve up to 3Ao for
a similar beam without shear reinforcement. Note that Ao is
the deflection corresponding to the maximum load for each
147
ijQ;;;
5~-------,--------.--------,--------,
4+-------+---+-~~~--~~~--~~
1..- ~fJ'!i~
'n£orcement· / · r- a/d=3
!I
/a/d=l
web
3~~~~~==~=9F===~-+------~
·························· ···········+··········· .....
2~------_,----+---;-------_,--------~
1+--------1----+---1--------1--------1
o+-------~----~--;-------~--------;
0.000 0.002 0.004
web reinforcement ratio
Fig. 11 -Effect of web steel ratio on shear ductility for high-
strength concrete beams
individual beam.
The effect of amount of shear reinforcement ratio on the
energy absorption ratio is shown in Fig. 12, which shows that
the energy absorption ratio increases with increase in aid ratio.
This indicates that the effectiveness of the shear reinforce-
ment in improving the ultimate load capacity and the post-
peak deformation characteristics increases with an increase
in aid ratio. Fig. 12 also shows that for beams with aid of 1
and 3, the effectiveness of the stirrup reinforcement is sim-
ilar in beams with normal as well as high-strength concrete.
For beams with aid of2, the stirrup reinforcement is more ef-
fective for the normal strength concrete beams compared to
the beams with high-strength concrete. The figure also shows
that for beams with aid of 3, increasing the shear reinforce-
ment ratio from 0.49 to 0.65 percent almost doubles the en-
ergy absorption ratio; however, increasing the shear rein-
forcement ratio beyond 0.65 percent does not result in a sig-
nificant change in the energy absorption ratio.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Experimental results of shear critical beams of reinforced
normal as well as high-strength concrete beams without and
with shear (web) reinforcement are presented. On the basis
of results obtained in this study, the following conclusions
can be drawn:
1. Shear critical reinforced concrete beams exhibit a stable
and reproducible post-peak descending portion of the load-
midspan deflection curve when tested in an energy-absorbing
stiff testing facility.
2. For beams with shear reinforcement and aid of 1, the
shear ductility index decreases with an increase in the con-
crete strength, whereas for beams with aid of 2 and 3, there
is an insignificant change due to an increase in the concrete
strength.
3. High-strength concrete beams with aid of 3 exhibit a
near plastic post-peak response when the shear reinforcement
provided is about twice the minimum amount recommended
by ACI 318-89.
4. The post-peak deformation characteristics expressed in
terms of shear ductility index Jl2 indicates that beams with
aid of 2 exhibit lower values compared to beams with aid of
1 and 3.
148
;--
j aid=3
aid·
\·::2
:
I '
/
l/
~aid•2
aid• I ~
vv ----aid 2
-aid-
'
D.DDD '
D.DDD
(a) normal strength concrete beams (b) high strength concrete beams
Fig. 12 - Effect of shear reinforcement on energy-absorp-
tion capacity for reinforced concrete beams
0.006 0.008
5. Increasing the shear reinforcement ratio Yw up to 0.51
percent has an insignificant effect on the shear ductility index
of beams with aid of 1 and 3; however, for beams with aid of
2, the shear ductility index increases. For beams with aid of
3, increasing the shear reinforcement ratio from 0.51 to 0.65
percent increases the shear ductility index by 43 percent. Fur-
ther increase in shear reinforcement ratio does not increase
the shear ductility index.
6. The effectiveness of the shear reinforcement in im-
proving the load capacity and post-peak deformation charac-
teristics when quantified by the energy-absorption ratio indi-
cates that for beams with aid of 3, increasing the shear rein-
forcement ratio from 0.51 to 0.65 percent almost doubles the
energy absorption ratio. Further increase in the shear rein-
forcement ratio does not have a significant effect on the en-
ergy-absorption ratio.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to Karim El Dash, visiting scholar from Egypt,
for help in casting the beam specimens and to the staff of the Structural Lab-
oratory at North Carolina State University.
NOTATION
a = shear span, distance between concentrated load and face of support
b = width of beam
d =
effective depth of beam
Jc' = compressive strength of concrete
aid = shear span-to-depth ratio
Per = load when diagonal tension crack crosses the midheight of beam
Pmox = maximum load
A, = deflection corresponding to maximum load
A, = area of tensile reinforcement
As' = area of compressive reinforcement
Aw = area of web reinforcement per stirrup
p = tensile reinforcement ratio, p = A,/bd
p' = compressive reinforcement, p' = A,/bd
Ph = reinforcement ratio producing balanced strain condition
'Yw = web reinforcement ratio, 'Yw =Awlbs
Jlt = shear ductility as defined by ratio of area of load-deflection response
up to 0.15Pmox in descending portion to area up to P.wx
112 = shear ductility as defined by ratio of area of load-deflection response
up to 3~o to area up to ~o- Deflection corresponding to P.wx is ~o
CONVERSION FACTORS
1lb/ftJ = 16.03 kglml
1 mf/ftl = 35.31 mffml
REFERENCES
1. Ahmad, S. H., and Shah, S. P., "Structural Properties of High-Strength
Concrete and Its Implications for Precast Concrete," PC! Journal, V. 30, No.
6, Nov.-Dec. 1985, pp. 92-119.
2. Shin, Sung-woo; Ghosh, S. K.; and Moreno, J., "Flexural Ductility of
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
- Ultra-High-Strength Concrete Members," ACI JoURNAL, Proceedings V. 86,
No.4, July-Aug. 1989, pp. 394-400.
3. Leslie, K. E.; Rajagopalan, K. S.; and Everard, N.J., "Aexural Behavior
of High Strength Concrete Beams," ACI JOURNAL, Proceedings V. 73, No.
9, Sept. 1976, pp. 517-521
4. Pastor, J. A.; Nilson, A. H.; and Slate, F. 0., "Behavior of High-Strength
Concrete Beams," Research Report 84-3, Department of Structural Engi-
neering, Cornell University, Ithaca, Feb. 1984, 311 pp.
5. Shin, S. W.; Kamara, M.; and Ghosh, S. K., "Aexural Ductility, Strength
Prediction, and Hysteretic Behavior of Ultra-High-Strength Concrete Mem-
bers," SP-121, American Concrete Institute, Detroit, 1990, pp. 239-264.
6. Ahmad, S. H., and Barker, R., "Aexural Behavior of Reinforced High-
Strength Lightweight Concrete Beams," ACI Structural Journal, V. 88, No.
1,Jan-Feb. 1991,pp.69-77.
7. Ahmad, S. H., and Batts., J., "Aexural Behavior of Reinforced High-
Strength Lightweight Concrete Beams with Web Reinforcement," ACI Struc-
tural Journal, V. 88, No.3, May-June 1991, pp. 251-358.
8. Mphonde, A. G., and Frantz, G. C., "Shear Tests of High-and Low-
Strength Concrete Beams without Stirrups," ACI JOURNAL, Proceedings V.
81, No.4, July-Aug. 1984, pp. 350-357.
9. Elzanty, A. H.; Nilson, A. H.; and Slate, F. 0., "Shear Capacity of Re-
inforced Concrete Beams Using High-Strength Concrete," ACI JoURNAL,
Proceedings V. 83, No.2, Mar.-Apr. 1986, pp. 290-296.
10. Ahmad, S. H.; Khaloo, A. R.; and Poveda, A., "Shear Capacity of High-
ACI Structural Journal I March-April 1994
Strength Concrete Beams," ACI JouRNAL, Proceedings V. 83, No.2, Mar.-
Apr. 1986, pp. 297-305.
11. ACI Committee 363, "State-of-the-Art Report on High-Strength Con-
crete," ACI JouRNAL, Proceedings V. 81, No.4, July-Aug. 1984, pp. 364-
412.
12. Roller, J. J., and Russell, H. G., "Shear Strength of High-Strength Con-
crete Beams with Web Reinforcement," ACI Structural Journal, V. 87, No.
2, Mar.-Apr. 1990, pp. 191-198.
13. Ahmad, S. H., and ShahS. P., "Complete Stress-Strain Curve of Con-
crete and Nonlinear Design," Nonlinear Design of Concrete Structures,
CSCE-ASCE-ACI-CEB International Symposium, University of Waterloo,
Ontario, Canada, Aug. 7-9, 1979, pp. 61-81.
14. BliZant, Z. P., "Instability, Ductility and Size Effect in Strain Softening
Concrete," Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, V. 102, No.2, Apr.
1976, pp. 331-344.
15. Kotsovos, M.D., "Effect of Testing Techniques on the Post-Ultimate
Behavior of Concrete in Compression," Materials and Structures, Research
and Testing (RILEM, Paris), V. 16, No. 91, Jan-Feb. 1983, pp. 3-12.
16. Kotsovos, M.D., and Newman J. B., "Plain Concrete under Load-A
New Interpretation," IABSE Colloquium on Advanced Mechanics of Rein-
forced Concrete, Delft, The Netherlands, June 2-4, 1981.
17. ACI Committee 318, "Building Code Requirements for Reinforced
Concrete and Commentary (ACI 318-89/ACI 318R-89)," American Con-
crete Institute, Detroit, 1989, 353 pp.
149