V.

STRENGTH OF MEMBERS
WITH SHEAR
5.0 SHEAR STRESSES IN CONCRETE BEAMS

Although no one has ever been able to accurately determine the resistance of concrete to pure
shearing stress, the matter is not very important because pure shearing stress is probably never
encountered in concrete structures. Tensile strength of concrete is less than its shearing strength; hence
the concrete will fail before its shearing strength is reached.
In an elastic homogeneous beams where stresses are proportional to strains, two kinds of
stresses occur (bending and shear) and they are calculated with the following expressions.

Mc
Bending f
I
VQ
Shear v
Ib
However, the above equation for shearing stress cannot be applied to reinforced concrete beams
due to the following reasons:
a. Reinforced concrete is not a homogeneous material because it is formed by two distinct
materials that is concrete and steel.
b. Concrete is not elastic.
Because of possible cracks in a concrete beam, the actual cross section on which to base the
calculations of gross area, moment of inertia, and other factors cannot be precisely determined

An element of a beam not located at an extreme fiber or at the neutral axis is subject to both
bending and shear stresses. These stresses combine into inclined compressive and tensile stresses,
called principal stresses which can be determined ro the following expression:

2
f f
fp v2
2 2

The direction of the principal stresses can be determined with the following formula, in which
is the inclination of the stress to the beams axis:
2v
tan 2
f
Obviously, at different positions along the beam, the relative magnitudes of v and f change,
and thus the directions of the principal stresses change. It can be seen from the preceding equation that
at the neutral axis the principal stresses will be located at a 45 0 angle with the horizontal.
We understand by this time that tension stresses in concrete are a serious matter. Diagonal
principal tensile stresses, called diagonal tension, occur at different places and angles in concrete
beams, and they must be carefully considered. If they reach certain values, additional reinforcing, called
web reinforcement, must be supplied.

5.1 DIAGONAL TENSION

 In a simple beam subjected to bending the fibers above the neutral surface are in compression
while tensile stresses occur in the fibers below this surface. In addition to these obvious stresses,
there are also inclined tensile stresses. If a concrete beam is reinforced with longitudinal steel only,
these diagonal stresses tend to produce cracks as shown in figure below.

These cracks are vertical at the center of the span and become more inclined as they approach
the supports, where they slope at an angle of about 45 0. The stresses that cause these cracks are
known as diagonal tension. To prevent failure due to diagonal tension, additional reinforcing bars are
added. Sloping bars placed at right angles to the direction of these cracks would be one way of
reinforcing diagonal tension but not an economical method. The usual procedure is to add bars bent
in the shape of the letter U, in vertical positions at those places in the beam at which the diagonal
tension stresses require their use. When the stresses are sufficiently large or the beam is unusually
wide, W-shaped bars are used. These bent reinforcing bars are called stirrups. They should always
have hooks at the ends to provide anchorage to resist the tensile stresses.

stirrups bent bar

The theory for providing vertical stirrups to resist diagonal tension is based on the assumption
that the stirrups resist the vertical component of the diagonal tension and the longitudinal
reinforcement resist the horizontal component. Diagonal tension is a combination of vertical and
horizontal shear. For practical considerations, the intensity of the vertical shear is considered to
be a measure of the intensity of the diagonal tension. Because of this assumption, we use
the term shear, although we know that the stresses are actually diagonal tension. Reinforcement
used to resist shearing stresses is known as web reinforcement. Ties are sometimes used for web
reinforcement in place of stirrups.
Diagonal cracks produced by shear are of two types. They are the a) flexure-shear cracks, and b)
web-shear cracks. The flexure-shear cracks starts from the surface of the concrete in tension and
occurs when the bending moment exceeds the cracking moment of the cross section. Web-shear
cracks are initiated at the mid-depth at the level of the neutral axis and occur when the diagonal
tension stress produced by shear becomes greater than the tensile stress of the concrete.

5.2 SHEAR CRACKING OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS

 Inclined cracks can develop in the webs of reinforced concrete beams either as an extension of
flexural cracks or occasionally as independent cracks. The first of these two types is the flexure-shear
cracks (see Figure)

Figure. Flexure-shear cracks

These are the ordinary types of shear cracks found in both prestressed and non prestresssed
beams.. For them to occur the moment must be larger than the cracking moment and the shear must be
rather large. The cracks run at angles of about 45 0 with the beam axis and probably start at the top of a
flexure crack. The approximately vertical flexure cracks are not dangerous unless a critical combination of
shear stress and flexure stress occurs at the top of one of the flexure cracks.
Occasionally, an inclined crack will develop independently in a beam, even though no flexure cracks
are in that locality. Such cracks, which are called web-shear cracks, will sometimes occur in webs of
prestressed sections, particularly those with large flanges and thin webs. They also sometimes occur near
points on inflection of continuous beams or near simple supports. At such locations small moments and
high shear often occur. These types of cracks will form near mid-depth of sections and will move on a
diagonal path to the tension surface. Web-shear cracks are illustrated in the Figure shown below.

Figure. Web-shear cracks

As a crack moves up to the neutral axis, the result will be a reduced amount of concrete left to resist
shear meaning that share stresses will increase on the concrete above the crack. It will be remembered
that at the neutral axis the bending stresses are zero and the shear stresses are at their maximum values.
The shear stresses will therefore determine what happens to the crack there.

5. 3 WEB REINFORCEMENT (STIRRUPS)

When the maximum unit shearing stress exceeds the allowable value, diagonal cracks are going to

3
occur unless some types of additional reinforcements are to be provided. These reinforcements are called
the web reinforcements and usually take the form of stirrups that enclosed the longitudinal
reinforcements.

Figure. Types of stirrups

The most common type of stirrups are U-shaped, but they can be W-shaped or perhaps have only a
single vertical prong, as shown in Figure (a) to (c). Multiple stirrups such as the ones shown in Figure (e)
are considered to inhibit splitting in the plane of the longitudinal bars. As a consequence, they are
generally more desirable for wide beams than the ones shown in Figure (d). Sometimes it is rather
convenient to use lap-spliced stirrups such as the ones in Figure (g). These stirrups are occasionally
useful for deep members, particularly those with gradually varying depths. However, they are considered
to be unsatisfactory is seismic areas.
Bars called hangers (usually with about the same diameter as that of the stirrups) are placed on
the compression sides of beams to support the stirrups, as illustrated in Figure (a) to (j). The stirrups are
passed around the tensile steel and to meet anchorage requirement are run as far into the compression
side of the beam as practical and are hooked around the hangers. Bending of the stirrups around the
hangers reduces the bearing stresses under the hooks. If these bearing stresses are to high, the concrete
will crush and the stirrups will tear out. When a significant amount of torsion is present in a member, it will
be necessary to use closed stirrups as shown in parts (f) through (j)

4
5.4 SHEAR STRENGTH IN CONCRETE

If Vu is divided by the effective beam area bw d , the result is what is called an average
shearing stress. This stress is not equal to the diagonal tension stress but merely serves as an indicator
of its magnitude. Should this indicator exceed a certain value, shear or web reinforcement is considered
necessary. In the ACI Code the basic shear equations are presented in terms of shear forces and not
shear stresses.
If Vn is considered to be the nominal or theoretical shear strength of a member, then it is
provided by the concrete and by the shear reinforcement.
V n = Vc + V S
The design shear strength of a member, V n , is equal to Vc plus V s , which must at
least equal the factored shear force to be taken, Vu :
Vu = VC V S
The shear strength provided by the concrete, Vc , is considered to equal an average shear
stress strength times the effective cross-sectional area of the member, bw d .
1
Vc f c' bw d (S
6
I)
The following is an alternative shear force equation which takes into account the effects of
longitudinal reinforcing and the moment and shear magnitudes. This value must be calculated separately
for each point being in the beam.
Vu d bw d
Vc f c' 120 w 0.3 f c' bw d (S I)
Mu 7

In these expressions w As bw d and M u is the factored moments occurring simultaneously,

with Vu the factored shear at the section considered. The quantity Vu d M u may not be taken to be
greater than unity in computing Vc by means of the above expressions.

5.5 DESIGN FOR SHEAR

The basis for the design of shear reinforcement is the shear force Vu due to factored loads. The
maximum shear Vu in a beam must not exceed the design shear capacity of the beam cross section
Vn , that is
Vu Vn
Vu = VC V S
where :
= 0.85 =capacity reduction factor
= 0.75 =capacity reduction factor (ACI CODE 2005)
Vn = Vc + V S = nominal shear strength of concrete and shear reinforcement
Vc = shear strength attributed to concrete
V S = strength of shear reinforcement
Vu = factored shear force

5
5.5.1 Values of Shear Strength
 1. For concrete, Vc :
For design, the ACI Code presents both the following equations for computing Vc :
a. For the simplified form wich is equal to an average shear stress
1
Vc f c' bw d (SI)
6
b. Alternative shear force equation which takes into account the effects of longitudinal
reinforcing and the moment and shear magnitudes
Vu d bw d
Vc f c' 120 w 0.3 f c' bw d (SI)
Mu 7
As Vu d
where: w and 1.00
bw d Mu
2. For shear reinforcement, V S :
The nominal shear strength of stirrups V s crossing a crack can be calculated from the following
expressions:
a. Stirrups inclined at an angle with the horizontal
Av f y sin cos d
Vs
s
b. Vertical stirrups, = 900
Av f y d
Vs
s
where: Av area of shear reinforcement within a distance s .
s = spacing of (vertical) stirrups or the horizontal spacing of cracks if stirrups
are inclined.
s s
Vc Vc

C C

Av f y Av f y
T T

d d
R R

a. Inclined stirrups with angle b. Vertical stirrups : = 900

5.6 ACI CODE REQUIREMENT (ACI CODE 2005)

1. When the factored shear Vu exceed one-half the shear design strength Vc , the Code
requires the use of web reinforcement. The value of Vc is normally taken as

6
1
Vc f c' bw d
6
but the Code permits the use of the following less conservative value:
 Vu d bw d
Vc f c' 120 w 0.3 f c' bw d
Mu 7
As previously mentioned, M u is the moment occurring simultaneously with Vu at the section in
question. The value of Vu d M u must not be taken greater than 1.0 in calculating Vc .

2. The ACI Code specifies a minimum amount of web reinforcement such as to provide an
ultimate shear strength of no less than 1 16 f c' bw s . Using this provision of the Code should prevent a
sudden shear failure of the beam when inclined cracks occur. The shear strength calculated with this
expression may not be less than 1 3 bw s . If a 1 16 f c' (MPa) strength is available for a web width
bw and a length of beam equal s equal to the stirrup spacing, we will have
1
f c' bw s = Av f y
16
1
f c' bw s
Av min imum 16
fy
but not less than the value obtained with a 0.33 MPa strength 1 3bw s f y
'
If f c is greater than 30.64 MPa (4444psi), the minimum value of Av is controlled by the
'
expression 1 16 f c' bw s f y . Should f c be less than 30.64 MPa (4444psi), te minimum Av value
will be controlled by 1 3bw s f y expression.
1 bw s 0.33 bw s
Av , min f c'
16 fy fy

This expression provides the minimum area of web reinforcement Av which is to be used as
long as the factored torsional moment Tu does not exceed one-fourth of the cracking torque Tcr . Such
torque will not cause an appreciable reduction in the flexural or shear strength of a member and may be
neglected. For nonprestressed members this limiting value is

2
f c' Acp
(SI)
12 Pcp
where 0.75 , Acp = the area enclosed by the outside perimeter of the cross section, and p cp is
the outside perimeter of the concrete cross section.

3. Stirrups are unable to resist shear unless they crossed an inclined cracks. For this reason, ACI
Code sets the maximum spacing of vertical stirrups as the smaller of d/2 or 610 mm (24) for non
prestressed members and 3/4h for prestressed members or 610mm (h being the overall thickness of a
member), so that each 450 cracks will be intercepted by at least one stirrup. The maximum spacing of
inclined stirrups is such that 450 cracks extending from mid-height of the member to the tension
reinforcement will intercept at least one stirrup. Should, however, V s exceed 1 3 f c' bw d these
maximum

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spacings are to be reduced by one-half. These closer spacing will lead to narrower inclined cracks. Under
no circumstances may V S be allowed to exceed 2 3 f C' bW d . The shear strength of a beam can not
be increased indefinitely by adding more and more shear reinforcement because the concrete will
eventually disintegrate no matter how much shear reinforcing is added.
5.7 SPACING OF STIRRUPS

Stirrups is required and must be provided if Vu exceeds 1 2 Vc . From the shear capacity of the
shear reinforcement (stirrups) V S , it is expressed as

V S Av f y n
where: Av total cross sectional area of the stirrups legs crossing the cracks.
f y yield stress of the stirrups steel.
n number of stirrups crossing the cracks.

Stirrups cracks Vc

s s s Av f y
Vu
d

Assuming the horizontal projection of a diagonal crack to be equal to the depth d of the cross
section and s the spacing of stirrups, the number of stirrups crossing the crack is
d
n
s
hence
d
VS Av f y
s
and
Av f y d
s
VS
The above equation of spacing s is applied for vertical stirrups. The value of V S is taken from
the equation of shear force
Vu = Vn

if Vn = VC + V S

8
Substitute Vn to the equation of Vu
Vu = VC V S
V S = Vu VC
Vu
VS = VC

Stirrups are unable to resist shear unless they crossed an inclined cracks. For this reason, ACI
Code sets the maximum spacing of vertical stirrups as the smaller of d/2 or 610 mm (24), so that each
450 cracks will be intercepted by at least one stirrup. The maximum spacing of inclined stirrups is such
that 450 cracks extending from mid-height of the member to the tension reinforcement will intercept at
least one stirrup.

stirrups cracks stirrups cracks

450 d/2 45 0 450 d/2

Max s = d/2 Max spacing, s

(a) Vertical stirrups (b) Inclined stirrups

VU
Should VC = V S exceeds 1 3 f C' bW d , the maximum allowable stirrup spacing

are reduced to half those just described. For vertical stirrups, the maximum is the smaller of d/4 or 305
mm.

Under no circumstances may V S be allowed to exceed 2 3 f C' bW d . The shear strength of

a beam can not be increased indefinitely by adding more and more shear reinforcement because the
concrete will eventually disintegrate.

The maximum spacing to provide minimum area of shear reinforcement is given by the equation,
3 f y Avmin imum
s
bw

5.7.1 Limits of Area of Shear Reinforcement

bw s
Avmin imum
3 fy

5.8 SUMMARY OF STEPS INVOLVED IN DESIGN OF VERTICAL STIRRUPS

1. Calculate Vu at distance d from the support.

1
2. Calculate VC f C' bw d .
6
1
3. Stirrups are needed if Vu Vc .
2
Design of stirrups
 Av f y d
4. Calculate the theoretical stirrups spacing , s
VS

Vu
where : V S = VC

5. Determine the maximum spacing to provide minimum area of steel reinforcement,

3 f y Avmin imum
s
bw
6. Compute maximum spacing

1 d
a. If V S f C' bW d -------------------- s 610 mm
3 2
1 d
b. If V S f C' bW d --------------------- s 305 mm
3 4

2
7. V S may not be f C' bW d
3
8. Minimum practical spacing is approximately 75 mm (3) to 100 mm (4).

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