Title no. 93-85 TECHNICAL PAPER A General Shear Design Method wes by Michael P. Collins, Denis Mitchell, Perry Adebar, and Frank J. Vecchio A simple, unified method is presented for the shear design of both pre stressed concrete members and nonpresirssed concrete members. The ‘method can treat members subjected 10 axial tension or axial compression ‘and treats members with and without web reinforcement. The derivation of the method is summarized and the predictions ofthe method are compared with those of the current ACI Code Keywords: aggregate interlock: axial loads: building codes; erack width and spacing; reinforced concrete; shear stength; structural design. ‘The shear design provisions of the 1995 ACI Code! con- sist of about 43 empirical equations for different types of ‘members and different types of loading, some of which are illustrated in Fig. 1. In 1973, the ACI-ASCE Shear Committee? expressed the hope that these “design regula- tions for shear strength can be integrated, simplified, and given a physical significance.” As shown by the growth in the number of ACI shear design equations (see Fig. 2), the ‘code has not met this desirable goal. Iti interesting to note that, prior to 1963, the ACI shear design procedure was so simple that only four equations were required. Most of the shear design equations given in Fig. 1 were in troduced in either the 1963 or 1971 edition of the ACI Code." ‘These design equations were developed in the period follow- ing the 1955 air-force warehouse shear failures® and rely on the traditional concept of adding a concrete contribution V, to the shear reinforcement contribution V, calculated on the basis, of the 45 deg truss equation. Since 1971 there has been an intensive research effort aimed at improving design methods for shear (see Fig. 3), The re~ search has shown that, in general, the angle of inclination of the concrete compression is not 45 deg, and that equations based on a variable angle truss provide a more realistic basis for shear design. In addition, tests of reinforced concrete pan- els subjected to pure shear improved the understanding of the stress-strain characteristics of diagonally cracked concrete, ‘These stress-strain relationships made it possible to develop ‘an analytical model, called the modified compression field theory, that proved capable of accurately predicting the re- sponse of reinforced concrete subjected to shear. 36 The objective of this paper is to present briefly a simple, general shear design method based on the modified compres- sion field theory. This design method, recently introduced by Collins and Mitchell,’ has been adopted by the Ontario Highway Bridge Design Code,* the Canadian Standards As- sociation Concrete Design Code,’ and the AASHTO LRFD specifications." The method is summarized in Fig. 1 SHEAR RESPONSE OF CRACKED CONCRETE ‘Tests of reinforced concrete panels subjected to pure shear (see Fig. 4) demonstrated that even after cracking, tensile stresses exist in the concrete and that these stresses can sig nificantly increase the ability of reinforced concrete to resist shear stresses, Cracked reinforced concrete transmits load in a relatively complex manner involving opening or closing of pre-exist- ing cracks, formation of new cracks, interface shear transfer fat rough crack surfaces, and significant variation of the stresses in reinforcing bars due to bond, with the highest steel stresses occurring at crack locations. The modified compression field model attempts to capture the essential features of this behavior without considering all of the de- tails. The crack pattem is idealized as a series of parallel cracks all occurring at angle @ to the longitudinal direction In lieu of following the complex stress variations in the cracked concrete, only the average stress state and the stress state at a crack are considered [see Fig. 4(b) and 4(c)]. As these two states of stress are statically equivalent, the loss of tensile stresses in the concrete at the crack must be replaced by increased steel stresses or, after yielding of some of the reinforcement at the crack, by shear stresses on the crack in- terface. The shear stress that can be transmitted across the crack will be a function of the crack width, Note that shear stress on the crack implies that the direction of principal stresses in the concrete changes at the crack location, ACI Sractaral Journal ¥.93, No.1 Januaey-ebuary 1996 Reveved June 17, 198 and revived under Institute publication polices. Copy. right © 1993, American Concrete Institue. Allright eseved.tcludg he Mak. ‘oFeopes unless permission band from te copyright propetors.Ferinent ds ‘ston wil be publsd in the November December 1996 ACT Srcturol Journal ‘vce by Jay 196, ACI Structural Journal / January-Febuary 1996‘Michael PColing, FAC. ie Ban Tanenbaum Professor of Ci Engineering ot he Univers of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. He is a member of ACI Commitee 388. Con ‘rete Guida the ACI Technical Actisties Commie subcommice on High Per formance Concrete and joint ACEASCE Commitee 445 Shear and Torsion He is member ofthe Canadien Standards Arsociation Commie forthe Design of Com free Scares Denis Michell, ACI, is a profesor in the Department of Cit Enginering and Applied Mechance at McGill University He i @ member of ACI Commer 408, Bond and Developmen of Reinforcement. and ACFASCE Commitee 445, Shear and Torsion He is Chairman of the Canadian Standards Association Commie forthe Design of Concrete Sucre ACI memberBerry Adebar i an axsociete professor inthe Deparment of iil Engi reering othe University of British Columbia, Voncowver Canada, He i Secretary of JACK Commie 341, Earths Resistant Concrete Bridges and joint ACLASCE ‘computraded design of wnforced concrete ACI member Frank J. Vecchio is a professor in the Department of Ci Enginering ‘atthe Univers Tron, Hes a member of ACI Commatees 441 Reinforced Con ‘rete Cols and 47, Finite Element Aalyis. and ofthe CEB Comniter on Com stave Modeling. ‘The average principal tensile strain e, in the cracked con- crete is used as a “damage indicator” that controls the aver age tensile stress fin the cracked concrete, the ability of the diagonally cracked concrete to carry compressive stresses f;, and the shear stress v,; that can be transmitted across a crack. ‘The principal compressive stress in the concrete fis relat- ed to both the principal compressive strain €, and the princi- pal tensile strain e, in the following manner [see Fig. 5(a)] h ay where Pamax = 4.7 (08 + 1108,) $f.’ S ACI Method General Method ¥, naVet% y, ve, +¥, ¥, (191 + 2500, % ¥, 538 0E ba ot ¥, ¥ < 81h bya o vent = 08[Fibyd + y+ yA ol na Ana oa 2\E ba (00 = MoM oe on 2 r0 9, « IE ce oe ™, and, < Yeu = (980 + 03%,) te ¥, ons, Sh ae where 8 and 8 are functions of the strain, ¢,, shear stress, », and crack spacing s, where M, = a = pu vy AT bd 1.9 fff + 2500p, Axial Tension and Shear : : Detailing Rules © Feintorcement shall extend © shear at cutoff < 2/3 shear permitted, or 8 tirup a 4, 60 f, 8 § d/8By, OF teinforcemen shall be inited so that es eitle beyond the pont at which its no longer required to resist exure fora distance equal fo the eflecive depth ofthe member or 124, ahichis greater, (© Flexural reinforcement shall not be terminated in a tension zone unless in excess of that required for shear and torsion, is provided © for #11 bars or smaller: shear atthe cutofl 3/4 shear permitted and continuing reinforcement provices double the area required for flexure a the cutot, © At simple supports and points of inflection, the diameter ofthe positive moment tension Detailing Rules Longitudinal steo! must be Setalled so that + -05u- soso Fig. I Comparison of ACI and proposed shear design approaches ACI Structural Journal / January-Febuary 1996 3750 of 10 4900 191010201000 [NUMBER OF EQUATIONS FOR SHEAR DESIGN IN ACI CODE 1940 Fig. 2—Number of ACI shear design equations 1950 1960 197019801980 seo 1810 a0 100 180 1950 1960 197019001000 Fig. 3—Research into shear design methods (©) Catcutated average stresses __(¢) Local stresses at crack Fig. 4—Reinforced concrete panels subjected 10 shear From Eq, (I) the principal compressive strain for the loading portion ofthe stress-strain relationship is 0.002 (1 = {1 2/famax) 3) where €;” has been taken as -0.002. ‘After cracking, the principal tensile stress in the conerete fis related to the principal tensile strain ¢, as follows [see Fig. 5(b)] Ser 1+ /500e, where the cracking stress f,, can be taken as 4,/7," psi (0.33 ff,’ MPa). For large values of €,, the cracks will become and the magnitude of f, wll be controlled by the yielding, of the reinforcement atthe crack and by the ability to transmit shear stresses v; across the cracked interface (see Fig. 5(b)] ‘The shear stress that can be transmitted across the crack is a function of the crack width w and the aggregate size a [see Fig. 4()}, as given by 216K" ~ aw oT 08 fi “ psi and in, For MPa and mm units, replace the 2.16 by 0.18 and the 0.63 by 16. ACI Structural Journal / January-Febuary 1996