Shear Strains at Service Load Conditions in Cracked Reinforced Concrete Elements Subjected to Shear

The contribution of the shear strains to the overall deformations of reinforced concrete (RC) elements is typically neglected. However, when RC cracks in shear, its shear modulus is significantly reduced, and the contribution of the shear strains to the overall deformations of the elements is increased. Experimental testing has shown that shear deformations can be significant. Under service conditions, RC can be cracked in shear and hence, a simple method for the calculation of the effective cracked shear modulus is desired. Research has shown that the part of the shear response after cracking and before yielding can be well modeled using a straight line. This paper uses existing experimental data and the equations of the modified compression field theory (MCFT) to examine this part of the response in RC membrane elements and to develop two simple equations that can be used to characterize the straight line. The proposed equations are evaluated by comparing their results with existing experimental data on the shear response of thin RC membrane elements. The comparison includes the post-cracking response and the shear strains at estimated service level loading. A very good agreement is obtained between the experimental and the calculated results. The simplicity of the proposed equations is illustrated using a numerical example.