Shear mechanism of reinforced concrete T-beams with stirrups

As is well known, in the current design code, the shear strength of beams can be calculated based on the modified truss theory, which cannot take into account the effects of the top flange area of T-beams. Reported experimental data show that the top flange has an effect on the shear capacity of T-beams with shear reinforcement. To predict the shear capacity of T-beams more precisely, the effect of the concrete top flange area on the shear resisting mechanism must be clarified. Comparison of test results for rectangular and T-beams yielded insights into the shear resisting mechanism of T-beams. Verification and clarification of the shear resisting mechanism of T-beams were performed based on the 3D nonlinear finite element code (CAMUI). Finally, a simplified method for determining the failure criteria for shear of RC T-beams is proposed.