Abstract:
A compatibility-based strut-and-tie model which takes into account constitutive laws for
cracked reinforced concrete, strain compatibility and employs a secant stiffness formulation
has been proposed for estimating the capacity of simply-supported reinforced concrete deep
beams under four-point loading. The proposed method recognizes failure modes like
crushing of nodal zones, yielding of longitudinal reinforcement and crushing failure of the
diagonal strut. The predictive accuracy of the proposed method has been evaluated by
comparing its predictions with the test results of 145 deep beams reported in the literature.
Accurate and conservative predictions with a mean value of the test-to-predicted results of
1.38 and a coefficient of variation of 0.19 were obtained using the proposed approach
which offers a more rational basis for estimating deep beam capacities compared to the
simple equilibrium-based strut-and-tie models.
