SHEAR AND WEB REINFORCEMENT IN BEAMS

Introduction
The determination of the magnitudes and the distributions of the shearing stresses in
reinforced concrete beams is a very troublesome problem. Many tests have been made,
and these have determined the ultimate shearing strengths of certain beams. Their
results can be accepted as being correct for those particular cases only. It is clear that
the total safe shear for any given member must be that which the tests show it to be.
However, the question to settle is that of the probable action of the beam that one is
analyzing or designing and the best method of finding the shearing stresses in it or of
predicting the shearing resistance that it can develop safely.
Reinforced concrete beams are not homogeneous. When they are subjected to
shearing forces, they therefore seem to behave in a manner that is peculiar to
themselves. It should be admitted that this behavior is not well understood.
It seems that the basic action of a beam in resisting shearing forces probably will
be similar whether one is looking at the matter from the viewpoint of working stresses or
ultimate strength, but the magnitudes of the forces and resistances will vary in one’s
calculations. Obviously, a beam will behave differently after it has cracked.

Determination of Shearing Stresses

Assume a reinforced concrete beam that has transverse loads that cause shearing and
bending stresses in it. Under this action, the beam will curve as shown in Figure 5.1(a),
producing compression in the top and tension in the bottom part of the member. The
portion of this beam above the neutral axis shown will not crack open prior to real
failure.
Neutral Axis dx
h
kd A B C
d - kd v v dy
BB B
D
Crack h
B
(a) (b)
Figure 5.1 Analysis of Shearing Stress

It seems that there are two cases to consider when studying the behavior of reinforced
concrete beams, viz., the shearing stresses in the uncracked beam and those in the
member after the cracks have formed.

First, investigate the uncracked condition, neglecting the reinforcement. Let Figure
5.1(b) represent a small, square prism of concrete having a length equal to b, the width
of the beam. Assume a vertical or transverse shearing unit stress v acting upon the
face AB and an equal but opposite stress acting on CD. These two forces constitute a
couple having a moment equal to vb(dx)(dy) . Since the conditions for equilibrium
require that there must be no rotation of this prism, there must be another couple which
counteracts the first one. The latter must be composed of another set of shearing forces

31
which act longitudinally on faces AC and BD. Assuming the intensity of the latter to be
h , then
v  h eq. (1)

Equation (1) indicates that at any point in the uncracked beam there must be vertical
and longitudinal shearing stresses of equal intensity. These tend to distort the material
causing the diagonal AD to lengthen and the other diagonal BC to shorten. Therefore,
compressive stresses must exist on a plane passed through AD perpendicular to the
paper, and tensile stresses must act on such a plane through BC. The latter is called
diagonal tension, and its critical direction is assumed to be inclined at an angle of 45
degrees from the beam’s axis unless affected by other conditions.

Now, consider the cracked condition of the beam. Referring to Figure 5.1(a), it is clear
that, when a beam bends sufficiently, the concrete will fail in tension somewhere below
the neutral axis. There are two kinds of tensile cracks to consider.
1. Cracks which occur in regions of large bending moments but where the shear
is very small or zero. They are due to the elongation of the bars and to the
concrete’s inability to stretch equally. These cracks are usually normal to the
axis of the beam, or nearly so.
2. Cracks which are caused primarily by the combined action of the longitudinal
tension and the transverse shearing forces applied to the beam. Henceforth,
this combined action will be referred to as diagonal tension.

Referring to Figure 5.2(a), the right-hand portion of the beam of Figure 5.1(a) is pictured
as though it had moved downward slightly with respect to the part beyond AO and the
assumed cracked OB. The cracked surfaces will separate under this movement so that
it is difficult to see how they will offer resistance to it. The dowel action of the bars will
tend to spall off the concrete from B toward C, but this resistance is not trustworthy. The
surfaces at AO would have to slide past each other to cause such a failure. The forces
which might cause this movement would have to overcome the shearing resistance of
section AO. Even frictional resistance caused by the compression acting on AO will try
to prevent such transverse movement.
s
A A B
kd
NA O
O O
I  d-kd
C
B D C
Crack s
(a) (b)
Figure 5.2

According to these assumptions, if  T is the average transverse shearing stress

in the portion above the neutral axis of Figure 5.2(a) and if V is the total transverse
shear at section AO,

32
 V
T  eq. (2)
bkd

The allowable intensity for  T is somewhat uncertain and may be greatly affected
by the amount of compression on the uncracked section. The following serves as a
guide for WSD when a substantial compressive force acts on the uncracked area of the
beam:
max  T  0.2fc ' eq. (3)

Ordinarily, it is advisable to limit  T  0.15fc ' .

Now, let us consider the longitudinal forces that are set up in the member when it
is loaded. As the beam of Figure 5.1(a) bends, it must develop the tension in the bars.
Note that this change in tension in the reinforcement is produced by the bond stresses
acting on the steel. Referring to Figure 5.2(b), assume that the length s is short. The
cracks are at some angle  , the maximum value of which is assumed to be 450 near the
support. The section above the neutral axis O-O is cut by imaginary vertical planes. It
seems to be obvious that, in horizontal planes above the bars, there must be a
horizontal shearing force that equals the change in tension T’ – T. If the intensity of this
horizontal or longitudinal shear is called L , the total shear just above the steel for a
length s and a width b is
T ' T  Lbs eq. (4)

However, for the same horizontal area, the total bond strength is

T ' T     o  s eq. (5)

L bs     o  s eq. (6)

Note:   V
  o  jd
V
Lbs   o s
  o  jd
V V
L  or  eq. (7)
bjd bjd

This is the former conventional and general formula for the magnitude of the shearing
stresses in a reinforced concrete beam in terms of the transverse shear V and the
dimensions of the section, remembering that b is the width of the stem of a T or I beam
or the full width of a rectangular beam. It means that one may then design or analyze a
reinforced concrete beam for practical purposes as though there were a vertical
shearing stress which will be called  , that acts upon the area bd times j. However,  is
merely a measure of the diagonal tension. Therefore, when one uses values of  that

33
have been found to be satisfactory by tests and experience, the equation may be
reduced to
V

bd eq. (8)

In equation (8), V is supposed to be the total transverse shearing force at the point
where the diagonal tension is being investigated. Naturally, these forces are a maximum
at the supports. However, the critical section for diagonal tension is apparently some
distance away from a reaction point. The Code states that this section is to be assumed
to be at the distance “d” from the face of the support, except for brackets and other
short cantilevered members.

CODE PROVISIONS for the Alternate Design Method (WSD)

Section 424.4 Permissible Service Load Stresses:

Beams and one-way slabs and footings:

Shear carried by concrete,  c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.09 fc '
Maximum shear carried by concrete plus
Shear reinforcement,  c   s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.38 fc '

Section 424.8.1
Design shear stress  shall be computed by
V

bd
where V is design shear force at section considered.

Section 424.8.2
When the reaction, in direction of applied shear, introduces compression into the
end regions of a member, sections located less than a distance d from face of support
shall be permitted to be designed for the same shear  as that computed at a distance
d.

Section 424.8.4 Shear stress carried by concrete

Section 424.8.4.1
For members subject to shear and flexure only, shear stress carried by concrete
 c shall not exceed 0.09 fc ' unless a more detailed calculation is made in accordance
with Section 424.8.4.4.

34
Section 424.8.4.4
For members subject to shear and flexure only, it shall be permitted to compute
 c by
 c  0.085 fc '  9w Vd / M

but  c shall not exceed 0.14 fc ' . Quantity Vd/M shall not taken greater than 1.0, where
M is design moment occurring simultaneously with V at section considered,

Section 424.8.5 Shear stress carried by shear reinforcement

Section 424.8.5.1 Types of shear reinforcement

Shear reinforcement shall consist of one of the following:

1. Stirrups perpendicular to axis of member;

2. Welded wire fabric with wires located perpendicular to axis of member making
an angle of 45 degrees or more with longitudinal tension reinforcement;
3. Longitudinal reinforcement with bent portion making an angle of 30 degrees
or more with longitudinal tension reinforcement;
4. Combinations of stirrups and bent longitudinal reinforcement;
5. Spirals

Section 424.8.5.2 Types of shear reinforcement

Design yield strength of shear reinforcement shall not exceed 415 MPa.

Section 424.8.5.3
Stirrups and other bars or wires used as shear reinforcement shall extend to a
distance d from extreme compression fiber and shall be anchored at both ends
according to Section 412.14 of the Code to develop design yield strength of
reinforcement.

Section 424.8.5.4 Spacing limits for shear reinforcement

Section 424.8.5.4.1
Spacing of shear reinforcement placed perpendicular to axis of member shall not
exceed d/2, nor 600 mm.

Section 424.8.5.4.2
Inclined stirrups and bent longitudinal reinforcement shall be so spaced that
every 45-degree line, extending toward the reaction from mid-depth of member (d/2) to
longitudinal tension reinforcement, shall be crossed by at least one line of shear
reinforcement.

35
Section 424.8.5.4.3
When     c  exceeds 1 / 6  fc ' , maximum spacing in Sections 424.8.5.4.1 and
424.8.5.4.2 shall be reduced by one-half.

Section 424.8.5.5 Minimum shear reinforcement

Section 424.8.5.5.1
A minimum area of shear reinforcement shall be provided in all reinforced
concrete flexural members where design shear stress  is greater than one-half the
permissible shear stress  c carried by concrete, except:
1. Slabs and footings;
2. Concrete joist construction
3. Beam with total depth not greater than 250 mm, 2.5 times thickness of
flange, or one-half the width of web whichever is greatest.

Section 424.8.5.5.2
Minimum shear reinforcement requirements of Section 414.8.5.5.1 shall be
permitted to be waived if shown by test that required ultimate flexural and shear
strength can be developed when shear reinforcement is omitted.

Section 424.8.5.5.3
Where shear reinforcement is required by Section 424.8.5.5.1 or by analysis,
minimum area of shear reinforcement shall be computed by

A v  bws / 3fy
where bw and s are in mm.

Section 424.8.5.6 Design of shear reinforcement

Section 424.8.5.6.1
Where design shear stress  exceeds shear stress carried by concrete  c , shear
reinforcement shall be provided in accordance with Sections 424.8.5.6.2 through
424.8.5.6.8.

Section 424.8.5.6.2
When shear reinforcement perpendicular to axis of member is used:

A v      c  bw s / fy
Section 424.8.5.6.3
When inclined stirrups are used as shear reinforcement,

Av 
   c  bw s
fs  sin   cos  

36
Section 424.8.5.6.4
When shear reinforcement consists of a single bar or a single group of parallel
bars, all bent up at the same distance from the support,

Av 
    c  bw d
fs sin 
where    c shall not exceed 1 / 8  fc ' .

Section 424.8.5.6.5
When shear reinforcement consists of a series of parallel bent-up bars or groups
of parallel bent-up bars at different distances from the support, required area shall be
computed by

Av 
   c  bw s
fs  sin   cos  

Section 424.8.5.6.6
Only the center three-quarters of the inclined portion of any longitudinal bent bar
shall be considered effective for shear reinforcement.

Section 424.8.5.6.7
When more than one type of shear reinforcement is used to reinforce the same
portion of a member, required area shall be computed as the sum of the various types
separately. In such computations,  c shall be included only once.

Section 424.8.5.6.8
Value of    c shall not exceed  3 / 8  fc ' .

37
Design of Beams for Shear

Note: It should be realized that it is good construction practice to use some stirrups in
all reinforced concrete beams (even though they may not be required by shear)
because they enable the laborers to build for each beam a cage of steel that can be
conveniently handled.

Summary of Steps Involved in the Design of Vertical Stirrups

A) Determine if shear reinforcing is necessary.

1. Draw V-diagram
2. Calculate V at a distance d from the support Section 424.8.2
(with certain exceptions)
3. Calculate Vc  0.09 fc' bw d Section 424.8.4.1
(or use the more detailed method) Section 424.8.4.4
V
4. Stirrups are needed if V  c Section 424.8.5.5.1
2

B) Design of Stirrups

1. Calculate Vs  V  Vc (If V  Vc )
A v fy d
2. Calculate theoretical stirrup spacing s  Section 424.8.5.6.2
Vs
3. Determine maximum spacing to provide minimum area
3A v fy
of shear reinforcement s  Section 424.8.5.5.3
bw
4. Compute maximum spacing: d  600 mm,
2
 
if Vs  1 '
fb d
6 c w
Section 424.8.8.4.1

5. Compute maximum spacing: d  300 mm,

4
 
if Vs  1 '
fb d
6 c w
Section 424.8.5.4.3

6.  
Vs may not be greater than 3
8 c w
f' b d Section 424.8.5.6.8
7. Minimum practical spacing = approximately 75mm or 100mm

38
Example 5.1
The beam shown in Figure 5.1 was selected using fy  276 MPa and fc'  20.7 MPa.
Determine the required spacing of 10 mm U-stirrups for each of the following shears:

(a) V  30 kN bw = 350 mm

(b) V  60 kN
(c) V  200 kN
(d) V  500 kN
600 mm
h = 675 mm
Solution:

(a) V  30 kN 75 mm
1. Calculate Vc ,
Figure 5.1 Example 5.1
Vc  0.09 fc' bw d
Vc  0.09 20.7(350)(600)103  85.99 kN
V
2. Compare V to c ,
2
Vc
 85.99  42.99 kN > V  30 kN
2 2
Therefore, Stirrups not required.

(b) V  60 kN
V
1. Compare V to c ,
2
Vc
V  60 kN >  42.99 kN but V  60 kN < Vc  85.99
2
Therefore, provide minimum shear reinforcement only!
2. Calculate maximum spacing to provide minimum A v ,
 2
A v  2  10    157 mm2
4 
3A v fy 3 157  276 
s   371 mm
bw 350
2. Compute maximum spacing s,
d 600
s   300 mm controls!
2 2
Therefore, use 10 mm stirrups spaced at 300 mm O.C.

(c) V  200 kN
V
1. Compare V to c ,
2
Vc
V  200 kN >  42.99 kN and V  200 kN > Vc  85.99
2
Therefore, design the shear reinforcement!

39
 2. Calculate Vs ,
Vs  V  Vc  200  85.99  114.01 kN
3. Calculate theoretical stirrup spacing,
A f d 157(276)(600)
s vy   228 mm
Vs (114.01x103 )
4. Calculate maximum spacing to provide minimum A v ,
3A v fy 3 157  276 
s   371 mm
bw 350
5. Compute maximum spacing:
 
1
6  
fc' bw d  1
6
20.7  350  600  103  159.24 kN

 
1
6
fc' bw d  159.24 > Vs  114.01 kN
d 600
Therefore, maximum s    300 mm
2 2
Therefore, use 10 mm stirrups spaced at 225 mm O.C.

(d) V  500 kN
V
1. Compare V to c ,
2
Vc
V  500 kN >  42.99 kN and V  500 kN > Vc  85.99
2
Therefore, design the shear reinforcement!

But V  500 is a lot bigger than Vc  85.99 !

2. Calculate Vs ,
Vs  V  Vc  500  85.99  414.01 kN
3. Check Vs  3  8 fc' bw d ,

 38  8  20.7(350)(600)10
fc' bw d  3 3
 358.29 kN

V  414.01 kN >  3  f b d  358.29'

s
8 c w

Therefore, not Ok! Need larger beam.

40
Example 5.2
Select 10 mm U-stirrups for the beam shown in Figure 5.2, for which wDL  60 kN/m
and wLL  80 kN/m. fc'  20.7 MPa and fy  414 MPa.
bw = 375 mm
wDL = 60 kN/m
wLL = 80 kN/m

h = 625 mm 562.5 mm

L = 5.00 m 4 – 32 mm 

62.5 mm
Figure 5.2. Example 2

Solution:

1. Calculate design V (at a distance d from face of support),

w total  60  80  140 kN/m
 5.00 
V at left end = 140    350 kN
 2 
V at “d” distance from face of support,
V  350  0.5625 140   271.25 kN
2. Calculate Vc ,
Vc  0.09 fc' bw d
Vc  0.09 20.7(375)(562.5)103  86.37 kN
V
3. Compare V to c ,
2
Vc
 86.37  43.19 kN < V  271.25 kN
2 2
and V  271.25 kN > Vc  86.37 kN
Therefore, design the shear reinforcement!
4. Calculate Vs ,
Vs  V  Vc  271.25  86.37  184.88 kN
5. Check Vs  3  8 fc' bw d ,

 38  8  20.7(375)(562.5)10  359.89 kN

fc' bw d  3 3

Vs  184.88 kN <  3  f b d  359.89 kN

'
Ok!
8 c w

6. Calculate theoretical stirrup spacing,

A f d 157(414)(562.5)
s vy   198 mm
Vs (184.88x103 )

41
 7. Calculate maximum spacing to provide minimum A v ,
3A v fy 3 157  414 
s   520 mm
bw 375
8. Compute maximum spacing:
1 
6
fc' bw d  1
6  
20.7  375 562.5 103  159.95 kN

Vs  184.88 kN > 1
6  fc' bw d  159.95
d 562.5
Therefore, maximum s    141 mm
4 4
Therefore, use 10 mm stirrups spaced at 100mm O.C.

350 kN
CL of Beam

2.50 m
350 kN
271.25 kN
Vs
86.37
kN Vc / 2 = 43.19 kN
Vc Concrete carries

d = 562.5 mm Stirrups needed

until here
Support
Figure 5.3. V diagram

For convenience, the theoretical spacings are calculated at different points along
the span and are listed in the accompanying table.

Theoritical
Distance from face
V (kN) Vs  V  Vc (kN) A v fy d
of support (m) s (mm)
Vs
0 to d = 0.5625 271.25 184.88 198
0.75 245 158.63 231
1.00 210 123.63 296
1.25 175 88.63 413
Spacing selected:
1 @ 50 mm = 50 mm
10@ 100 mm = 1000 mm
5@200mm = 1000 mm
Rest @ 300 mm O.C to centerline
Note: It is a good practice to space stirrups at multiples of 75 mm or 100 mm on
center.

42
Example 5.3
Compute the value of Vc at a distance “d” from the face of supports of Example 2 by
using the more detailed approach provided by the NSCP.

Solution:

1. Calculate w total ,
w total  60  80  140 kN/m
2. Calculate V at “d” distance from the face of supports,
 5.00 
V  140    0.5625 140   271.25 kN
 2 
3. Calculate M at “d” distance from the face of supports,
M  140  2.50  0.5625   140 0.5625 0.28125 
M  174.73 kN.m
4. Calculate w ,

 32   4 
2
As
w   4  0.015251
bw d 375 562.5 
Vd
5. Calculate ,
M
Vd 271.25  0.5625 
  0.873  1.0 Ok!
M 174.73
6. Calculate Vc ,
Vc  0.085 fc '  9w Vd /M bwd  0.14 fc 'bwd
 
Vc  0.085 20.7  9(0.015251)(0.873)  (375)(562.5)(10)3
 
Vc  106.85 kN < 0.14 fc 'b w d  134.36 Ok!
Therefore, Vc = 106.85 kN.

43