Shear in RC-slabs under concentrated loads close to support

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Günter Axel Rombach
• Subject Area: Structural Engineering, Building Informatics and Construction Operation
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 277476255

The load transfer mechanism of concentrated forces close to the support of reinforced concrete slabs (e.g. column loads, wheel loads on bridge decks) is not known with sufficient accuracy, as by many research papers on this subject demonstrate. Significant part of the concentrated forces can be transferred directly to the support by compression struts. This part of the load must not be considered in the shear design of the slab, as many experiments with RC beams have shown. This well known effect can not be transferred directly to a slab as the spatial structural shows a 2-dimensional load transfer. First investigations have shown that the direct load transfer mechanism in slabs may be even higher than in beams. Within this research project the transfer of concentrated loads in slabs close to the support will be investigated by experiments and numerical simulations. More fundamental knowledge and reliable design approaches are expected as an outcome or the work. This is urgently needed for existing structures as they often show a lack of shear reinforcement as well as for new ones to avoid the costly arrangement of stirrups.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants