Shear Strength of Reinforced Brickwork Beams. influence of Shear Arm Ratio and Amount of Tensile Ste

Soon British reinforced brickwork design will shift from a permissible stress approach to a limit state approach similar to that already accomplished for reinforced concrete. For the limit state shear design of reinforced brickwork beams, ultimate shear stress values must be defined as a function of the main shear parameters. The main parameters, similar to the case of reinforced concrete beams, were assumed to be the ratio of shear span to effective depth a/d, and the percentage of tensile reinforcement p. Since a review of published evidence provided little systematic data on the influence of a/d and p on reinforced brickwork strength, the authors carried out a systematic experimental investigation involving a/d and p. Results indicate a significant increase in ultimate shear stress with decreasing a/d values similar to the case of reinforced concrete beams, but, in contrast to the case of reinforced concrete beams, a virtual independence of p on ultimate shear stress.

G.T. Suter and A.W. Hendry