Experimental Study on the Effect of Different Shear Reinforcement Shapes on Shear Failure Behavior and Internal Crack Pattern of RC Beams

Various types of shear reinforcement are used for example general closed stirrup and reinforcement bar with mechanical anchor. However, most standards and specifications take only the cross-sectional area of the vertical components of the reinforcement components into account when determining their effect, such as on shear crack development and shear strength. Consequently, the full effect of different shear reinforcement shapes on the shear failure behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams is not clear. In this study, differences in shear failure behavior of RC beams using three types of shear reinforcement (closed stirrups, U-shaped stirrups, and rod-shaped reinforcements with mechanical anchor) were investigated by carrying out loading experiments. The three-dimensional displacement distribution on the side faces of each beam and the internal crack patterns were obtained. It was clarified that there is a clear difference in internal crack pattern and spreading deformation behavior according to shear reinforcement shape, and this influences the shear strength of the RC beam.