FAILURE OF FLAT SLABS WITHOUT SHEAR REINFORCEMENT USING STRUTAND-TIE MODELING

Armin Hadrovi
Civil Engineering Faculty
University Demal Bijedi, Mostar
M. Tita bb, 88000 Mostar
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abstract:
Strut and tie model has been developed to reproduce flow of the forces at the failure in the
symmetrically loaded test specimen like flat circular slabs, without shear reinforcement,
supported at the central column. Conditions of all types of failure, bending, shear and shearbending, is determined for all ratios of influencing parameters. Pure punching failure happens
when ultimate combination of biaxial compressiontension stress is reached at the upper point
of punching cone. Shear-bending failure is characterized by tri-axial concrete compression
failure at the point where bottom surface of the slab meets the column where compression
stresses are caused by both web and compression chord internal forces. And finally, bending
failure occurs due to achievement of ultimate strain in tensile chord representing
reinforcement. For punching failure, failure cone is initiated from the top surface of the slab
and it at failure load propagates suddenly downward toward the point where bottom surface of
the slab meets the column. Punching cone forms along surface of highest principal stresses
and it is not extension of other flexural-shear cracks, which start to develop from earlier load
stages.