DIAGONAL TENSION

SHEAR COMPRESSION
FLEXURE FAILURE FAILURE (FLEXURE-SHEAR
(WEB SHEAR) FAILURE
FAILURE)

Bending stresses
Cause exceeding the beam's
material strength
Combination of shear
stress and bending
stresses exceed the
beam's shear resistance
and flexural strength
Direct shear stresses
exceeding the beam's
shear resistance

Diagonal cracking typically

Crack formation usually
begins at the tension face
Appearance
of the beam, typically in
the mid-span area
begins near the support
ends where shear forces
are highest, and can
progress towards the mid-
span as load increases
Vertical or slightly inclined
cracks originating from
the support, indicating
excessive shear stress

Generally vertical cracks,

Vertical or near vertical
Crack Pattern cracks indicating tension
due to bending
Diagonal cracks at an
typically closer to the
angle indicating both
beam's supports,
bending and shear stress
indicating shear stress

Adequate reinforcement, Adequate stirrup

correct material choice
Preventative Measures and design, prestressing
the beam to counteract
tensile forces
Providing sufficient web
reinforcement to counter
reinforcement (stirrups),
diagonal tension, correct
appropriate beam design,
beam design and
prestressing
detailing, prestressing

Short, deep beams, or

Long beams subjected to Deep beams, beams
beams subjected to high
Common in uniform or concentrated subjected to high shear
shear near supports due
loads near supports
to high concentrated loads

Prestressing can help to

Prestressing can greatly
delay or prevent diagonal Prestressing can increase
increase the resistance to
tension failure by inducing the shear capacity of a
flexural failure by inducing
Effects of Prestressing compressive forces that beam, thereby reducing
compressive stresses in
counteract the tensile the likelihood of shear
the region that would
forces caused by bending compression failure
otherwise be in tension
and shear stress

FLEXURE FAILURE
Can cause collapse of the
beam or excessive
Structural Consequences
deformations affecting the
structure's serviceability
Localized effect, majorly
Effect on Adjacent impacts the failed beam
Structures and the directly associated
structures
Limited load redistribution Limited load redistribution
Limited load redistribution
Load Redistribution capability due to sudden capability due to sudden
capability after failure
and brittle nature of failure and brittle nature of failure
Design for flexure usually
Design Considerations controls the depth of the
beam
Ductile failure mode,
Mode of Failure providing warning before
ultimate failure
More susceptible to mid-
Effect of Load Position
span loading
Visible cracking and
Early Warning Signs
deflection
Increasing section
modulus, increasing
Mitigation Methods
amount of prestressing,
adding reinforcement
May require increasing
beam depth, adding
DIAGONAL TENSION
SHEAR COMPRESSION
FAILURE (FLEXURE-SHEAR
(WEB SHEAR) FAILURE
FAILURE)
Sudden and brittle failure, Often leads to a sudden
typically resulting in and brittle failure, causing
significant structural significant structural
damage damage
Could lead to cascading
Can impact stability of
failures in adjacent
adjacent structures due to
structures due to the
sudden nature of failure
sudden nature of failure
Adequate shear Shear design often dictates
reinforcement near beam- the spacing and amount of
column joints is critical shear reinforcement
Brittle failure mode, can Brittle failure mode, can
occur without significant occur without significant
warning warning
More susceptible to loads More susceptible to loads
near supports near supports
Diagonal cracking, Vertical cracking near
especially near supports supports
Increasing shear
Increasing shear
reinforcement, use of
reinforcement, increasing
shear walls or bracing,
thickness of web, use of
increasing amount of
shear walls or bracing
prestressing
May require additional May require increasing
shear reinforcement or beam thickness, adding