Shear Strength of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) Beams without Transverse Reinforcement: Prediction Models and Test Data

The use of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) in beams has been growing rapidly in the past two decades due to its superior mechanical and durability properties compared to conventional concrete. One of the areas of interest to designers is the elimination of transverse reinforcement as it simplifies beam fabrication/construction and could result in smaller and lighter beams. UHPC has a relatively high post-cracking tensile strength due to the presence of steel fibers, which enhance its shear strength and eliminate the need for transverse reinforcement. In this paper, UHPC shear test data were collected from the literature to study the effect of the following parameters on the shear strength of UHPC beams without transverse reinforcement: compressive strength, tensile strength, level of prestressing, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, and fiber volume fraction. Statistical analysis of test data indicated that level of prestressing and tensile strength are the most significant parameters for prestressed UHPC beams, whereas longitudinal reinforcement ratio and tensile strength are the most significant parameters for non-prestressed UHPC beams. Additionally, shear strength of the tested UHPC beams was predicted using five models: RILEM TC 162-TDF, 2003, fib Model Code, 2010, French Standard NF P 18-710, 2016, PCI-UHPC Structures Design Guide, 2021, and Draft of AASHTO Guide Specification for Structural Design with UHPC, 2021. Comparing measured against predicted shear strength indicated that the French Standard model provides the closest prediction with the least scatter, where the average measured-to-predicted strength was 1.1 with a standard deviation of 0.38. The Draft of AASHTO provided the second closest prediction where the average measured-to-predicted strength was 1.3 with a standard deviation of 0.64. The other three models underestimated the shear strength.