Abstract
In order to investigate the effects of drying shrinkage of concrete on shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) beam without shear reinforcement, the loading test of the RC beams was carried out. Major factors were water-to-binder ratio of 50% and 35%, effective depth of 250,500 and 1000mm as well as the amount of concrete shrinkage. Test results showed that the drying shrinkage of concrete decreased the shear strength of RC beams as well as enhanced significantly the size effect on shear strength of RC beams. Heightening of concrete strength also enhanced the size effect on shear strength of RC beams. Based on the results, a mechanism of the combined effects of drying shrinkage, effective depth and concrete strength on the shear strength of RC beams was proposed. Furthermore, the conventional equation which incorporated an equivalent tension reinforcement ratio considering shrinkage effects showed fairly good agreement with the experimentally obtained shear strength including its size effect.
