Experimental study regarding shear behavior of concrete walls reinforced by multiple steel profiles

Abstract

The objective of the present contribution is to present the outcomes of an experimental campaign carried out in the frame of the European research program Smartcoco and aiming at validating a design approach for determining the shear performances of RC wall reinforced by multiple encased steel profiles. The experimental campaign comprises 6 walls, ranging from a classical RC wall taken as a reference to configurations with multiple profiles with studs or plate stiffeners to ensure the transfer of the longitudinal shear at the steel-concrete interface. Vertical cantilever tests were performed on the specimens specifically detailed to fail in shear. Tests are carried out on walls with a width of 240 mm, a length of 880 mm and a height of 2250 mm with a regular concrete quality (C25/30). This contribution describes the test specimens, summarizes their design, presents a summary of the most relevant observations and a short interpretation of the obtain results. It is concluded from this set of tests that the new design method is able to predict the shear capacity with a good accuracy and can therefore be considered as a suitable solution for designing practical cases.