Shear transfer in bolted side-plated reinforced concrete beams

Reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with bolted steel plates on their vertical faces are known as bolted side-plated (BSP) beams. The behaviour and performance of BSP beams are controlled by the arrangement of the steel plates and the interfacial slips caused by the shear deformation of anchor bolts due to shear force transfer. In this study, a nonlinear finite element model validated by available experimental results has been used to investigate the shear stress transfer in BSP beams. The effects of loading arrangements and the stiffnesses of RC beams, steel plates and bolt connections were investigated in detail by a parametric study. The results of this study shed light on the basic understanding of the internal shear transfer mechanism between steel plates and RC beams. A new design approach is also provided to help structural engineers in the determination of the shear transfer profile and the critical bolt shear force in the design of BSP beams.