Experimental study on shear strength of beam-and-block floors

To better understand the response of beam-and-block floors in front of shear forces, 24 beam specimens that simulate a composite rib of a beam-and-block floor were tested. Beam specimens were primarily designed to evaluate the influence of the thickness of the compression slab on the shear strength. Other design variables were the type of joist, inverted T-beams or self-bearing I beams, and the amount of prestressed reinforcement. The details of the beam specimens, material properties, instrumentation and the testing procedure used are carefully described in this paper. They will be useful for researchers to compare and analyse other design approaches. The test results are presented, discussed and compared with different shear design approaches. It is concluded that the compression slab increases the shear strength of beam-and-block floors and that none of the studied models correctly predict the shear strength of these elements.