Shear Strength Prediction for Reinforced Concrete Corbels

AA softened strut-and-tie model for determining the shear strength of corbels is proposed in this paper. The proposed model originates from the strut-and-tie concept and satisfies equilibrium, compatibility, and the constitutive laws of cracked reinforced concrete. The shear strength predictions of the proposed model and the empirical formulas of ACI 318 are compared with the collected experimental data of 178 corbels. The comparison shows that the performance of the softened strut-and-tie model is better than the ACI 318 approach for all the parameters under comparison. The parameters reviewed include the concrete strength, the shear span-depth ratio, and the amount of horizontal hoop. It is therefore recommended that the current shear design procedures for corbels be reformed to incorporate the actual shear-resisting mechanisms as postulated by the softened strut-and-tie model.