Lateral restraint force of RC slabs under membrane action

Lateral restraint condition is important to the bearing capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) slab under compressive membrane action (CMA), but the concerning research work is very limited. An experiment of 12 one-way slabs supported by ending walls had been carried out, and the developments of their lateral restraint forces were recorded. The testing results do not bear out the earlier suggestions concerning the initiation of tensile membrane action and the development of lateral restraint force, and based on the assumption of additional arching action, the relationship between bending load capacity and additional load capacity is proposed, which can be used to explain the disagreement between the experimental evidence and the available presentation in literatures.