DESIGN OF SHEAR

REINFORCEMENT
IN RCC
STRUCTURES
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
(ILO)
Mousumi Aditya
Lecturer At the end of this module students will learn:
Civil Engineering 1. The cause and effects of shear in RCC beams.
Department 2. What are the critical sections for shear in RCC
The Calcutta Technical structures?
School 3. What is enhanced shear strength?
9/16/2020 4. What is design shear strength of RCC as per IS
code?
5. What should be the minimum and maximum
spacing of shear reinforcement to be provided in
a beam?
6. Step by step approach in design of shear
reinforcement in a RCC beam.
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

Table of Contents

 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 1
 EFFECTS OF SHEAR: DIAGONAL TENSION ............................................................... 2
 CRITICAL SECTION FOR SHEAR ---------------------------------------------------------------------3
 ENHANCED SHEAR STRENGTH OF SECTIONS CLOSE TO SUPPORTS ---------------4
 DESIGN SHEAR STRENGTH OF REINFORCED CONCRETE --------------------------------5
 MINIMUM SHEAR REINFORCEMENT ---------------------------------------------------------------6
 DESIGN OF SHEAR REINFORCEMENT ------------------------------------------------------------7

 STEPS FOR THE DESIGN OF SHEAR REINFORCEMENT:-........................................ 9

 NUMERICAL PROBLEMS:- ..........................................................................................11

Subject Name: Design of RCC structures.

Unit Number: 6
Topic Name: Type of shear reinforcement, minimum stirrup
reinforcement, maximum spacing of stirrups, design
of beam for shear reinforcement, numerical examples.
Part Number: 5.2
Name of Faculty Member: Mousumi Aditya
Full name of the Institute: The Calcutta Technical School.
Full name of the Department: Civil Engineering
Semester: 5th
Material type: pdf
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement
in RCC Structures

INTRODUCTION

A beam loaded with transverse loads is subjected to shear force and bending moment. The
shear force at any section is equal to the rate of change of bending moment. The shear force
results into shear stresses across the cross-section. As per the theory of bending, the shear
stress distribution across the cross section is given by the following expression:

V ( A. y )
q
I .b
where q  Shear stress
I = M.I of the beam section
b = Width of section
V = Shear force at the section
(A.y) = First moment of the area above the section about N.A.

On the basis of the above equation the shear stress distribution across a rectangular cross-
section is parabolic with zero at top and bottom and the maximum shear stress occurs at the
3V
N.A and its value is .
2bd

d N A 3V
qmax 
2bd

b SHEAR STRESS DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION
SECTION

1|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

EFFECTS OF SHEAR: DIAGONAL TENSION

Consider a beam AB subjected to transverse loads as shown in the figure 1 below. The
maximum bending moment in this beam will be at mid-span and the maximum shear force, at
the supports. The beam is subjected to bending and shear stresses across the cross-section.
Let us consider a small element (1) from the tensile zone of the beam. It is subjected to
bending tensile stress (  ) as well as shear stress (  ) as shown in the figure (b).At the mid-
span, the bending moment is maximum and the shear force is zero. So, the element 2 is
subjected to maximum bending tensile stress only. This tensile stress tries to pull apart the
section as shown in fig(c) and the crack developed is vertical.

At the support the bending moment is zero and the shear force is maximum. Thus the
element 3 is subjected to maximum shear stress and no bending stresses as shown in fig
(d).Due to the stress condition the diagonal ik of the element is subjected to tensile stresses
as shown in fig (e).As concrete is very weak in tension it splits along the diagonal (at 45o)
and develops crack as shown.

The tension which is caused in the tensile zone of the beam, due to shear, at or near the
support is called diagonal tension. The diagonal tension results in cracks at 45o. Concrete is
quite strong in shear but the diagonal tension which is caused by shear, cannot be resisted
by concrete alone. So, shear reinforcement is provided in the RCC beams to take up
diagonal tension and prevent cracking of beam.

Fig 1.0

2|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

Fig 2.0
CRITICAL SECTION FOR SHEAR

The critical section for shear is that section at which the shear force is maximum. The
critical section for shear design are taken as per Clauses 22.6.2 and 22.6.2.1

For beams generally subjected to uniformly distributed loads or where the principal load is
located further than 2d from the face of the support, where d is the effective depth of the
beam, the critical sections depend on the conditions of supports as shown in Figs.3 a, b and
c and are mentioned below.

(i) When the reaction in the direction of the applied shear introduces tension (Fig.3a)
into the end region of the member, the shear force is to be computed at the face of
the support of the member at that section.

(ii) When the reaction in the direction of the applied shear introduces compression into
the end region of the member (Figs.3b and c), the shear force computed at a distance
d from the face of the support is to be used for the design of sections located at a
distance less than d from the face of the support. The enhanced shear strength of
sections close to supports, however, may be considered as discussed in the following
section.

Figure 3

3|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

ENHANCED SHEAR STRENGTH OF SECTIONS CLOSE TO SUPPORTS (CL. 40.5 OF IS 456)

Figure .4 shows the shear failure of simply supported and cantilever beams without shear
reinforcement. The failure plane is normally inclined at an angle of 30o to the horizontal.
However, in some situations the angle of failure is steeper either due to the location of the
failure section closed to a support or for some other reasons. Under these situations, the
shear force required to produce failure is increased. Such enhancement of shear strength
near a support is taken into account by increasing the design shear strength of concrete to
2d c
( ),provided that the design shear stress at the face of the support remains less than the
av
value of  c max given in Table 6.2 (Table 20 of IS 456). In the above expression of the
enhanced shear strength

D = effective depth of the beam,

τc = design shear strength of concrete before the enhancement as given in Table 6.1
(Table 19 of IS 456),
av = horizontal distance of the section from the face of the support (Fig.4).

Similar enhancement of shear strength is also to be considered for sections closed to point
2d c
loads. It is evident from the expression ( ) that when av is equal to 2d, the enhanced
av
shear strength does not come into picture.

Further, to increase the effectivity, the tension reinforcement is recommended to be extended

on each side of the point where it is intersected by a possible failure plane for a distance at
least equal to the effective depth, or to be provided with an equivalent anchorage.

Figure 4

4|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

DESIGN S HEAR STRENGTH OF REINFORCED CONCRETE

Recent laboratory experiments confirmed that reinforced concrete in beams has shear
strength even without any shear reinforcement. This shear strength (  c ) depends on the
grade of concrete and the percentage of tension steel in beams. On the other hand, the
shear strength of reinforced concrete with the reinforcement is restricted to some maximum
value  c max depending on the grade of concrete. These minimum and maximum shear
strengths of reinforced concrete (IS 456, cls. 40.2.1 and 40.2.3, respectively) are given
below:

DESIGN SHEAR STRENGTH WITHOUT SHEAR REINFORCEMENT (IS 456, CL. 40.2.1)

Table 19 of IS 456 stipulates the design shear strength of concrete  c for different grades of
concrete with a wide range of percentages of positive tensile steel reinforcement. It is worth
mentioning that the reinforced concrete beams must be provided with the minimum shear
reinforcement as per cl. 40.3 even when  v is less than  c given in Table 1

Table 1: Design shear strength of concrete, c in N/mm

2

In Table1, As is the area of longitudinal tension reinforcement which continues at least one
effective depth beyond the section considered except at support where the full area of
tension reinforcement may be used provided the detailing is as per IS 456, cls. 26.2.2 and
26.2.3.

5|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

MAXIMUM SHEAR STRESS ΤCMAX WITH SHEAR REINFORCEMENT (CLS. 40.2.3, 40.5.1 AND
41.3.1)

Table 20 of IS 456 stipulates the maximum shear stress of reinforced concrete in beams τcmax
as given below in Table 2. Under no circumstances, the nominal shear stress in beams τv
shall exceed τcmax given in Table 2 for different grades of concrete.

2
Table 2: Maximum shear stress, τcmax in N/mm

MINIMUM SHEAR REINFORCEMENT (CLS. 40.3, 26.5.1.5 & 26.5.1.6 OF IS 456-2000)

Minimum shear reinforcement has to be provided even when  v is less than  c given in
Table 1 as recommended in cl. 40.3 of IS 456. The amount of minimum shear reinforcement,
as given in cl. 26.5.1.6, is given below. The minimum shear reinforcement in the form of
stirrups shall be provided such that:

Asv 0.4

bsv 0.87 f y

Where, Asv = total cross-sectional area of stirrup legs effective in shear,

sv = stirrup spacing along the length of the member,
b = breadth of the beam or breadth of the web of the web of flanged beam bw,
and
fy = characteristic strength of the stirrup reinforcement in N/mm2 which shall not be
taken greater than 415 N/mm2.

The above provision is not applicable for members of minor structural importance such as
lintels where the maximum shear stress calculated is less than half the permissible value.
The minimum shear reinforcement is provided for the following:

(i) Any sudden failure of beams is prevented if concrete cover bursts and the bond to the
tension steel is lost.
(ii) Brittle shear failure is arrested which would have occurred without shear reinforcement.
(iii) Tension failure is prevented which would have occurred due to shrinkage, thermal
stresses and internal cracking in beams.
(iv) To hold the reinforcement in place when concrete is poured.
(v) Section becomes effective with the tie effect of the compression steel.

6|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

Further, cl. 26.5.1.5 of IS 456 stipulates that the maximum spacing of shear reinforcement
measured along the axis of the member shall not be more than 0.75 d for vertical stirrups
and d for inclined stirrups at 45o, where d is the effective depth of the section. However, the
spacing shall not exceed 300 mm in any case.

DESIGN OF SHEAR REINFORCEMENT (CL. 40.4 OF IS 456)

When Ʈv is more than Ʈc given in Table 6.1, shear reinforcement shall be provided in any of
the three following forms:

(a) Vertical stirrups,

(b) Inclined stirrups.
(c) Bent-up bars.

In the case of bent-up bars, it is to be seen that the contribution towards shear resistance of
bent-up bars should not be more than fifty per cent of that of the total shear reinforcement.
The amount of shear reinforcement to be provided is determined to carry a shear force Vus
equal to

Vus = Vu – Ʈc b d.

Where, b is the breadth of rectangular beams or bw in the case of flanged beams. The
strengths of shear reinforcement Vus for the three types of shear reinforcement are as
follows:

(a) Vertical stirrups:

0.87 f y Asv d
Vus 
sv

(b) For inclined stirrups :

0.87 f y Asv d
Vus  (sin   cos  )
sv

(c) Bent-Up Bars :

Vus /  0.87f y Asv sin 

V us
w h e r e V u s  
2

7|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

Asv = total cross-sectional area of stirrup legs or bent-up bars within a

distance sv,
sv = spacing of stirrups or bent-up bars along the length of the member,
Ʈv = nominal shear stress,
Ʈc = design shear strength of concrete,
b = breadth of the member which for the flanged beams shall be taken
as the breadth of the web bw,
fy = characteristic strength of the stirrup or bent-up reinforcement which
shall not be taken greater than 415 N/mm2,
α = angle between the inclined stirrup or bent-up bar and the axis of the
member, not less than 45, and
d = effective depth.

(d) Combined system:

In this system the contribution of bent-up bars ( Vus / ) is computed, then vertical stirrups

are designed for the remaining shear force i.e Vus  Vus
N.B: The area of stirrups shall not be less than the minimum specified in cl.
26.5.1.6.

8|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

STEPS FOR THE DESIGN OF SHEAR REINFORCEMENT

GIVEN DATA

1. Loads
2. Span of beam.
3. Material – Concrete grade and type of steel.
4. Area of tensile steel

STEP ONE

Calculate Shear force (Vu) at the critical section of the beam due to the given load.

Determine Nominal shear stress

Ʈv = Vu/bd

Where, Vu = shear force due to design load

b = width of the beam
d = depth of the beam

STEP TWO

Determine Percentage of steel

Percent steel = Ast/bd x 100

STEP THREE

Find the permissible shear stress in concrete (Ʈc) for the above percentage of steel as
per IS:456:2000, Table 4.5

STEP FOUR

If, Tv < Tc
No shear reinforcement is required. However, nominal stirrups are provided and their
spacing is determined by,

Asv/b.Sv= 0.4/(0.87fy)
Where, Sv = spacing of stirrups
Asv = Area of stirrups

9|Page
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

STEP FIVE

If, Ʈv > Ʈc
Calculate Vus = Vu – Tc.bd

i) If vertical stirrups are provided then their spacing is governed by the following
equation.

Vus = 0.87fy. Asv. d/(Sv)

Where, Vus = strength of shear reinforcement.

ii) If bent up bars are also used then first of all compute the shear force taken by
bent up bars as Vus’ and Vus’  Vus/2

Vus '  0.87 f y Asv .Sin 

For the balance shear force (Vus  Vus ' ) design the vertical stirrups.

The spacing of stirrups should not exceed 0.75d or 300mm whichever is less. It should also
not be less than the spacing of stirrups as required by nominal shear reinforcement criteria.

The spacing of stirrups can be varied along the length of beam by calculating the distance
from the supports up to which shear reinforcement is to be designed and in rest of the length
minimum shear reinforcement may be provided.

Placement of Stirrups

The stirrups in beams shall be taken around the outer-most

tension and compression bars. In T and L-beams, the
stirrups will pass around longitudinal bars located close to the
outer face of the flange. In the rectangular beams, two holder
bars of diameter 10 or 12 mm are provided if there is no
particular need for compression reinforcement (Fig.5).

Fig 5.0

10 | P a g e
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

NUMERICAL PROBLEMS

Question
• A reinforced cement concrete beam 300mm wide and
600mm effective depth is reinforced with 5 bars of
25mm diameter. It carries an uniformly distributed
load of 80KN/m (Including its own weight) over an
effective span of 6.0m.Out of the 5 main bars, two
bars can be bent up safely near the supports. The
beam is provided with 6 bars of 20mm diameter of
which 3 bars are cranked at 45 degrees. Design the
shear reinforcement for the beam. Use M20 concrete
and Fe415 steel.

Here are the steps for the design of Shear Reinforcement in the beam:

Width of the beam = b = 300mm

UDL = w = 80kN/m
Effective depth = d = 600mm
Fck = 20 N/mm2
Fy = 415 N/mm2
Ieff = 6m = 6000mm

STEP ONE

Factored Shear Force

Clear span,L = 6000 - 400 =5600mm = 5.60m [Assuming 400mm bearing]

Factored or Design Load

Wd = w x Load factor
= 80 x 1.5 [Load Factor = 1.5]

Wd = 120 kN/m = 120000 N/m

11 | P a g e
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

wu L 120000  5.6
Vu =   336000 N
2 2
V 336000
Nominal Shear stress ( c )  u   1.86 N/mm2
bd 300  600
( cmax )  2.8 N/mm from table 4.7 for M 20 concrete.
2

 we see that  c   cmax Hence,OK

STEP TWO

Design of shear strength of concrete

Area of steel available near supports is 3 bars of 25mm diameter.


Ast  3   252  1472.6mm2
4
Percent steel Pt = Ast/bd x 100
= (1472.6 x 100)/ (300×600)
= 0.82%

For M20 concrete and Pt = 0.82 %

0.62  0.56
 c  0.56   (0.82  0.75) from Table 4.5
1.00  0.75
  c  0.58 N / mm 2
 we see that  v   c hence shear reinforcement needs to be designed.
Shear Resistance of concrete =  cbd
Shear taken by shear reinforcement,Vus = Vu   cbd  336000  0.58  300  600  231600 N
Vus
  115800 N
2
STEP THREE

Bent up Bars
Shear resistance of two bent up bars = V 'us  2(0.87 f y Asv sin  )
 V
 2(0.87  415   252  sin 45o  250641N  us
4 2
Vus
But V 'us 
2
Vus
 V 'us   115800 N
2
Balance shear force to be carried by vertical stirrups is :
Vus  231600 115800  115800N

12 | P a g e
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

STEP FOUR

Design of vertical shear stirrups:

Assuming 8mm  2 legged stirrups

 2
A sv  2   8  100.54mm 2
4
0.87 f y Asv d 0.87  415  100.54  600
Spacing of stirrups,Sv    188mm
Vus 115800
 Sv  180mm (Say)
Spacing from Nominal (Minimum) shear reinforcement criteria:
0.87 f y Asv 0.87  415  100.54
Sv    302mm
0.4b 0.4  300

STEP FIVE

Minimum Spacing

The maximum spacing of stirrups shall be the least of the following:

i) 0.75d = 0.75 x 600 = 450mm
ii) 300mm
iii) 180mm
iv) 302mm

Therefore provide 8mm 2-Legged stirrups @ 180mm c/c.

33600
10440

X= 0.87m

10440
2.8m
33600

5.6m

13 | P a g e
 Design of
Shear Reinforcement in
RCC Structures

STEP SIX

Zone for nominal shear reinforcement (See Fig. above)

Shear Resistance of concrete =  c bd  0.58  300  600  104400 N

336000 104400
  x  0.87m
2.8 x

Therefore, provide 8mm Ө 2-Legged stirrups @ 180mm c/c up to a distance of (2.8 –

0.87) = 1.93m from the supports and 8mm Ө 2-Legged stirrups @ 300mm c/c in the
remaining middle portion.

14 | P a g e