The influence of vertical openings on the structural behavior of RC deep beams

  • Muneer Y.Mohammed, Ammar Y. Ali, Majid M.A. Kadhim,
Keywords: Reinforced concrete deep beams; vertical openings; transverse openings; shear behavior

Abstract

For reinforced concrete (RC) beams, vertical openings are very important in building construction, which are used to provide various services, particularly for buildings of limited height and size. In this study, an experimental investigation is carried out on the behavior of deep beams with vertical openings. The main aim is to investigate the effects of the vertical openings on the overall behavior of simply supported deep beam. This study consisted of testing nine deep beams; one of them was without opening which represents the reference beam, while the other beams had openings at their mid-shear span or mid-moment span. The variables investigated in this study were the direction of openings axis, location of openings, and their shape. The experimental results showed that the presence of vertical openings reduced the ultimate load capacity by 8-18% compared to the corresponding values of the reference beam. In addition, it has a major effect on the value of maximum deflection at the service load. Regarding the shape of openings, it is found that for beams containing openings with circular shape, the ultimate load is greater compared to the corresponding values of beams having openings with other shapes. Particularly, the reductions in the ultimate load were 12.46%, 14.12% and 18.55% for deep beams with circular, square and rectangular shapes of openings in shear span respectively, compared to the control beam, while when the openings were in the fixed moment region, the reduction values were 8.31%, 9.97% and 12.74% for circular, square and rectangular respectively. In addition to above, it is found that the transverse openings in shear span have a significant effect on the ultimate load (reduced by 41% compared to the reference beam) compared to beams with vertical openings.

Published
2021-10-22
How to Cite
Majid M.A. Kadhim, M. Y. A. Y. A. (2021). The influence of vertical openings on the structural behavior of RC deep beams. Design Engineering, 6339-6354. Retrieved from http://thedesignengineering.com/index.php/DE/article/view/5598
Section
Articles