Experimental Study On Shear Capability Of Railway Reinforced Reactive Powder Concrete T Beams

Reactive Powder Concrete, RPC, is a new kind of high performance concrete material with high intensity, high durability and high ductility. The distinctions between RPC and ordinary concrete on material formation determine that the shearing process of RPC beam is different from ordinary concrete beam. So, the importance of studying the shear capability of RPC should not be ignored. Based on the fundamental mechanical behavior of RPC, this thesis studies the shear tests on RPC T beams, aimed at providing reference for the application of RPC in bridge project.Twelve RPC T beams have been tested in this thesis. During the tests, the beams' cracks and failure patterns have been observed; the changes of the mid span deflection, stirrup and longitudinal reinforcement strain, and neutral web concrete stress have been measured; the cracking load and the limit anti-shear capacity have been recorded. According to the measured statistics, the tested beams'mechanical behavior, features of the cracks'distribution, the failure patterns, the stress state of stirrup and longitudinal reinforcement under different influence parameters have been analyzed.Based on Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis Software, the shear strength has been calculated and it turns out to consistent with the experimental result. Combing with the measured statistics, after a thorough analysis, the influences of the following factors such as the shear span ratio, stirrup ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and some others on the shear capacity were studied.Through a comparative study of the experimental results and the calculations of different codes shear capacity formulas, The results indicate that those formulas are safer for RPC beams. Referencing for all the factors considered in those formulas and carrying out regressing analyses on test data, the suggestion formula suitable for the shear strength of the RPC beam was proposed. It correlates well with the test results of reactive powder concrete beams without stirrups by New South Wales University in Australia. It can be used as a reference for the shear capacity of reinforced RPC beams.