ACI STRUCTURAL JOURNAL

TECHNICAL PAPER

Title No. 113-S60

Experimental Studies of Reinforced Concrete Beams Using

Embedded Steel Trusses
by Nan Zhang, Chung C. Fu, Liang Chen, and Lu He
The shear performance of reinforced concrete beams using
embedded steel trusses was studied in this work through experimentation and theoretical research. Five beam specimens with
small shear span-depth ratios were tested to investigate their structural performance and ultimate shear strength. Test results indicate that a steel angle truss adding horizontal reinforcement is the
better composition method for an embedded steel truss to improve
the shear performance of a concrete beam. Compared with the
common reinforced concrete beams, the ultimate shear strength,
elastic deflection stiffness, and elastoplastic deflection stiffness of
reinforced concrete beams using steel angle truss adding horizontal
reinforcement are increased by 80.398%, 93.280%, and 495.721%,
respectively. The experimental results further demonstrate that
embedding the steel trusses in reinforced concrete beams is indeed
a promising new technique that can greatly improve the structural
performance of reinforced concrete beams in shear failure. Based
on the interior force equilibrium equations of the failure section of
specimens and Mohrs circle theory, a flexural-shear strength model
is proposed in this paper for predicting the ultimate shear strength
of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses. The
proposed analysis model has a clearly defined mechanics meaning
for the shear strength of composite steel truss and concrete beam
under flexural-shear failure pattern, instead of using empirical
formulas. The predicted calculation results are consistent with the
test results. The maximum calculated relative error is less than 9%
compared with test results.
Keywords: embedded steel struss; flexural-shear strength mode; softened
compressive strength; steel reinforced concrete.

INTRODUCTION
The shear failure pattern of reinforced concrete beam is
brittle and sudden, which is more critical and unsafe than the
flexural failure pattern of the same beam. It is important to
improve the shear performance and ultimate shear strength
of reinforced concrete beams for civil engineering structures. Thus, many different techniques to increase the shear
strength of reinforced concrete beams have been used in
past decades. For example, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)
composites were widely applied to improve the shear
capacity of reinforced concrete beams.1-8 However, the increment of shear strength of reinforced concrete members using
this technique is also limited due to debonding between FRP
sheets and the concrete surface. It is a significant issue to
improve the shear performances and ultimate shear strength
for common reinforced concrete beams by enhancing their
internal shear-resistant abilities. Much research has been
conducted to enhance the shear strength of reinforced
concrete beams through using prestressed concrete,9 highstrength concrete,10 steel fiber concrete,11-15 ultra-highperformance concrete, and high-strength steel.16 NevertheACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

less, these enhancing measures need complex construction

technology and special materials.
Another technique to enhance shear and flexure strength
of reinforced concrete beams is to adopt prefabricated
steel trusses embedded in cast-in-place concrete beams,
which has advantages of being constructed rapidly and
easily. The lateral-torsional buckling analysis for this trussreinforced composite steel-concrete beams was researched
by Trentadue et al.17 Tesser and Scotta18 researched the flexural and shear capacity of composite steel truss and concrete
beams with inferior precast concrete base; in their specimens, shear span-depth ratios were from 2.2 to 4.6. Colajanni
et al.19 researched stress transfer mechanism in hybrid steel
trussed-concrete beams by pushout tests. Khuntia and Goel20
investigated the behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete-encased
steel joist composite beams under reversed cyclic bending.
These research works have their practical significations in
applying composite steel truss to enhance the shear strength
of concrete beams for the prefabrication building industry.
As is commonly known, when the shear span-depth ratio
of reinforced concrete beam is less than approximately 1.5,
the failure mode of the reinforced concrete beam in shear
will become more brittle and dangerous. Preventing this
brittle failure pattern is extremely important for practice
engineering. Adopting a composite steel truss and concrete
beam is a better option for preventing this brittle failure of
concrete beams due to special shear resistance capacity and
the convenient construction of embedded steel truss.
Up to now, no recent research17-19 has been conducted
regarding a composite steel truss and concrete beam with a
shear span-depth ratio less than 1.5. As noted in Reference18,
the shear span-depth ratios of their test specimens were
from 2.2 to 4.6. Meanwhile, for the shear capacity of a reinforced concrete beam, recent codes based on fitted formulas
may be used to estimate shear strength of this composite
steel truss and concrete beam. However, these estimations
demonstrate an average relative error of the theoretical evaluation in respect to the test results of approximately 20%,18
which means that current calculation or estimation theory of
this composite steel truss and concrete beam in shear needs
to be studied further and developed.
To research the aforementioned problems, the objectives
of this paper are: 1) to study the enhancing mechanism of
ACI Structural Journal, V. 113, No. 4, July-August 2016.
MS No. S-2014-329.R4, doi: 10.14359/51688616, received July 20, 2015, and
reviewed under Institute publication policies. Copyright 2016, American Concrete
Institute. All rights reserved, including the making of copies unless permission is
obtained from the copyright proprietors. Pertinent discussion including authors
closure, if any, will be published ten months from this journals date if the discussion
is received within four months of the papers print publication.

701

Fig. 1Profile and cross section detail of SRCB-1 and SRCB-2. (Note: Dimensions in mm; 1 mm = 0.0394 in.)

Fig. 2Profile and cross section detail of SRCB-3. (Note: Dimensions in mm; 1 mm = 0.0394 in.)
shear performance of reinforced concrete beams of small
shear span-depth ratio with embedded profile steel trusses
and demonstrate its flexural-shear failure pattern; 2) to
compare the composition ways and enhance efficiency of
the embedded steel truss for achieving better shear performance; 3) to propose an analytical model for shear failure of
reinforced concrete beams with embedded profile steel truss;
and 4) based on the mechanical principle, to improve understanding of the failure mechanism and the current calculation method for composite steel truss and concrete beams.
This paper presents experimental studies of five reinforced concrete beams with and without embedded steel
trusses under the shear load of small shear span-depth ratios
(1.3 to 1.7). The shear performance and failure mechanism
of specimens are studied in depth. According to the interior
force equilibrium equations of failure section of specimens
and Mohrs circle theory, as well as the observation of experimented facts, a theoretical analysis model for flexural-shear
failure of a reinforced concrete beam with embedded steel
trusses is proposed in this paper. It may improve the current
design method for shear strength of a reinforced concrete
beam under shear load of small shear span-depth ratio.
Applying these research results, steel truss bars can be used
in the practical engineering case where the cross section of
reinforced concrete beams is limited where higher shear
strength of beam is needed, and the shear load of small shear
span-depth ratio is encountered.
RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
The reinforced concrete beam under the shear load of
small shear span-depth ratio presents more brittle character702

istic of shear failure. To deal with this problem, in this work,

a series of tests was performed to investigate the structural
performance and ultimate shear strength of concrete beams
with embedded steel truss under the shear load of small
shear span-depth ratio. Compared with the common reinforced concrete beams, the ultimate shear strength, elastic
deflection stiffness and elastoplastic deflection stiffness of
reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses were
all enhanced. A shear strength analytical model based on the
mechanical principle, which can be used for design purposes,
is proposed for predicting the ultimate flexural-shear strength
of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses
under the shear load of small shear span-depth ratio.
EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
Test specimens and material properties
To explore the effects of embedded profile steel trusses on
shear mechanical performance of reinforced concrete beams,
five beam specimens were designed, named SRCB-1 to 5. In
these specimens, SRCB-1 and SRCB-2 are the common reinforced concrete beams with the same longitudinal reinforcement ratio and different vertical stirrup ratios (Fig. 1). SRCB-3
is a reinforced concrete beam with an embedded longitudinal
angle steel and vertical flat steel as the strengthening steel skeletons (Fig. 2). SRCB-4 and SRCB-5 are the reinforced concrete
beams with the same embedded profile steel trusses having
the same longitudinal reinforcement ratio and vertical stirrup
ratio. SRCB-5 has the same embedded profile steel trusses
and reinforcement ratio as SRCB-4 except for additional horizontal web reinforcements (Fig. 3). The embedded steel truss
skeletons were first fabricated with angle steel or flat steel,
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

Fig. 3Profile and cross section detail of SRCB-4. (Note: Dimensions in mm; 1 mm = 0.0394 in.)

Fig. 4Profile and cross section detail of SRCB-5. (Note: Dimensions in mm; 1 mm = 0.0394 in.)

Fig. 5Failure patterns of SRCB-4 and SRCB-5.

then these steel truss skeletons were embedded in reinforced
concrete beams to form the steel truss reinforced concrete
beams. The profiles and cross section details of these five test
specimens are shown in Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The material
properties of reinforcement, angle steel, flat steel, and concrete
are given in Table 1. The steel ratio of 3 to 8% is usually used
in practical composite steel and concrete beams. According
to this practical design experience, the maximum steel ratio
among specimens in this work is 3.25%, and this steel ratio
meets requirements of the Chinese Technical Specification of
Steel-Reinforced Concrete Structures,21 in which the maximum
steel ratio requirement is 15%. The embedded steel truss skeletons may be prefabricated and designed according to the needs
of shear resistance of beams. Compared to a classical reinforced
concrete beam, the reinforced concrete beams with embedded
steel truss in this work (Specimens SRCB-3, SRCB-4, and
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

SRCB-5) have advantages, such as easier construction and

improved efficiency for shear strength of beams.
Test procedure
The strain gauges were arranged at the critical locations of
reinforcement and angle steel or flat steel, to measure strain
development of steels with loading process and to determine the effects of these embedded-profile steel trusses on
the shear mechanical performances of common reinforced
concrete beams. Incremental loads with a speed ratio of
10kN/min were applied to the test specimens. After concrete
diagonal cracking occurred, crack patterns were reported
until the failure of the test specimens. The load-deflection
and load-strain curves were automatically measured by the
computer data acquisition system, and ultimate load-carrying
capacities of specimens were also automatically obtained.
703

Table 1Material properties of steel and concrete

Type of steel

Diameter, thickness, mm

Yield strength fy, MPa

Reinforcement

363

465

210

Reinforcement

12

405

522

200

Reinforcement

16

378

472

200

Reinforcement

22

393

557

200

Flat steel

30 x 4

266

363

200

Angle steel

40 x 40 x 4

345

519

200

Angle steel

Ultimate strength fu, MPa Modulus of elasticity Es, GPa

30 x 30 x 3

348

522

200

SRCB-1

SRCB-2

SRCB-3

SRCB-4

SRCB-5

Compressive strength fc, MPa

41.54

41.73

44.11

40.41

42.36

Modulus of elasticity Ec, GPa

34.11

34.10

34.56

33.72

34.13

Test specimen

Notes: 1 mm = 0.0394 in.; 1 MPa = 0.145 ksi; 1 GPa = 145 ksi.

Table 2Structural performances of test specimens

Test specimen

SRCB-1

SRCB-2

SRCB-3

SRCB-4

SRCB-5

Yield load Py, kN

343.448

399.655

480.000

503.448

589.655

Yield load increase*, %

16.366

39.759

46.586

71.687

Yield load increase , %

20.104

25.971

47.541

Ultimate load Pu, kN

364.138

458.966

514.828

553.103

656.897

Ultimate load increase*, %

26.042

41.383

51.894

80.398

Ultimate load increase , %

12.171

20.511

43.125

Elastic stiffness ke, kN/mm

57.725

92.645

111.758

84.847

111.571

Elastic stiffness increase, %

60.494

93.604

46.985

93.280

Elastoplastic stiffness kep, kN/mm

4.464

6.984

29.119

13.348

26.593

Elastoplastic stiffness increase, %

56.462

552.307

199.014

495.721

Compared with SRCB-1.

Compared with SRCB-2.

Notes: 1 kN = 0.225 kip; 1 kN/mm = 5.71 kip/in.

TEST RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Failure patterns and ultimate strengths of specimens
Table 1 gives the material properties of the specimens.
SRCB-1 and SRCB-2 are common reinforced concrete
beams. SRCB-3, SRCB-4, and SRCB-5 are the reinforced
concrete beams with embedded steel truss skeletons.
Comparisons of the ultimate strength of the five specimens are shown in Table 2. One can find that the ultimate
strength of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel
truss skeletons is greater than that of common reinforced
concrete beams due to the contributions of embedded steel
truss skeletons. Compared with SRCB-1, the yield strength
and ultimate strength of SRCB-5 are increased by 71.687%
and 80.398%, respectively. Compared with SRCB-2, the
yield strength and ultimate strength of SRCB-5 are increased
by 47.541% and 43.125%, respectively.
Figure 5 shows the failure patterns of SRCB-4 and SRCB-5.
From these failure pattern photographs, one can observe that:
1. Failure patterns of the reinforced concrete beams with
embedded steel truss skeletons (SRCB-4 and SRCB-5) have
shear-flexure failure characteristics, which have ductile
failure mode and better deflection stiffness.
2. Concrete crack distribution and development in reinforced
concrete beams with embedded steel truss skeletons (SRCB-4
704

and SRCB-5) are relatively adequate so that the compressive

strength of concrete in the shear-compression region is almost
fully used, which is an important reason that has improved the
ultimate shear strength of SRCB-4 and SRCB-5 due to the
contributions of the embedded steel trusses.
Furthermore, from Table 3, one can obtain the improvement efficiency of shear strength of concrete beams
using embedded steel truss by the shear strength comparison under the condition of the same reinforcement ratio.
SRCB-3, SRCB-4, and SRCB-5 have the same reinforcement ratio (3.25%) and almost the same equivalent stirrup
ratio1.14%, 0.98%, and 0.98%, respectivelybut express
different shear strength. Compared with SRCB-3, the
shear strength of SRCB-4 is increased by 7.435% and the
shear strength of SRCB-5 is increased by 27.595%. These
comparison results indicate that the improvement efficiency
of shear strength of SRCB-4 is better than that of SRCB-3,
and the improvement efficiency of shear strength of SRCB-5
is better than that of SRCB-4. Thus, the improvement efficiency of shear strength of SRCB-5 is the best.
Deflection stiffness
Figure 6 describes the deflection development of five
beam specimens under a loading process. The curve of
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

Table 3Comparison of improvement efficiency of shear strength

Test specimen

SRCB-1

SRCB-2

SRCB-3

SRCB-4

SRCB-5

Steel ratio, %

2.12

2.12

3.25

3.25

3.25

Equivalent stirrup ratio, %

0.34

0.67

1.14

0.98

0.98

Ultimate load Pu, kN

364.138

458.966

514.828

533.103

656.897

Ultimate load increase*, %

26.042

41.383

51.894

80.398

Ultimate load increase, %

12.171

20.511

43.125

Ultimate load increase , %

7.435

27.595

Compared with SRCB-1.

Compared with SRCB-2.

Compared with SRCB-3.

Note: 1 kN = 0.225 kip.

load-deflection demonstrates the deflection stiffness of

these specimens at the main deformation stagesthe elastic
deformation stage and elastoplastic deformation stage
after yielding of steels in specimens. The embedded steel
truss skeletons provide additional flexural stiffness for
the reinforced concrete beam and enhance the tensile and
compressive strength of critical failure section of reinforced
concrete beams, which makes the deformation of the specimens (SRCB-3, SRCB-4, and SRCB-5) develop adequately.
With the improvement of deformation ability and ductility
of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses,
failure patterns were transformed from brittle shear failure
mode to ductile shear-flexural failure mode, which obviously changes the sudden and dangerous shear failure states
of common reinforced concrete beams. Comparisons of
deformation stiffness of the specimens are shown in Table 2.
SRCB-5 has not only the greatest ultimate shear strength
but also the best deformation stiffness of these five specimens. The elastic deflection stiffness and elastoplastic
deflection stiffness of SRCB-5 are increased by 93.280%
and 495.721%, respectively, compared with that of SRCB-1
(Table 2). Particularly, the increase of elastoplastic deflection stiffness of SRCB-5 changes the failure pattern of specimen after yielding of steels in the specimen. The applied
load can still be increased gradually, even though partial
steel had yielded (Point A5 in Fig. 6) and concrete cracks
had developed, which indicates that the brittle shear failure
pattern had been transformed to ductile shear-flexural failure
pattern, as can be seen in Fig. 5.
Contributions of embedded steel trusses to
structural behavior of specimens
To understand the contributions of embedded steel truss
skeletons to shear behavior of specimens, three typical
strain gauges were used to measure the stress development
of steel truss rod and strut. Figures 3 and 4 give the positions of strain gauges on the rod and strut of steel trusses.
Strain Gauge-1 and Strain Gauge-2 are installed on the
steel truss rod of SRCB-4 to test if the rod of the steel truss
could yield in tension at the failure state. Strain Gauge-3 is
installed on the steel truss strut of SRCB-5 to assess if the
strut of steel truss could yield in compression at the failure
state. Figure 7(a) shows the strain curve (Strain Gauge-1 and
Strain Gauge-2) of steel truss rod of SRCB-4, and Fig.7(b)
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

Fig. 6Curve of load-deflection under loading point. (Note:

1 mm = 0.0394 in.; 1 kN = 0.225 kip.)
shows the strain curve (Strain Gauge-3) of steel truss strut of
SRCB-5. From these strain development processes (Fig.7),
the contributions of embedded steel truss skeletons to the
shear strength and deformation stiffness of common reinforced concrete beam are especially evident. When the
steel truss rod and strut yielded, the beam specimens with
embedded steel truss skeletons nearly reached their ultimate
strengths, which indicates that the steel truss skeletons have
a direct effect on the ultimate strengths of beam specimens,
and mainly control the ultimate load-carrying capacities of
the reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses.
INTERIOR FORCE EQUILIBRIUM MODEL FOR
SHEAR STRENGH OF SPECIMENS
Effect factors on shear capacities of specimens
As known, the main factors that affect the shear strength
of reinforced concrete beams are shear span-depth ratio,
strength of concrete, strength and amount of vertical stirrups, and strength and amount of longitudinal reinforcements at the bottom of beam. In this experimental study, the
steel truss skeletons embedded in reinforced concrete beams
may be considered as an independent structural member that
can be subjected to load. This type of embedded steel truss
structure directly increases the deformation stiffness and
705

Fig. 7Strain curve of steel truss rod and strut of specimens. (Note: 1 kN = 0.225 kip.)
ultimate strength of steel truss reinforced concrete beams as
demonstrated by the aforementioned experimental results.
The rods of embedded steel trusses directly increase the
flexural strength and diagonal tension-resistant capacity
of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses.
Meanwhile, the struts of embedded steel trusses effectively
improve the compression-resistant capacity of shear-compression region of reinforced concrete beams with embedded
steel trusses, and no buckling problem of steel strut members
occurs because the steel struts are perfectly embedded into
the concrete. From Fig. 6 and Table 2, one can observe that the
yield and ultimate strength as well as the elastic and elastoplastic deflection stiffness of reinforced concrete beams with
embedded steel trusses (SRCB-3, SRCB-4, and SRCB-5)
have increased greatly compared with that of traditional
common reinforced concrete beams (SRCB-1, and SRCB-2),
which may be considered special comprehensive contributions of embedded steel truss skeletons. Therefore, the stiffness and strength of embedded steel truss skeletons become
important effect factors on the shear capacity of reinforced
concrete beams with embedded steel trusses.
Notably, SRCB-5 has the triangle steel truss form
that provides better structural stiffness and enhances the
compressive strength of shear-compression region of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses. In
addition, SRCB-5 has additional horizontal web reinforcements compared with SRCB-4. The ultimate shear strength
of SRCB-5 is increased by 18.77% due to the action of the
horizontal web reinforcements, which indicates that the
horizontal web reinforcements also improve the ultimate
shear strength of reinforced concrete beams with embedded
steel trusses by preventing diagonal cracks in the web of
the beam from developing. From these test observations,
it was proven that the embedded steel truss skeletons in a
triangle form and the horizontal web reinforcements are two
important factors that improve the ultimate shear strength
and deformation stiffness of reinforced concrete beams with
embedded steel trusses.
Ultimate shear strength model for reinforced
concrete beams with embedded steel trusses
According to the test results of reinforced concrete
beams with embedded steel trusses (SRCB-3, SRCB-4, and
SRCB5), the longitudinal angle steel near the support can
706

reach its yield strength (Fig. 7) and concrete in the shearcompression zone can also reach its compressive strength at
failure state (Fig. 5). From the test results, the longitudinal
angle steel has a direct effect on ultimate shear strength of
reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses. The
failure pattern of reinforced concrete beams with embedded
steel trusses may be considered as a shear-flexural failure
mode under the test conditions of this experimental study.
It is difficult to accurately calculate the ultimate strength
of reinforced concrete beam failing in shear or shearflexural state. So, most calculation methods in current codes
for reinforced concrete beams in shear failure are mainly
established on the method of test data fitting or statistical
analysis, especially for the shear capacity of concrete, or the
combined shear capacity of concrete and stirrups.22-27 These
current calculation methods lack an adequate mechanics
principle. To better understand the failure mechanism of
reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses in
shear failure from a mechanics principle, based on the observations from failure patterns of specimens in this study, a
simplified shear strength analytical model for shear-flexural
failure of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel
trusses is proposed. This modelnamely, the interior force
equilibrium modelis adopted to predict the ultimate shear
strength of these steel truss reinforced concrete beams by
using equilibrium equations of interior forces in failure
diagonal section (Fig. 8). To simplify the calculation, the
aggregate interlock and dowel action of longitudinal reinforcement and angle steel along the failure line are ignored
in this analytical model. This is due to the fact that concrete
compressive failure in shear-compressive zone and yield
of steel reinforcement control the failure result, and shear
dislocation almost does not appear in the failure pattern.
In the proposed interior force equilibrium model, the failure
criteria of specimens are defined as: 1) the steels crossing
failure crack lines reach their yield strengths (including reinforcement, angle steel, and stirrup); and 2) concrete in the
shear-compression zone, at the direction of principal compressive stress, reaches its softened compressive strength considering effect of the principal tensile stress.28
According to the equilibrium conditions of interior forces
in failure section at ultimate state, three equilibrium equations can be established as follows (Fig. 8)
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

Fig. 8Interior force analytical model on failure section.

m

Fc = Tsi

Vu = Vc + Tvi

(2)

m
n
x
Vu a = Tsi hsi + Tvi d vi Fc
i =1
i =1
2

(3)

(1)

i =1

i =1

where Fc is the compressive force of concrete in shearm

compression zone; Tsi is the total ultimate tensile forces

i =1

T
of longitudinal reinforcement and angle steel; i =1 vi is the
total ultimate tensile forces of vertical stirrups and vertical
component of steel angle; Vc is the shear force carried by
intact concrete along the equivalent compressive depth of the
beam; hsi are the distances from the top fibers of the beam
to the centroidal position of longitudinal reinforcements and
angle steel; dvi are the distances from the loading point to the
centroidal position of vertical stirrups and vertical component
of angle steel; a is the shear span of the beam; x is the equivalent compressive depth of the beam in the shear-compression
zone; and Vu is the ultimate shear-flexural strength of the reinforced concrete beam with embedded steel trusses (Fig. 8).
The longitudinal reinforcement and angle steel, as well
as vertical stirrup, at failure section of reinforced concrete
beams with embedded steel trusses can reach their yield
strengths at the ultimate state of the specimens from the
results of test measurements. However, the vertical flat steel
did not reach its yield strength at the ultimate state of test
specimens from the measurements of strain gauges on flat
steel. The main reason is that the diagonal web member of
triangle steel truss has almost the same direction of principal
tensile or compressive stress of concrete beam. As expected,
the concrete beams with embedded triangle steel truss
have better shear performance than the concrete beam with
vertical flat steel. Another reason for this phenomenon is the
bond force between flat steel and concrete is also relatively
weak. The yield strength of flat steel can be considered
reduced to fsy, according to test measurements, where fsy is
the yield strength of flat steel material and is the reduction
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

factor of yield strength of flat steel. Values of are obtained

through the measurement of strain gauges on flat steel and
angle steel, where the average value 0.85 is taken.
In the shear-compression zone of beam specimens, the
distribution of compressive normal stress and shear stress of
concrete is shown in Fig. 9. The compressive normal stress
can be represented by the average compressive normal stress
0, which is expressed as follows
0 =

Fc

bx

(4)

where x is the equivalent compressive depth of the beam,

and b is the width of the beam.
The distribution curve of shear stress in shear-compression
zone is parabolic, the maximum shear stress max is equal
to 1.50 (0 is the average shear stress along equivalent
compressive depth x), which is expressed as
max = 1.5

Vc

bx

(5)

According to Mohrs circle theory, the principal compressive stress pc and the principal tensile stress pt can be
obtained as follows
2

pc =

0

+ 0 + max 2
2
2

pt =

0

0 + max 2
2
2

(6)

(7)

Based on the test observations from failure photographs

of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses
(Fig. 5), it was found that the compressive failure direction
of concrete in shear-compression zone (under the left of
loading point) has an angle of inclination to the longitudinal
axial direction of beam specimens. This test phenomenon
indicates that the compressive failure of concrete in the
shear-compression zone occurs at the direction of principal
707

Fig. 9Stress analytical model of shear compression zone.

compressive stress and not at the direction of longitudinal
axis of the beam, which is different from the flexural failure
of reinforced concrete beam. Thus, the cylinder compressive
strength of concrete, fc, which is obtained under the condition of uniaxial compression, should not be taken as the
failure criterion of concrete in the shear-compression zone.
In fact, the concrete in shear-compression zone is in a
bidirectional stresses state (refer to Fig. 9)one stress is the
principal compressive stress and another stress is the principal tensile stress. Due to the action of the principal tensile
stress, the compressive strength of concrete will be reduced
as the softened compressive strength. One may consider that
the compressive failure of concrete material occurs when pc
is equal to fc

pc = fc

(8)

Thus, one can obtain the compressive failure criterion for

concrete material in the shear-compression zone as follows
2

f c =

0

+ 0 + max 2
2
2

(9)

where is the softened coefficient of compressive strength

of concrete, considering the effect of interior tensile crack on
compressive strength of concrete due to action of principal
tensile stress; and fc is the cylinder compressive strength of
concrete. The average value of may be taken as 0.70.6
From Eq. (1) to (9), one can derive an equation of calculating the value of x as follows

Ax2 + Bx + C = 0

(10)

(11)

where

708

m T
si
i
2
=1
A=
( f c)
2 2
4a b

B=

f c Tsi
i =1

m T h + n T d a n T m T
vi vi
vi si
si si
i
=1
i =1
i =1
i =1

(12)
a 2b2

m T h + n T d a n T
vi vi
vi
si si
i
=1
i =1
i =1
C=
a 2b2

(13)

Thus, the equivalent compressive depth x can be obtained

as follows
x=

B B 2 4 AC

2A

(14)

The ultimate shear-flexural strength of reinforced concrete

beams with embedded steel trusses, Vu, can be calculated as
m

Vu =

Tsi hsi + Tvi d vi

i =1

i =1

Tsi

i =1 x
2a

(15)

In Eq. (15), the main factors on the value of ultimate

shear-flexural strength Vu are very obvious and clear. As the
shear span a decreases, ultimate shear-flexural strength Vu
will increase, which indicates that Eq. (15) implies the effect
of the shear span a (or shear span-depth ratio; herein, it may
be expressed as a/hs) on the ultimate shear-flexural strength
Vu of these beam specimens in shear failure. The amounts of
longitudinal and vertical reinforcements, as well as angle
m

i =1

i =1

steel, Tsi and Tvi , directly enhance the value of the ultimate shear-flexural strength Vu. With the equivalent compressive depth x reduced, the ultimate shear-flexural strength Vu
will also be increased. Furthermore, a very important fact is
that the value of equivalent compressive depth x is affected
by multi-factor coupling actions, as seen in Eq. (10) to (14).
Just under this coupling effect, the value of equivalent
compressive depth x has been defined, and the ultimate
shear-flexural strength of reinforced concrete beams with
embedded steel trusses, Vu, has been finally determined by
Eq. (15). Equation (15) proposed in this study has the definite mechanics meaning, which has included almost all
effect factors on ultimate shear-flexural strength of reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses. Meanwhile, Eq. (15) has provided a simple calculation method for
ultimate shear-flexural strength of reinforced concrete beams
with embedded steel trusses. In this case, the method of
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

fitting data is not needed in calculating shear strength of

concrete beam with embedded steel truss on test conditions
of this paper.
Comparisons between calculated results and
testresults
According to the results from material property tests
(Table 1), one can predict the ultimate strengths of reinforced
concrete beams with embedded steel trusses (SRCB-3,
SRCB-4, and SRCB-5) based on Eq. (1) to (15). Comparisons between the predicted ultimate load-carrying capacity
of these specimens and test results are shown in Table 4, in
which Eq. (15) was used. The predicted results for SRCB-3,
SRCB-4, and SRCB-5 demonstrate that the relative deviation of calculated results compared with test results are
4.92%, 5.59%, and 8.43%, respectively, which means
that the proposed analytical model is reasonable. It has especially important mechanics and engineering significance
in that the ultimate strength of reinforced concrete beams
with embedded steel trusses in shear-flexural failure may be
directly calculated through the equations proposed in this
study. Because these calculation equations are based on the
interior force analytical method and Mohrs circle theory,
there is no need for fitting curves in the test data.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Experimental investigations on shear-flexural structural
performances and ultimate shear strength model for reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel truss skeletons
were carried out and researched in depth. The experimental
results indicate that the reinforced concrete beams with
embedded profile steel truss skeletons have better shear
performance compared with common reinforced concrete
beams, and the steel angle truss is a better way than the plate
steel truss when embedded in concrete, where both provide
a good structural redundancy. Using these research results,
steel truss bars can easily be used in the practical engineering
case where the cross section of reinforced concrete beam is
limited to where higher shear strength of beam is needed,
and the shear load of small shear span-depth ratio is encountered. From the research in this paper, the main conclusions
obtained are as follows:
1. Profile steel truss as a skeleton embedded in reinforced
concrete beam can greatly enhance structural performances
of a reinforced concrete beam in shear. The ultimate shear
strength is increased by 80.398%, the elastic deformation stiffness is increased by 93.28%, and the elastoplastic
deformation stiffness after yielding of steels in specimens
is increased by 495.721%, which obviously improve the
brittle failure prevention and increase the ultimate strength
of a reinforced concrete beam in shear. This type of steel
reinforced concrete beams with embedded profile steel truss
skeletons is a promising structure member, especially when
subjected to combined shear-flexural loading actions.
2. The angle steel has increased the tension resistance
ability of steels and compression resistance ability of diagonal concrete strut or concrete arch action region, according
to test observations and strain gauge measurement results.

ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016

Table 4Ultimate load comparisons of calculation

and test results
Test specimen
Test results Pu , kN
T

Calculation results Pu , kN
C

Relative deviation

PuC PuT
,%
PuT

SRCB-3

SRCB-4

SRCB-5

514.828

553.103

656.897

489.491

522.205

601.508

4.92

5.59

8.43

Note: 1 kN = 0.225 kip.

Because of the special triangle shape and better bond property with concrete, the angle steel has no buckling problem at
the ultimate state of test specimens. Therefore, angle steel is
particularly suitable as an internal steel skeleton embedded
in a reinforced concrete beam to enhance the shear or
shear-flexural ultimate strength of a reinforced concrete
beam, and improve the deflection ductility of a reinforced
concrete beam in shear failure.
3. The horizontal web reinforcements designed in reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses effectively improve the ultimate shear strength of reinforced
concrete beams with embedded steel trusses through
preventing the web cracks of specimens from developing.
To reasonably design the horizontal web reinforcements
in reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel trusses
is also an effective approach to increase the ultimate shear
strength and failure ductility of this type of steel truss reinforced concrete beam.
4. Concrete crashing at the direction of principle compressive stress based on Mohrs circle theory and the softened
compressive strength of concrete may be taken as a failure
criterion for reinforced concrete beams with embedded steel
trusses in shear-flexural failure. The interior force equilibrium model proposed in this study can reasonably predict the
ultimate shear strength of reinforced concrete beams with
embedded steel trusses, which has a better level of calculation accuracy compared with the test results, and the contributions of embedded steel truss skeletons are considered
into the shear strength model proposed. The advantage of the
proposed analytical model is to point out the composition
mechanism of ultimate shear strength of reinforced concrete
beams with embedded steel trusses. A new simplified calculation approach of the ultimate shear strength of reinforced
concrete beams with embedded steel trusses for the practical
engineering designers with defined mechanics meaning is
also introduced.
AUTHOR BIOS

Nan Zhang is a Professor at Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China. He

received his BS, MS, and PhD in civil engineering from Southwest Jiaotong
University, Chengdu, China, in 1982, 1991, and 1998, respectively. His
research interests include shear strength and dynamic design of reinforced
concrete structures.
ACI member Chung C. Fu is the Director and Research Professor of the
Bridge Engineering Software and Technology (BEST) Center, Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, College
Park (UMCP), MD. He received his MS and PhD in civil engineering from
UMCP in 1975 and 1982, respectively. He is a member of ACI Committee
209, Creep and Shrinkage in Concrete. His research interests include earthquake resistance, evaluation, design, construction, maintenance, and repair
of concrete bridges.

709

Liang Chen is a Graduate Student at Nanjing Tech University. His

research interests include flexural and shear strength of reinforced concrete
structures.
Lu He is a Graduate Student at Nanjing Tech University. His research interests include flexural and shear strength of reinforced concretestructures.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.51278243). The experimental tests were conducted
in the Structural Engineering Test Center, Nanjing Tech University, China,
with the cooperation of the University of Maryland, College Park, MD. The
authors thank S. Q. Wu, M. S. Wu, Y. Yang, L. C. Xu, J. G. Cao, and L. J.
Zhang for their efforts in the experimental testing of specimens.

a
b
dvi

NOTATION

= shear span of beam

= width of beam
= distances from loading point to centroidal position of vertical
stirrups and vertical component of angle steels
Fc
= compressive force of concrete in shear-compression zone
fc
= compressive strength of concrete
fsy
= yield strength of steel material
hsi
= distances from top fibers to centroidal position of longitudinal
reinforcements and angle steels
SRCB = steel-reinforced concrete beam (reinforced concrete beam with
and without embedded steel trusses)
Vc
= shear force carried by intact concrete along equivalent compressive depth of beam
Vu
= ultimate shear strength of reinforced concrete beam with
embedded steel trusses
x
= equivalent compressive depth of concrete in shear-compression
zone

= reduction factor of yield strength of steel material
0
= average compressive normal stress in shear-compression zone
pc
= principal compressive stress
pt
= principal tensile stress
0
= average shear stress in shear-compression zone
max = maximum shear stress in shear-compression zone

= softened coefficient of compressive strength of concrete
m

Tsi = total ultimate tensile forces of longitudinal reinforcements and

angle steels

i =1
n

Tvi = total ultimate tensile forces of vertical stirrups and vertical

component of angle steels

i =1

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ACI Structural Journal/July-August 2016