Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Shear strength'

Several thousand tests throughout the world have been conducted on the shear strength of screw connections in cold-formed steel, however, little to no research has been conducted on how various thicknesses of insulation placed between two sheets of steel, such as a steel panel and structural supporting member, affects a screw's shear strength. Elemental tests were conducted as part of this study at Virginia Tech where rolled fiberglass insulation was placed between two pieces of steel connected by self-drilling screws and tested to failure. The results were compared to the North American Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members to determine if the presence of insulation affected the shear and tensile strengths of screw connections involving insulation. A series of diaphragm tests were also preformed to confirm the elemental tests. While the presence of insulation between two steel sheets connected by screws reduces the shear strength of the connection, the current equations for predicting this strength in the North American Specification are adequate. When the data acquired from this study and the screw shear data obtained in past research were combined, it was clear that the data collected during this study fell within the scatter of the data used to develop Section E4.3 of the North American Specification neglecting the need for modification.
Master of Science

The research in this dissertation is divided between three different approaches for predicting the shear strength of reinforcement masonry shear walls. Each approach provides increasing accuracy and precision in predicting the shear strength of masonry walls. The three approaches were developed or validated using data from 353 wall tests that have been conducted over the past half century. The data were collected, scrutinized, and synthesized using principles of meta-analysis. Predictions made with current Masonry Standards Joint Committee (MSJC) shear strength equation are unconservative and show a higher degree of variation for partially-grouted walls. The first approach modifies the existing MSJC equation to account for the differences in nominal strength and uncertainty between fully- and partially-grouted walls. The second approach develops a new shear strength equation developed to perform equally well for both fully- and partially-grouted walls to replace and improve upon the current MSJC equation. The third approach develops a methodology for creating strut-and-tie models to analyze or design masonry shear walls. It was discovered that strut-and-tie modeling theory provides the best description of masonry shear wall strength and performance. The masonry strength itself provides the greatest contribution to the overall shear capacity of the wall and can be represented as diagonal compression struts traveling from the top of the wall to the compression toe. The shear strength of masonry wall is inversely related to the shear span ratio of the wall. Axial load contributes to shear strength, but to a lesser degree than what has been previously believed. The prevailing theory about the contribution of horizontal shear reinforcement was shown to not be correct and the contribution is much smaller than was originally assumed by researchers. Horizontal shear reinforcement principally acts by resisting diagonal tensile forces in the masonry and by helping to redistribute stresses in a cracked masonry panel. Vertical reinforcement was shown to have an effect on shear strength by precluding overturning of the masonry panel and by providing vertical anchorages to the diagonal struts.

The first section of this thesis (Chapter 2) describes the creation and analysis of a database on concrete and masonry dam incidents known as CONGDATA. The aim was to carry out as complete a study of concrete and masonry dam incidents as was practicable, with a greater emphasis than in other studies on the geology, mode of failure, and the warning signs that were observed. This analysis was used to develop a method of very approximately assessing probabilities of failure. This can be used in initial risk assessments of large concrete and masonry dams along with analysis of stability for various annual exceedance probability floods. The second and main section of this thesis (Chapters 3-6) had its origins in the results of Chapter 2 and the general interests of the author. It was found that failure through the foundation was common in the list of dams analysed and that information on how to assess the strength of the foundations of dams on rock masses was limited. This section applies to all applications of rock mass strength such as the stability of rock slopes. Methods used for assessing the shear strength of jointed rock masses are based on empirical criteria. As a general rule such criteria are based on laboratory scale specimens with very little, and often no, field validation. The Hoek-Brown empirical rock mass failure criterion was developed in 1980 for hard rock masses. Since its development it has become virtually universally accepted and is now used for all types of rock masses and in all stress regimes. This thesis uses case studies and databases of intact rock and rockfill triaxial tests collated by the author to review the current Hoek-Brown criterion. The results highlight the inability of the criterion to fit all types of intact rock and poor quality rock masses. This arose predominately due to the exponent a being restrained to approximately 0.5 to 0.62 and using rock type as a predictor of mi. Modifications to the equations for determining the Hoek-Brown parameters are provided that overcome these problems. In the course of reviewing the Hoek-Brown criterion new equations were derived for estimating the shear strength of intact rock and rockfill. Empirical slope design curves have also been developed for use as a preliminary tool for slope design.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (February) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Past studies on sands have shown that the shear strength measured in plane strain tests was higher than that measured in triaxial tests. It was observed that this difference changed with the friction angle &
#966
cv at constant volume related to the mineralogical composition. In order to investigate the difference in strength measured in the wedge shear test, which approaches the plane strain condition, in the triaxial test, and in the shear box test, Anatolian sands were obtained from different locations in Turkey. Mineralogical analyses, identification tests, wedge shear tests (cylindrical wedge shear tests (cylwests) and prismatic wedge shear tests (priswests)), triaxial tests, and shear box tests were performed on these samples. In all shear tests, the shear strength measured was found to increase with the inclination &
#948
of the shear plane to the bedding planes. Thus, cylwests (&
#948
= 60o) iii yielded higher values of internal friction &
#966
by about 3.6o than priswests (&
#948
= 30o) under normal stresses between 17 kPa and 59 kPa. Values of &
#966
measured in cylwests were about 1.08 times those measured in triaxial tests (&
#948
&
#8776
65o), a figure close to the corresponding ratio of 1.13 found by past researchers between actual plane strain and triaxial test results. There was some indication that the difference between cylwest and triaxial test results increased with the &
#966
cv value of the samples. With the smaller &
#948
values (30o and 40o), priswests yielded nearly the same &
#966
values as those obtained in triaxial tests under normal stresses between 20 kPa and 356 kPa. Shear box tests (&
#948
=0o) yielded lower values of &
#966
than cylwests (by about 7.9o), priswests (by about 4.4o), and triaxial tests (by about 4.2o) under normal stresses between 17 kPa and 48 kPa. It was shown that the shear strength measured in shear box tests showed an increase when &
#948
was increased from 30o to 60o
this increase (about 4.2o) was of the order of the difference (about 3.6o) between priswest (&
#948
= 30o) and cylwest (&
#948
= 60o) results mentioned earlier. Shear box specimens with &
#948
= 60o, prepared from the same batch of any sample as the corresponding cylwests, yielded &
#966
values very close to those obtained in cylwests.

Le béton auto-plaçant renforcé de fibres (BAPF) est l’un des récents développements dans le monde de la technologie du béton combinant les performances de l’auto-consolidation avec la ductilité post-pic et les nombreux avantages face à la fissuration grâce à la présence des fibres dans le béton. L’utilisation de BAPF accroît l’efficacité économique globale de la phase de construction en réduisant la main d’oeuvre, ou la consommation d’énergie requise, en accélérant la vitesse de construction, la réduction ou l’élimination de ferraillage conventionnel et à la simplification des détails et placement du ferraillage. Le BAPF a gagné en popularité dans ses utilisations durant les dernières années telles dans les tabliers de ponts, les poutrelles et les poutres. En dépit de preuve d’amélioration de synergie entre la technologie d’auto-placement et l’ajout de fibres dans le BAPF, il est obligatoire de déterminer les propriétés convenables de ce matériau pour trouver les caractéristiques inappropriées dans le béton à l’état frais et durci. A cet égard, les défauts, tels l’agglomération de fibres, la ségrégation et la performance d’écoulement et le placement incorrects à cause de propriétés rhéologiques inappropriées à l’état frais, entraînent une réduction dans la résistance évaluée. L’objectif principal de cette étude est d’évaluer les propriétés du béton auto-plaçant (BAP), des mélanges intégrant différentes teneurs en granulats et du BAPF (avec insertion de différents types et teneurs de fibres). Ceci peut aider au développement de BAPF avec une rhéologie adaptée et une performance mécanique adéquate incluant une résistance d’adhésion et de cisaillement convenable pour des applications structurelles. Dans le but d’évaluer l’effet des fibres sur les propriétés rhéologiques de BAP à l’état frais, des mélanges intégrant quatre types de fibres avec différents élancement (L/D) seront étudiés. Ces fibres incluent des crochets d’acier (STH 55/30), du fil d’acier tréfilé (STN 65/13), de la macro-fibre synthétique de propylène (PP 56/38) et de l’alcool polyvinylique (PVA 60/12) avec différentes teneurs volumiques (0.25%, 0.5%) ajoutées au BPA de référence. Tous les mélanges ont un rapport w/b fixé à 0,42 et la teneur en granulats grossiers est respectivement de 29, 32 et 35% par volume de béton. Les caractéristiques de béton frais ont été évaluées en considérant l’affaissement, l'évaluation du temps d’écoulement (V-funnel), l'amplitude à l'écoulement du BAP (J-Ring), le tassement de surface et le rhéomètre ConTec. Les propriétés du béton durci, en particulier la résistance à la compression, la résistance à la traction par fendage, la résistance à la flexion, et le module élastique ont été évaluées. L’effet des types de fibres, des teneurs en fibres et en granulats sur la résistance à la rupture et la robustesse du BAP au cisaillement des mélanges optimisés, incluant le BAP de référence, le SCCAGG (32% and 35%), le FRSCC ST-H (0.25% and 0.5%), le FRSCCPP (0.25% and 0.5%), le PVA (0.25% and 0.5%) et le ST-N (0.25% and 0.5%) ont été testés en utilisant l’essai de cisaillement direct pour évaluer la résistance en cisaillement et la résistance résiduelle du béton. Les résultats des essais prennent en considération la capacité portante en cisaillement de l’élément structurel fabriqué à partir de BAPF. Les résultats des essais montrent que l’ajout de fibres était beaucoup plus efficace que l’accroissement de la teneur en agrégats sur la résistance au cisaillement du BAP. L’amélioration de la contrainte au cisaillement à la rupture comparée au mélange de référence est plus grande avec 16.3% pour l’ajout de fibre de type STN 0.5%, 15.8% pour l’ajout de fibre de type STH 0.5%, 14.92% pour l’ajout de fibre de type PP 0.5% et 7.73% pour l’ajout de fibre de type PVA 0.5%. De plus, l’ajout de fibres améliore le comportement post-pic en cisaillement du BPA en comparaison à l’augmentation de la teneur en granulats. L’augmentation de la teneur en fibres de 0.25% à 0.5%, par volume de béton, a amélioré la résistance et la ténacité au cisaillement, le comportement en flexion peu importe le type de fibres. Cette amélioration a été la plus élevée dans le cas du STH 0.5% et la plus basse pour des valeurs de PVA0.5%. La réponse de la résistance à l’adhésion des barres d’armatures localisées à différentes hauteurs de l’élément de mur (effet top-bar) a été étudiée pour des mélanges optimisés; le BPA de référence, les mélanges ST-H 0.5, et PP 0.5 ont été testés à travers l’essai d’arrachement direct des barres coulées dans le large élément de mur. Utilisation de fibres de propylène et de fibres à crochets d’acier au BPA a légèrement augmenté le facteur de modification à l’adhérence (effet top-bar) de 1 dans le cas du BPA jusque 1,1 et 1,2 pour les fibres de propylène et de crochets d’acier respectivement. Les éléments de mur fabriqués à partir du mélange de BPA de référence a montré la distribution de résistance la plus uniforme avec moins de 5% de réduction de sa résistance à l’adhérence sur la hauteur. Ces pertes de résistance à l’adhérence pour les éléments de mur coulés avec du BPA intégrant les de fibres de propylène et de fibres à crochets d’acier sont respectivement de 10% et 20%.
Abstract : Fiber reinforced self-consolidating concrete (FR-SCC) is one of the recent developments in the world of concrete technology which combines the self-consolidating performance with the post-peak ductility and multiple cracking advantages due to presence of fiber reinforcement in concrete. The use of FR-SCC increases the overall economic efficiency of the construction process by reducing the workforce, or energy consumption required, increasing speed of construction, reduction or elimination of the conventional reinforcement and to the simplification of reinforcement detailing and placement. The FR-SCC has gained increasing popularity applications in the last few years such as bridge decks, girders and beams. Despite the improvement evidence of synergy between self-consolidating technology and fiber addition in the FR-SCC, finding adequate properties of this material is mandatory to find any improper characteristics in the fresh and hardened states. In this regards, defects, such as fiber clustering, segregation and improper flow performance and placement due to improper rheological properties in the fresh state, which leads to reduction in strength, are evaluated. The main objective of this study is to evaluate some rheological and mechanical properties of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) mixtures with different aggregate contents and FR-SCC (incorporating different fiber types and contents). This can help to develop of FR-SCC with adapted rheology and proper mechanical performance including bond strength and shear strength for structural application. In order to evaluate the effect of fibers on rheological properties of SCC in the fresh state, mixtures incorporating four types of fibers with different aspect ratio (L/D) were investigated. The fibers included steel hooked (STH 55/30), steel drawn wire needles (STN 65/13), synthetic macro-fiber propylene (PP 56/38) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA 60/12) with variety of volume content (0.25%, 0.5%) added to the SCC reference. All mixtures has a fixed w/b ratio of 0.42 and different coarse aggregate contents of 29, 32 and 35%, by volume of concrete. The fresh concrete characteristics were evaluated by considering the slump flow, V-funnel, J-Ring, surface settlement and ConTec rheometer. The hardened properties, mainly compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, flexural toughness, and modulus of elasticity were evaluated. The effect of fiber type, fiber content, and coarse aggregate content on ultimate shear load and shear toughness of the optimized mixtures. The mixtures including SCC reference, SCC with aggregate volume of 32% and 35% (SCCAGG 32% and SCCAGG 35%), SCC incorporating ST-H fibers with the dosages of 0.25% and 0.5% (FRSCC ST-H 0.25% and FRSCC ST-H 0.5%), SCC incorporating PP fibers with the dosages of 0.25% and 0.5% (FRSCC PP 0.25% and FRSCC PP 0.5%), SCC incorporating PVA fibers with the dosages of 0.25% and 0.5% (FRSCC PVA 0.25% and FRSCC PVA 0.5%) and SCC incorporating ST-N fibers with the dosages of 0.25% and 0.5% (FRSCC ST-N 0.25% and FRSCC ST-N 0.5%) were tested using the direct shear push-off test to evaluate shear strength and residual shear strength of the concrete. These test results could be used in the shear load carrying capacity of the structural element made by FRSCC. The test results show that adding fiber was much more effective than increasing aggregate content on the shear strength behaviour of SCC. The ultimate shear stress improvement of the mixtures incorporating fiber compared to the SCC reference mixture were 16.3% for STN 0.5%, 15.8% for STH 0.5%, 14.92% for PP 0.5%, and 7.73% for PVA 0.5% mixture. Moreover, adding fibers improved the post-peak shear behaviour of SCC compared to addition of aggregate content. Increasing the fiber content from 0.25% to 0.5%, by volume of concrete, improved shear strength, shear toughness and flexural toughness behaviour regardless of the fiber types. This enhancement was highest in the case of STH 0.5% and lowest values for PVA0.5%. The bond strength response of rebars located at different heights of the wall element (top-bar effect) investigated for optimized mixtures, including SCC reference, ST-H 0.5, and PP 0.5 mixtures was tested through direct pull-out test of rebars cast in the large wall elements. Adding propylene and steel hooked fibers to SCC is found to slightly increase the bond modification factor (top-bar effect) from 1 in the case of SCC up to 1.1 and 1.2 for propylene and steel hooked fibers, respectively. The wall elements made with SCC reference mixture showed the most uniform bond strength distribution and had less than 5% reduction of bond strength along the height. These bond strength losses for wall element cast with SCC incorporating 0.5 % of steel hooked fiber and that of propylen fiber with the same volume are 10% and 20%, respectively.

The composite action of a bridge deck and girder is essential to the optimization of the superstructure. The transfer of forces in the deck to the girders is done across a shear interface between the two elements. The transfer occurs through the cohesion of the concrete at the interface and then through the shear reinforcement across the interface. Adequate shear strength is essential to the success of the superstructure. A collection of 537 horizontal shear tests comprised the database for the study of various concrete types and interface surface treatments. The predicted horizontal shear strength calculated from the AASHTO LFRD bridge design code was compared to the measured shear strength. The professional bias was computed for each specimen. The professional biases, standard deviations, and coefficients of variation for each category were calculated. The material properties factor along with fabrication factor was researched. The loading factors were researched and calculated for use in calculating the reliability index. The final step was to compute the reliability index for each category. The process was repeated to learn the reliability of the equation proposed by Wallenfelsz. The results showed that the reliability index for the AASHTO LRFD horizontal shear strength equation wash much lower than the desired target reliability index of 3.5. The reliability index for the Wallenfelsz equation was higher but still not close to the target reliability index.
Master of Science

Thesis (Honors)--Ohio State University, 2006.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages: contains ix, 68 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-45). Available online via Ohio State University's Knowledge Bank.

ABSTRACT SHEAR STRENGTH BEHAVIOUR OF SAND - CLAY MIXTURES Ö
LMEZ, Mehmet Salih M.S., Department of Civil Engineering Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ufuk ERGUN May 2008, 106 pages A clean sand having about 5 % fines has been mixed with 5 to 40 % commercial kaolin to form different sand-clay soil mixtures. The purpose of making this study is to observe the effects of fraction of fine materials in the soil mixture on the behavior of shear strength. Three series of experiments have been performed throughout the study. Undrained triaxial compression tests (series 1) are performed on specimens taken out from homogeneously mixed soil mixtures at specified kaolin contents consolidated in a box without keeping the mixture under water. In series 2 experiments specimens are taken from a box where soil mixtures are consolidated under water and undrained triaxial compression tests are performed on the samples. Drained direct shear tests are performed on samples prepared without performing initial consolidation in large boxes but directly prepared in the direct shear boxes and consolidated prior to shear (series 3). It has been found that about 20 % kaolin - 80 % sand mixture seems to be a threshold composition and changes in both undrained and drained shear stress-strength behaviour occur afterwards with increasing fine material content.

This thesis presents the results of punching shear tests performed on a 2 x 2 bay continuous slab with/and without supplementary supports. On the basis of these tests, the code method of calculating the ultimate strength of interior, edge and corner column connections of flat slab were investigated. The thickness of the specimen was 140 mm and the spans length were 2743 mm. The ACI 318-89, BS 8110-85 and CEB-FIP 90 Codes were critically reviewed by comparing with the experiment results and results from the literature. It was found that in general the Code predictions are reasonable but for corner column connections the ACI Code over-estimates the ultimate shear capacity of the slab and BS 8110-85 requirements for edge and corner column connections are simplistic. The experimental results show that the supplementary supports can increase the ultimate punching shear capacity when the supports are properly located.

The 1994 CSA Standard requires that slab-column connections be designed for one-way shear and two-way shear action. Three full-scale slab and corner column specimens were constructed and tested to failure to investigate the influence of the size of corner column on the slab shear capacity. The current design provisions of the 1994 CSA Standard and EC2-02 were compared with the experimental results of the three specimens. The experimental results indicate that the predictions for one-way shear action are more accurate than the predictions for two-way shear action. The beneficial effects of increasing the column size in improving the shear capacity and mode of failure are demonstrated.

Although clays are generally considered stable materials under seismic conditions, recent failures initiated in clay layers after earthquakes have emphasized the need to study the cyclic and post-cyclic behavior of these materials. Moreover, if strength loss as a result of cyclic loading were to occur in the material comprising the dam and/or dam foundation, the consequences of failure could be substantial. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of plasticity characteristics, mineralogical composition, and accumulated energy on the cyclic behavior, post-cyclic shear strength and the degradation in shear strength due to cyclic loading in normally consolidated clays. Seventeen soil samples prepared in the laboratory from kaolinite, montmorillonite, and quartz were tested using static and cyclic simple shear apparatuses. In addition, the results of cyclic simple shear tests on twelve natural samples were provided by Fugro Consultants, Inc. in Houston, TX. Using the results, cyclic strength curves were developed to represent 2.5%, 5% and 10% double amplitude shear strains. These curves were used to examine the influences of mineralogical composition, plasticity characteristics and shear strain on the cyclic resistance of soil samples. A power function was used to represent the cyclic strength curves. The samples were found to become increasingly resistant to cyclic loading as the plasticity index increased. Moreover, the soils with montmorillonite as the clay mineral were noted to have consistently higher cyclic resistances than the soils with kaolinite as the clay mineral. By examining the power functions, it was found that the cyclic strength curve approaches linearity as the plasticity index increases in soils having kaolinite as the clay mineral. However, the opposite trend is observed in soils having montmorillonite as the clay mineral. The study shows that the post-cyclic shear strength increases with increasing plasticity index. Moreover, the post-cyclic shear strengths of soils with montmorillonite as the clay mineral were significantly higher than the post-cyclic shear strengths of soils with kaolinite as the clay mineral. The degradation in shear strength due to cyclic loading appeared unaffected by mineralogy, but a greater reduction in strength was noted with decreasing plasticity index. The post-cyclic shear strength was also found to reduce as the number of cycles required to cause 10% double amplitude shear strain increased. The energy approach considering the accumulated energy per unit volume in the soil mass as a result of cyclic loading was also utilized in this study. The results from the energy approach were independent of the cyclic wave form, but were still dependent on the amplitude of the cyclic load used during the testing. An increase in the amplitude of the cyclic loading function results in a decrease in the accumulated energy per unit volume. Furthermore, an increase in the liquid limit and/or plasticity index of the soils containing kaolinite as the clay mineral shows an increase in the accumulated energy, whereas an increase in plasticity of the soils containing montmorillonite as the clay mineral results in a decrease in the amount of accumulated energy. In both types of materials, the amount of accumulated energy per unit volume is found to increase with increasing double amplitude shear strain. Relationship between the ratio of post-cyclic undrained shear strength to the baseline undrained shear strength and the accumulated energy is also determined.
Ph. D.

An analytical and experimental investigation on the shear strength of High Performance Concrete (HPC) beams with vertical shear reinforcement or stirrups was carried out. The analytical work involved developing a theory based on the truss analogy, capable of predicting the response and shear strength of such beams subjected to combined bending moment and shear force.The experimental work comprised forty-eight beam specimens in eight series of tests. Most of the beams were 250 mm wide, 350 mm deep and had a clear span of approximately 2 metres. The largest beam was 250 mm wide, 600 mm deep and had a clear span of 3.1 metres. Test parameters included the concrete cover to the shear reinforcement cage, shear reinforcement ratio, longitudinal tensile steel ratio, overall beam depth, shear span-to-depth ratio and concrete compressive strength. The loading configurations included using one, two or four symmetrically placed concentrated loads on simply supported spans.The theory predicted the shear strength of the beams in the present study well. When beams from previous investigations were included, the theory also gave good prediction of the shear strength. Apart from this, comparisons of shear strength were also made with the predictions by the shear design provisions contained in the Australian Standard AS 3600 (1994), American Concrete Institute Building Code ACI 318-95, Eurocode EC2 Part 1 and Canadian Standard CSA A23.3-94. The AS 3600 method was found to give the best correlation with the test results among all the code methods.

An analytical and experimental investigation on the shear strength of High Performance Concrete (HPC) beams with vertical shear reinforcement or stirrups was carried out. The analytical work involved developing a theory based on the truss analogy, capable of predicting the response and shear strength of such beams subjected to combined bending moment and shear force.The experimental work comprised forty-eight beam specimens in eight series of tests. Most of the beams were 250 mm wide, 350 mm deep and had a clear span of approximately 2 metres. The largest beam was 250 mm wide, 600 mm deep and had a clear span of 3.1 metres. Test parameters included the concrete cover to the shear reinforcement cage, shear reinforcement ratio, longitudinal tensile steel ratio, overall beam depth, shear span-to-depth ratio and concrete compressive strength. The loading configurations included using one, two or four symmetrically placed concentrated loads on simply supported spans.The theory predicted the shear strength of the beams in the present study well. When beams from previous investigations were included, the theory also gave good prediction of the shear strength. Apart from this, comparisons of shear strength were also made with the predictions by the shear design provisions contained in the Australian Standard AS 3600 (1994), American Concrete Institute Building Code ACI 318-95, Eurocode EC2 Part 1 and Canadian Standard CSA A23.3-94. The AS 3600 method was found to give the best correlation with the test results among all the code methods.

The simplest shear problem involves a two-dimensional rectangular element with uniformly distributed reinforcement parallel to the element sides, and subjected to uniform normal stresses and shear stress. Such a uniform shear element will have uniform average stresses in reinforcement and concrete. The simplest model for elements subjected to shear force and bending moment that leads to code provisions uses one uniform shear element. Shear force is assumed to be resisted by a central portion of the cross-section acting as a uniform shear element, while bending moment is assumed to be resisted by the flexural tension reinforcement and concrete compression zone at the cross-section ends. In this thesis, the shear strength of bridge girders and squat shear walls are evaluated using a uniform shear element approach. Current code shear design provisions for beams are necessarily simplified procedures that are generally conservative. While the extra costs are small for new design, it may lead to unnecessary load restrictions on bridges or unnecessary retrofitting when used for shear strength evaluation. A new shear strength evaluation procedure for structural concrete girders is proposed. The procedure accounts for the influence of more parameters and provides more insight into the failure mode than code design methods. To verify the procedure, predicted trends are compared with Modified Compression Field theory (MCFT) for uniform shear elements, and Response-2000 for beam elements subjected to combined shear and bending moment. Shear strength predictions are also compared with results from strength tests on reinforced and prestressed concrete beams, together with predictions from current code shear design provisions. The current Canadian building code CSA A23.3 2004 contains new provisions for the seismic design of squat walls that were developed using a uniform shear element approach. These new code provisions are rigorously evaluated for the first time in this study. A new method to account for the flexure-shear interaction at the base of squat shear walls is proposed as well as refinements to the 2004 CSA A23.3 shear strength provisions for squat shear walls. These are verified by comparing the predicted trends with the predictions of MCFT-based nonlinear finite element program VecTor 2.

In the cold-formed steel construction, the oriented strand board is a common material for shear wall sheathing. an OSB is made by using wood chips as raw materials that undergo high temperature pressing to create a multi-larger structure material. Due to the OSB having a high strength in shear, it is an important material used in the construction field. the thesis is trying to verify published nominal shear strength in AISI-213-07 in the first part. This objective has two parts: the first part is to verify nominal shear strength (Rn) for wind and other in-plane loads for shear wall. the second part is to verify nominal shear strength (Rn) for seismic and other in-plane loads for shear wall. Secondly, the thesis verifies the design deflection equation for nominal shear strength of CFS shear walls with OSB sheathing. the test specimens were divided into eight groups which trying to verify the design deflection equation that was published in AISI-213-07 standard.

In February of 2017 after a period of heavy rainfall, a slope destabilized behind Fremont Hall on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The geology of this slope stability failure is the Franciscan Complex. The Franciscan Complex, when weathered in place, results in clay soil that makes up the typical soil mantle on the hills throughout the region. Peak strength is the typical parameter tested to assess the strength of the soil. For the Franciscan-derived clay, the residual strength is the focus of this study to understand slope failure since the clay is the weakest portion of the matrix in the Franciscan Complex. Both intact and remolded specimens were processed from the samples obtained from the slide for laboratory testing. The tested material is considered representative of the soil found in the Franciscan Complex along the California coast and other similar regions worldwide where the presence of this mélange results in slope instabilities. Three different shearing tests were performed to study the residual strength: direct shear reversal, ring shear, and large-scale direct shear reversal. Sampling soil from the slide took place twice: once in 2017 and once in 2019. A block of soil sampled in 2017 was taken after the toe of the slope was cut for reconstruction which resulted in an exposed slide plane. In 2019, additional samples were retrieved near the toe of the slope after subsequent failure of the slope. Although the material was assumed to be from the slide plane, there is a possibility it may have originated from the surrounding matrix. Intact and remolded specimens were tested in direct shear reversal tests, and remolded specimens were tested in ring shear tests. The 2019 source was tested in the large-scale direct shear reversal tests because the material obtained during 2017 was not enough to replicate the large specimen. Remolded specimens were prepared by passing through sieve No. 40. A secondary set of tests were performed on specimens prepared by passing through sieve No. 200. When comparing remolded against intact specimens, the clasts within the intact material exhibited an influence on the residual strength by an approximate difference of 20%. The results also indicated the liquid limit (LL) had an impact on the residual strength; higher value LL exhibited lower residual strength, and lower value LL exhibited higher residual strength. When comparing the laboratory results against in situ CPT tests, the values from the CPT fell within the range of the laboratory residual strength corresponding to the slide’s depth of movement. The results from testing these specimens showed the soil obtained directly from the slide failure exhibited a residual strength represented as friction angle of 14° ± 2° for intact soil specimens, 11° ± 3° for remolded specimens of the 2017 failure plane passing through No. 40 sieve, and 22° ± 2° for remolded specimens of the 2019 sample location passing though No. 40 sieve. The remolded specimens passing through sieve No. 200 produced even lower results. However, since all clasts were removed by the No. 200 sieve, those results are not considered representative of field conditions. Based on the test results, and the infinite slope limit equilibrium slope stability analysis, a median range of residual strength for this slide is approximately 12.5 to 14.0°.

This study concerns the strength and behaviour of low-rise shear walls made from high-strength concrete under reversed cyclic loading. The response of such walls is often strongly governed by the shear effects leading to the shear induced or brittle failure. The brittle nature of high-strength concrete poses further difficulties in obtaining ductile response from shear walls. An experimental program consisting of six high-strength concrete shear walls was carried out. Specimens were tested under inplane axial load and reversed cyclic displacements with the test parameters investigated being longitudinal reinforcement ratio, transverse reinforcement ratio and axial load. Lateral loads, lateral displacements and the strains of reinforcement in edge elements and web wall were measured. The test results showed the presence of axial load has a significant effect on the strength and ductility of the shear walls. The axially loaded wall specimens exhibited a brittle behaviour regardless of reinforcement ratio whereas the specimen with no axial load had a lower strength but higher ductility. It was also found that an increase in the longitudinal reinforcement ratio gave an increase in the failure load while an increase in the transverse reinforcement ratio had no significant effect on the strength but influenced the failure mode. A non-linear finite element program based on the crack membrane model and using smeared-fixed crack approach was developed with a new aggregate interlock model incorporated into the finite element procedure. The finite element model was corroborated by experimental results of shear panels and walls. The finite element analysis of shear wall specimens indicated that while strengths can be predicted reasonably, the stiffness of edge elements has a significant effect on the deformational results for two-dimensional analyses. Therefore, to capture the deformation of walls accurately, three-dimensional finite element analyses are required. The shear wall design provisions given in the current Australian Standard and the Building Code of American Concrete Institute were compared with the experimental results. The comparison showed that the calculated strengths based on the codes are considerably conservative, specially when there exists the axial load.

Plate girders are fabricated in situations where standard structural shapes do not possess the required strength necessary to carry applied loads. In many instances, plate girders are tapered so that the resistance to bending is proportional to the bending moment, creating cost effective, aesthetically pleasing structures. The AISC 2010 Specifications accurately predict the flexural capacity of tapered plate girders but recent research has suggested that the required shear strength is overly conservative. The researchers postulate that the required shear strength is overly conservative due to an effect known as modified shear that has been neglected from the AISC 2010 Specifications but has been suggested by several authors. This research investigates both analytically and experimentally, tapered member ultimate shear strength considering a “modified” and “unmodified” applied shear approach. A new design formula introduced by Lee et al. (2008) will be used in conjunction with the AISC 2010 Specification in making ultimate shear strength comparisons. A total of 12 specimens are tested to failure, ten tapered and two prismatic built-up plate girders.

The behavior and strength of welded shear studs are subjects of ongoing study. In recent years, research has shown that the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) specification equations for shear stud strength are unconservative for studs placed in deck with ribs transverse to the steel beam. Twenty-four solid slab push-out tests, 93 composite slab push-out tests, and bare stud tests were performed to study the effects on stud strength of friction, normal load, position of studs in the ribs of steel deck, concrete strength, and stud properties. Stud diameters ranged from 3/8 in. to 7/8 in., deck heights ranged from 2 in. to 6 in., and both single and pairs of studs were tested. The push-out test results from this study were combined with other studies to propose a new stud strength prediction model. Three new beam tests were performed to study the effect of the stud position in the ribs of the steel deck. The results of these tests, along with 61 other beam tests, were used to verify the new stud strength prediction model. A reliability study was performed to determine resistance factors for stud strength and beam strength.
Ph. D.

The effective shear strength of artificially overconsolidated clays with continuous fissures, or with discontinuous or partial fissuring, has been discussed from both the experimental and numerical points of view.Direct shear and triaxial tests have been conducted on a range of unfissured, partially and fully fissured specimens of artificially overconsolidated clay samples in the laboratory. Specimens subjected to direct shear tests have been prepared in three different preconsolidation pressures and two or three different Overconsolidation ratios (OCR) for unfissured, partially and fully fissured specimens. Specimens subjected to triaxial tests also were prepared for three different preconsolidation pressures and overconsolidation ratios. In order to investigate the effect of orientation of fissures, artificially overconsolidated fissured triaxial specimens were prepared in three different orientations at 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 60 degrees to the direction of minimum principal stress (sigma[subscript]3).For both direct shear and triaxial tests, special tools and devices were designed and constructed to prepare unfissured, partially and fully fissured specimens.Taking into account the number of parameters which influence the effective shear strength of overconsolidated clays, and the time which is needed to artificially prepare the overconsolidated specimens and to run drained tests, as well as the impossibility or impracticality of the laboratory simulations for some specific cases, numerical methods were used to complement the experimental component of the investigation.Numerical modelling of direct shear and triaxial specimens utilised the FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua, Itasca, 1993) program for two dimensional simulation of the direct shear tests and the ANSYS (1996) program for three dimensional simulation of triaxial tests. The experimental results have been used to calibrate the coefficients of the numerical models and to verify the results obtained from numerical models.Strain softening behaviour was simulated numerically for unfissured and fully fissured specimens subjected to direct shear tests. Using the obtained experimental and numerical results of the study of direct shear tests with respect to the effects of different parameters on the effective shear strength of the spacing subjected to direct shear tests and also FLAC programming, FLACish (FISH), a model was written designated as the Homogenised Strain Softening Model (HSSM). In this model the effects of different parameters discussed in this thesis, are applied to the Mohr Coulomb parameters (c'[subscript]u and phi'[subscript]u) of unfissured specimens. This model was used to predict the effective shear strength of cases in which laboratory simulation was impractical or not feasible.The advantage of this model (HSSM) is that it relates the effective shear strength of the fissured mass to the corresponding Coulomb parameters (c'[subscript]u and phi'[subscript]u) of the intact or unfissured overconsolidated clay specimen with reduction functions relating to the parameters discussed in this thesis.The numerical models developed by ANSYS were calibrated and verified by the experimental results, and then used to predict or estimate the effects of confining pressure, orientation of fissures on the three dimensional modelling of the partially and fully fissured overconsolidated triaxial specimens.In this thesis the effects of the type of clay, preconsolidation (P'[subscript]c) pressure, Overconsolidation ratio (OCR), size of sample, rate of shearing and fissure parameters, such as spacing, width and orientation of fissure were discussed and identified or quantified to estimate the effective shear strength of the artificially overconsolidated fissured samples. These results are applicable for the estimation of the effective shear strength of the naturally overconsolidated fissured mass by homogenising the effects of the parameters on the Mohr Coulomb parameters (c'[subscript]u and phi'[subscript]u) of the intact or unfissured clay mass.

Thèse Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, no 3739 (2007), Faculté de l'environnement naturel, architectural et construit ENAC, Section de génie civil, Institut de structures IS (Laboratoire de construction en béton IS-BETON). Dir.: Aurelio Muttoni.

Aunque el hormigón de alta resistencia se está utilizando de manera creciente en los últimos años para la construcción de estructuras, la norma Española vigente, la Instrucción EHE, sólo abarca hormigones de resistencias características a compresión inferiores a 50 MPa. El aumento de resistencia del hormigón está directamente asociado a una mejora en la mayoría de sus prestaciones, especialmente de la durabilidad, aunque también produce un aumento en la fragilidad y una disminución de la rugosidad de las fisuras, lo que afecta de forma muy especial a la resistencia a cortante.

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es contribuir al avance del conocimiento del comportamiento frente a la rotura por cortante de vigas de hormigón de alta resistencia. Para ello, y en primer lugar, se ha llevado a cabo una extensa revisión del estado actual del conocimiento de la resistencia a cortante, tanto para hormigón convencional como para hormigón de alta resistencia, así como una profunda investigación de campañas experimentales anteriores.

Se ha realizado una campaña experimental sobre vigas de hormigón de alta resistencia sometidas a flexión y cortante. La resistencia a compresión del hormigón de las vigas variaba entre 50 y 87 MPa. Las principales variables de diseño eran la cuantía de armadura longitudinal y transversal. Los resultados obtenidos experimentalmente han sido analizados para estudiar la influencia de las distintas variables en función de la resistencia a compresión del hormigón.

Con el objetivo de tener en cuenta, no sólo los resultados de nuestros ensayos, sino también la gran cantidad de información disponible en la bibliografía técnica, se ha preparado una base de datos con vigas de hormigón convencional y de alta resistencia a partir del banco de datos de la Universidad de Illinois. Los resultados empíricos han sido comparados con los cortantes últimos calculados según la Instrucción EHE, las especificaciones AASHTO LRFD, el Código ACI 318-99 y el programa Response-2000, basado en la teoría modificada del campo de compresiones.

Se han construido dos Redes Neuronales Artificiales (RNA) para predecir la resistencia a cortante en base a la gran cantidad de resultados experimentales. La principal característica de las RNA es su habilidad para aprender, mediante el ajuste de pesos internos, incluso cuando los datos de entrada y salida presentan un cierto nivel de ruido. Con los resultados de la RNA se ha realizado un análisis paramétrico de cada variable que afecta la resistencia última a cortante.

Se han propuesto nuevas expresiones que tienen el cuenta el comportamiento observado para el diseño frente al esfuerzo cortante de vigas tanto de hormigón convencional como de alta resistencia con y sin armadura a cortante, así como una nueva ecuación para la determinación de la armadura mínima a cortante. Las nuevas expresiones presentan resultados que se ajustan mejor a los resultados experimentales que los obtenidos mediante la utilización de las normativas vigentes.

Finalmente se han planteado varias sugerencias de futuras líneas de trabajo, que son resultado de la propia evolución del conocimiento sobre el tema de estudio durante el desarrollo de esta tesis.
Although High-Strength Concrete has been increasingly used in the construction industry during the last few years, current Spanish Structural Concrete code of practice (EHE) only covers concrete of strengths up to 50 MPa. An increase in the strength of concrete is directly associated with an improvement in most of its properties, in special the durability, but this also produces an increase in its brittleness and smoother crack surfaces which affects significantly the shear strength.

The aim of this research is to enhance the understanding of the behaviour of high-strength concrete beams with and without web reinforcement failing in shear. In order to achieve this objective, an extensive review of the state-of-the-art in shear strength for both normal-strength and high-strength concrete beams was made, as well as in-depth research into previous experimental campaigns.

An experimental programme involving the testing of eighteen high-strength beam specimens under a central point load was performed. The concrete compressive strength of the beams at the age of the tests ranged from 50 to 87 MPa. Primary design variables were the amount of shear and longitudinal reinforcement. The results obtained experimentally were analysed to study the influence of those parameters related to the concrete compressive strength.

With the aim of taking into account, in addition to the results of our tests, the large amount of information available, a large database was assembled based on the University of Illinois Sheardatabank for normal-strength and high-strength concrete beams. These test results were compared with failure shear strengths predicted by the EHE Code, the 2002 Final Draft of EuroCode 2, the AASHTO LRFD Specifications, the ACI Code 318-99, and Response-2000 program, a computer program based on the modified compression field theory.

Furthermore, two Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were developed to predict the shear strength of reinforced beams based on the database beam specimens. An ANN is a computational tool made up of a number of simple, highly-interconnected processing elements that constitute a network. The main feature of an ANN is its ability to learn, by means of adjusting internal weights, even when the input and output data present a degree of noise. Based on the ANN results, a parametric study was carried out to study the influence of each parameter affecting the failure shear strength.

New expressions are proposed, taking into account the observed behaviour for the design of high-strength and normal-strength reinforced concrete beams with and without web reinforcement. A new equation is given for the amount of minimum reinforcement as well. The new expressions correlate with the empirical tests better than any current code of practice.

Finally, as a natural corollary to the evolution of our understanding of this field, some recommendations for future studies are made.

Reinforced concrete is an economical construction material and is widely used throughout the world in buildings and bridges. The shear strength within beam-column joints in reinforced concrete structures has been identified as an area where further research is still needed in order to form reliable design methods. The aim of this research programme has been to develop a rational analytical model which can be used conveniently in the design of beam-column joints. The work consists of a brief literature review, an extensive experimental programme and the development of a new analytical model for predicting the strength of beam-column joints. The new analytical model is a development of the strut-and-tie model and is believed to be original in two ways: (a) The influence of the shear span and the spacing of the links (if any) are considered directly. (b) The inclination of the compression field is determined by maximising the contribution of the concrete to the stiffness of the member in shear. The new analytical model is shown to predict the strength of the test specimens and of many specimens reported in the literature more reliably than current design codes and standards

This thesis evaluates the commonly used geotechnical probing method CPTu, on how different probe configurations impact the resulting evaluated undrained shear strength in soft clay deposits, in comparison to each other and laboratory methods. This is done by performing field investigations on Lindefältet, Södermanlands län, Sweden. Comparison is done on the two Swedish manufacturers of CPTu probes, by different calibration limits, filter types and whether overloading the probe over the calibration limit affects the evaluated undrained shear strength registered. The main conclusions are that one of the manufacturers’ probes registers deviating results in one configuration, that calibration limit has a noticable impact on the results, and that overloading on the probe and filter choice has negliable impact on the results.
I detta examensarbete utvärderas den vanligt förekommande geotekniska sonderingsmetoden CPTu, på hur olika konfigurationer av sonder påverkar den resulterande utvärderade odränerade skjuvhållfastheten i lösa leravlagringar, 9i jämförelse med varandra och med laboratoriemetoder. Detta är genomfört genom fältundersökningar på Lindefältet, Södermanlands län. Jämförelsen gjordes på de två svenska CPTu-tillverkarnas sonder. Detta är gjort med hänsyn till olika kalibreringar av konspetstryck, filtertyper, och huruvida sonden har varit överlastad påverkar den utvärderade skjuvhållfastheten som registreras. De huvudsakliga slutsatserna är att en av tillverkarnas sonder registerar udda värden i en konfiguration, att kalibreringar av konspetstryck har en märkbar påverkan på de resulterande värdena på utvärderade odränerade skjuvhållfastheten, samt att överlastning av sonder och val av filtertyp har liten till omärkbar påverkan på resultatet.

Precast girders and cast-in-place decks are a typical type of concrete bridge construction. A key part of this type of construction is developing composite action between the girder and deck. In order to develop composite action, adequate horizontal shear resistance must be provided at the interface. As lightweight concrete is increasingly being used in bridge designs, it is important to understand the horizontal shear behavior of lightweight concrete. The current AASHTO LRFD Specification provides design equations for horizontal shear strength of both lightweight and normal weight concrete. Thirty-six push-off tests were performed to determine if the current code equations accurately predict the horizontal shear strength of precast girders and cast-in-place decks for both normal weight and lightweight concrete. The different test series investigated effects from lightweight and normal weight concrete used for the girder/slab combination and the quantity of shear reinforcement provided across the interface. The test results were compared to the results predicted by current design equations. A structural reliability analysis was performed and the test-to-predicted statistics were used to define LRFD resistance factors and quantify the probability of failure. The current design equations were found to be conservative and more conservative for lightweight concrete than for normal weight concrete.
Master of Science

The fully softened shear strength was defined by Skempton (1970) as the peak drained shear strength of a clay in a normally consolidated state. All the experience available on the applicability of the fully softened shear strength for slopes is based on back-analyses. Back-analyses of first-time failures in cuts in stiff-fissured clays and embankments constructed of fat clays have shown that, over a long period of time, the shear strength gets reduced from what is measured in the laboratory using undisturbed samples to the fully softened shear strength. These back-analyses require knowledge or assumption of pore pressures in the slope, which will have a significant influence on the shear strength obtained. Karl Terzaghi, in 1936, was the first person that qualitatively explained the behavior of cut slopes in stiff-fissured clays. According to Terzaghi (1936), a softening process is initiated by the water percolating into the fissures causing swelling and decreasing the overall shear strength of the clay mass. Investigations presented later by Skempton and his colleagues showed that the controlling shear strength for cuts in stiff-fissured clays was equal to the fully softened shear strength and recommended this shear strength to be used for design (Skempton 1970; Chandler and Skempton 1974; Chandler 1974; Skempton 1977). Skempton (1977) concluded that displacements caused by progressive failure decrease the shear strength of stiff clays toward the fully softened shear strength. At first, it was believed that only stiff-fissured clays were subjected to softening and that intact clays should be designed using the peak shear strength measured using undisturbed samples (Skempton and Brown 1961; Skempton 1964, 1970). Recent publications have showed that the likelihood of a clay experiencing softening is more dependent on the plasticity of the clay rather than the fissures (Bjerrum 1967; Chandler 1984a; Mesri and Abdel-Ghaffar 1993). Fat clays, when compared to lean clays, tend to be more brittle. This means that fat clays have a more pronounced decrease in shear strength after the peak shear strength is achieved and for this reason are more susceptible to progressive failure. First-time failures in stiff clays usually occur a long period of time after construction. For this reason, steady state seepage was used in the back-analyses of the case histories presented by Skempton and his colleagues. They found that a pore pressure ratio of 0.3 was applicable to first-time failures in cuts in stiff-fissured clays (James 1970; Vaughan and Walbancke 1973; Chandler 1974; Skempton 1977). Investigations presented by Professor Steve Wright and his colleagues of the University of Texas at Austin showed, based on back-analyses, that the fully softened shear strength is also the controlling shear strength of compacted embankments constructed of highly plastic clays (Green and Wright 1986; Kayyal and Wright 1991; Wright 2005; Wright et al. 2007). Steve Wright and his colleagues concluded that weathering, expressed in cycles of wetting and drying, was the main mechanism decreasing the shear strength of compacted clay embankments toward the fully softened shear strength. Failures in this type of projects were found to be shallow (less than 10 ft deep) and to occur numerous years after construction (USACE 1983; Stauffer and Wright 1984; Kayyal and Wright 1991; Wright et al. 2007). A pore pressure ratio ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 was found to be applicable for the case histories analyzed by Wright and his colleagues. Day and Axten (1989) recommended the use of the infinite slope method with seepage parallel to the slope face for slope stability analyses. This same recommendation was presented by Lade (2010). A seepage parallel to the slope face corresponds to a pore pressure ratio ranging from 0.4 to 0.5 for slopes with ratios of 2H:1V to 5H:1V. Failures on compacted clay embankments related to softening have been reported in Texas (Stauffer and Wright 1984; Kayyal and Wright 1991; Wright 2005; Wright et al. 2007), and Mississippi (USACE 1983). According to McCook (2012), softening of this type of structures also occur in Louisiana To perform slope stability analyses using fully softened shear strength parameter, the type of soils, type of projects, and depths where this shear strength is applicable, and the pore pressures and factor of safety to be used in design should be determined. As stated above, the fully softened shear strength has been found to be the controlling shear strength of cuts in stiff clays and compacted embankments constructed of highly plastic clays. Steady state seepage conditions should be used to design cuts in stiff clays, and a pore pressure ratio ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 or a phreatic surface at the surface of the slope should be used to design compacted embankments made of fat clays. In cuts in stiff clays, both shallow and deep failures related to fully softened shear strength have been observed. For this type of project, the recommended methodology for design is to assign a curved fully softened failure envelope to the whole slope, search for the critical failure surface, and obtain the factor of safety. This approach will provide the correct factor of safety but the critical surface obtained might not be what is expected to occur in situ. Pore pressures corresponding to steady state seepage should be used for design. It should be emphasized that the recommendation to use fully softened shear strength in first-time failures in stiff clays is based on the back-analyses of case histories. Research is required to better understand progressive failure and its influence on the shear strength mobilized in situ. In compacted embankments constructed of fat clays, only shallow failures related to fully softened shear strength have been observed. For this type of projects, the recommended methodology for design is to assign a curved fully softened failure envelope to the whole embankment, search for the critical failure surface, and obtain the factor of safety. If for any reason deep failures are to be considered in designing compacted embankments constructed of fat clays, based on the fact that failures in this type of projects are usually shallow, the first 10 ft below the surface of the slope should be assumed to have a shear strength equal to the fully softened shear strength. Pore pressures should be calculated based on a water table coincident with the slope face. The fully softened shear strength should not be used in the foundation soil. If any softening occurred in the foundation soil, this should be reflected in the shear strength measured using undisturbed samples. Softening of the foundation soil is not expected to occur after the embankment is constructed. The consequences of shallow and a deep failures are usually not the same. For this reason, is reasonable that the same factor of safety should not be required for both cases. A shallow failure may be considered by some agencies solely as a maintenance issue. The factor of safety should be based on the uncertainties in the parameters being used for design and the consequences of failure of the structure (Duncan and Wright 2005). The parameters that have more impact on the factor of safety obtained for slope stability are shear strength and pore pressures. The fully softened shear strength is the lowest shear strength expected to be mobilized in first-time slides. This shear strength, coupled with a conservative assumption of pore pressure gives a low uncertainty in the parameters that have the most influence in the factor of safety. For shallow failures, the consequences of failure are very low. For this reason, if the fully softened shear strength is used, coupled with a water table corresponding to the worst case scenario possible, a factor of safety as low as 1.25 can be used. For deep failures, the consequences of failure will vary depending on the structure. The pore pressure for this type of analyses should be based on the worst seepage condition expected throughout the life of the project. In this case, for structures with low to mid consequences of failure, a factor of safety of 1.35 can be used. For structures with a high consequence of failure, a factor of safety of 1.50 can be used. These factors of safety are based on the recommendations presented by Duncan and Wright (2005) for factors of safety based on uncertainties in the parameters and consequences of failures. The fully softened shear strength should be measured using normally consolidated remolded specimens as recommended by Skempton (1977). Soil samples should be hydrated for two days using distilled or site-specific water. The soil sample should then be washed or pushed through a No. 40 (425 µm) sieve. To achieve the desired water content, the soil sample cab be air-dried or more water should be added. Water contents equal to or higher than the liquid limit should be used to prepare test specimens for fully softened shear strength measurements. The direct shear device is recommended for fully softened shear strength measurements. The Bromhead ring shear device does not provide accurate values of fully softened shear strength. The triaxial device requires more time and effort to measure the fully softened shear strength and provides about the same fully softened shear strength as the direct shear device. The fully softened shear strength failure envelope can be estimated using the correlation presented in Figure 6.59 for the parameters required for Equation 4.1. This correlation is only intended to be used in preliminary design or if better information is not available. Laboratory determination of fully softened shear strength is always recommended for final designs. If this is not possible, the confidence limits presented in Figure 6.59 should be used to determine the fully softened shear strength parameters.
Ph. D.

Sugarcane is considered as the most abundant plant based crop grown in the tropics and part of the temperate climates. Its by-product, sugarcane bagasse, constitutes 30% of the total production. In the past, it was considered as waste material but contemporaries through innovative research projects over the years have found uses for it. Among these projects is soil reinforcement, which provides an alternative application to industrial by-products and natural fibres as a way of reducing their environmental footprints and contributing to sustainable geotechnics. Although bagasse morphological composition contains structural elements ideal for reinforcement and composite materials, it has received little research as a standalone reinforcement material. Because of this, a direct shear test was therefore initiated to establish the usefulness of using sugarcane bagasse as a soil reinforcement material by comparing the extent of shear strength and stiffness response due to its inclusion to unreinforced soil. Three different types of bagasse, fibre, millrun and pith, were added to unreinforced soil in percentage by weight content of 0.3 - 1.7. The bagasse was added to Klipheuwel sand, Cape Flats sand and Kaolin Clay at both dry and moist conditions. In addition, durability studies involving 12 cycles of wetting and drying, and soaking for a period of 14 days were constituted.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
營建工程系
97
This study presents an experimental invest igat ion of reinforced concrete corbels wi th lower shear reinforcement . Twenty specimens were tested to study the effects on ul t imate shear strengths of corbels of concrete strength （ f ’ c） , shear span-to-depth rat io（ a/d）, hor izontal shear reinforcemen（t Ah） and vert ical shear reinforcement（Av） .Test resul ts indicate that the recommendat ions proposed by PCI Design Handbook 【1】,Hwang and Lee【2】and Appendix A of ACI 318-05【3】 are not conservat ive for predict ing the shear strengths of reinforced concrete corbels wi th larger shear span-to-depth rat io（ a/d） and lower shear reinforcement . Based on test resul ts in this study and the resul ts presented in previous studies 【8,9,11】, the recommendat ions for improving the design of reinforced concrete corbels are made in this study.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
營建工程系
92
This study presents an experimental investigation of reinforced high-strength concrete deep beams subjected to vertical loads. Twelve specimens were tested to study the effects on ultimate shear strengths of deep beams of concrete strength ,horizontal shear reinforcement ,vertical shear reinforcement ,and way of loading. Test results indicate that the ultimate shear strengths of deep beam calculated using ACI318-02 Code【2】are overly conservative and the design recommendations proposed by Hwang and Lee【1】can more accurately predict the shear strength of reinforced high-strength concrete deep beams.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
營建工程技術學系
81
The design of punching shear of reinforced concrete slabs is currently based on the provisions of Section 11.12 in ACI 318-89. The provisions of Section 11.12 in ACI Building Code are entirely based on tests of normal-strength concrete slabs. Therefore, it becomes necessary to examine the applicablility of current ACI Code when applied to high-strength concrete slabs. In this study,thirty-four specimens were tested. Variables included were the concrete strength, the aspect ratio and the reinforcement ratio. Based on test results in this study and results presented in previous studies, an equation which can more resonably predict the punching shear strength of reinforced concrete slabs is proposed in this study.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
營建工程技術學系
84
The design of punching shear of reinforced concrete slabs is currently based on the provisions of Section 11.12 in ACI 318-95. The provisions of Section 11.12 in ACI Building Code are entirely based on tests of normal-strength concrete slabs. Therefore, it becomes necessary to examine the applicability of current ACI Code when applied to high-strength concrete slabs. In this study, twenty-four specimens were tested. Variables included were the concrete strength、the aspect ratio and the reinforcement ratio. Based on test results in this study and results presented in previous studies, an equation which can more reasonably predict the punching shear strength of reinforced concrete slabs is proposed in this study.