PI: Robin Tuchscherer
Prescriptive shear requirements from ACI 318 (2019), AASHTO LRFD (2020), and
the fib Model Code (2010) include a minimum web reinforcement requirement. In general,
slender beams require a minimum area of web reinforcement equal to 0.08% of the cross-
section, while non-slender beams require up to 0.30%, or roughly three times more than the
slender beam requirement. This investigation aims to evaluate the discrepancy between these
requirements in terms of the strength and serviceability behavior of experimental test data. The
aim is accomplished through an analysis of existing and peer-reviewed databases. Given the
context of this investigation and available data, the results show that the minimum web
reinforcement needed for strength is consistent with code requirements for slender beams but
not deep beams, and the minimum web reinforcement needed for serviceability behavior is
consistent with code requirements for non-slender but not slender beams. Thus, the prescriptive
web reinforcement requirements for slender and non-slender beams do not appear to be
derived from the same criteria. The minimum web reinforcement requirement for slender beams
is likely derived based on these members achieving their predicted strength, while the
requirement for non-slender beams is likely derived based on the width of in-service cracks.