In-Plane Flexural Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete Beams With Regular Openings

Abstract

The presence of multiple regular openings in beams provides an effective design by allowing passage of the pipes and ducts needed for different services in a building and by distributing the stress concentrations around the openings along the entire beam length. The present study investigated the in-plane flexural behavior and service-load deflections of reinforced concrete beams with regular openings. The analytical estimates obtained from different formulations in the literature were compared to the experimental results of specimens with different reinforcement schemes. Irrespective of the final failure of the beam, the service-load estimates calculated based on the Vierendeel failure mode were shown to be in close agreement with the experimental values. Nevertheless, the initial portions of the load-deflections curves of specimens failed in pure flexure coincided with the analytical curves corresponding to the flexural failure, rather than the curves corresponding to the Vierendeel failure.