Abstract: “The paper presents experimental shear tests of 18 beams tested with three main variables; the reinforcement ratio, the shear span to depth ratio, and the total depth of the beam. The paper introduces a novel approach in utilizing the knowledge about shear resistance degradation by coupling the shear resistance with the shear demand. Both the shear resistance and shear demand are correlated with flexural tensile strain from compatibility and equilibrium requirements. The basic shear strength, under a given loading is determined from the intersection of the demand and resistance curves. The procedure was verified against the results of the tested beams. It showed good prediction capability and can be useful to design practice.”

Keywords: shear, concrete, beams, tests, resistance-demand