Shear strength of slender SCC beams - possible differences from VC beams

In comparison with vibrated concrete (VC) of the same strength class, self-compacting concrete (SCC) typically has a lower coarse aggregate content and, eventually, a smaller maximum aggregate size. This may reduce the aggregate interlock between the fracture surfaces in SCC. Since the aggregate interlock plays an important role in the shear strength of slender beams, SCC beams may have a shear strength lower than that of similar VC beams. This article summarizes experimental studies on the shear strength of reinforced SCC slender beams without and with shear reinforcement. The shear strengths of SCC beams are compared with the ones of VC beams and also to the calculated ones according to different code procedures. It is shown that powder-type SCC beams tend to have lower shear strength than similar VC beams and that the difference depends upon the concretes composition and the characteristics of the beams.