Estimation of the shear capacity of decks in existing shorter reinforced concrete bridges

It has been recognized that the shear capacity of old bridges can play a crucial/key role in evaluating their structural safety. Determination of the shear capacity of critical cross‐sections presents a much greater challenge than the assessment of their bending capacity.

Due to abovementioned problems, the shear capacity of shorter reinforced concrete bridges with T‐beams has been evaluated with various models. Four different models were examined, the currently valid Eurocode 2, draft of the new version of Eurocode 2, the currently valid Eurocode 8‐3 and the model corresponding to modified compression field theory (MCFT). According to all the models, the capacity of deck of existing reinforced concrete bridge was calculated. This bridge was previously inspected and the actual amount and shape of the shear and bending reinforcement was determined.

The results obtained with different models were compared and the typical parameters which influence the shear capacity were analyzed. The results in terms of shear capacity show that different models can give quite different results for the same bridge.