Web openings in reinforced concrete (RC) beams are provided to pass utility pipes and ducts through them. This causes high stresses (with local cracking) around the transverse web openings, which may lead to reduction in ultimate strength and stiffness of RC beams. Internal strengthening with shear reinforcement can increase ultimate strength of the beam with web openings. This paper presents an experimental study which was conducted to investigate load carrying capacity, mid-span deflection and failure modes of beams with web openings. A total of eighteen RC beams were included in the testing programme, which were tested under two-point loading. The beams contained both pre-planned and post-planned web openings. Experimental results showed that ultimate load of the beams decreased from forty-two to sixty-seven percent due to the presence of web openings in the shear zones. Shear strength of the beams with pre-planned web openings increased by thirty-six percent and one-hundred two percent as compared to the reference beam due to the increase of shear reinforcement by one-hundred twenty-two percent and three-hundred three percent, respectively. Similarly, increase in shear capacity up to six percent and fourteen percent was found for the beams with post-planned web openings due to the aforementioned increase in the area of shear reinforcement, respectively. The ultimate load carrying capacity was also compared with the theoretical models. Internal strengthening and pre planned opening were found effective for providing web openings in the beams.
Experimental studies of the shear behaviour and strength of lipped channel beams with web openings
