Evaluation of the shear capacity of precast-prestressed hollow core slabs: numerical and experimental comparisons

Since eighties, 400 and 500 mm thick precast-prestressed concrete hollow core slabs, characterized by increasingly optimized cross-sections with non-circular voids, became very common. However, deeper slabs with long spans, which have to resist high line loads acting close to the supports, are subjected to initial web shear cracking and may fail at loads less than those predicted by traditional codes prescriptions. The shear strength capacity of these members without transverse reinforcement is evaluated through a campaign of detailed nonlinear finite element analyses, matching experimental test data collected from past programs. Constitutive models, based on nonlinear fracture mechanisms, are considered to numerically reproduce the experimental response of single span, simply supported, isolated hollow core units, highlighting web-shear failure mechanism, due to short development length and lack of transverse reinforcement. The adopted diffuse smeared fixed cracking constitutive model allows a reliable prediction of shear stress distributions and crack patterns for these members in their inelastic branch. The presence of a variable inclined strut is clearly evident. Peak shear stress is localized at the bottom side of the cross-section, rather than at the level of the centroid. The experienced brittle web-shear failure mechanism is governed by hollow core shapes with circular or non-circular voids, as evidenced by the evolution of the principal tensile strain distributions. Typically, less inclined, more rounded, diagonal crack, controlled by the smooth web width variation along depth, is opposed to a fairly constant variation of the fracture angle inclination, governed by the abrupt and irregular web width drop.