Shear Behavior of High-Strength Self-Consolidating Concrete in Nebraska University Bridge Girders

Current reinforced and prestressed concrete design equations were developed for conventional concrete elements. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) typically contains a lower coarse aggregate content and size than conventional concrete, which potentially hinders the aggregate interlock contribution to a concrete's shear strength. Thus, shear design equations must be verified with SCC mixtures. Two full-scale precast, prestressed concrete Nebraska University girders were tested to assess the shear behavior of high-strength SCC. Both girders were designed to permit two tests on each girder, both with and without shear reinforcement. Ultimate shear loads and crack patterns were documented and compared with code estimates, finite element models, and a collected prestressed concrete shear database. The girders exceeded the predicted factored concrete shear resistance from current U.S. design standards. However, additional test data are required to identify any distinguishable trends of the shear strength of SCC mixtures.