Evaluation of shear transfer capacity of reinforced concrete exposed to fire

In this paper shear transfer capacity (STC) of reinforced concrete (RC) push-off specimens with uncracked shear planes is investigated after exposure to elevated temperatures. Amount of clamping steel and compressive strength of concrete was kept constant. Specimens were heated up to 250°C and 500°C in an electric furnace and tested for shear transfer capacity after cooling. STC of reinforced concrete was not affected after 250°C of heating but reduced significantly when the exposure temperature was increased to 500°C. Stiffness of the load slip response was found to be reduced at both the elevated temperatures. Post ultimate shear strength of the specimens was not affected by the elevated temperatures. Analysis on 175 specimens with uncracked shear planes is also done to identify the most suitable prediction model of STC. Furthermore, the most suitable prediction model was used along with the residual material properties to predict the STC of twenty specimens after exposure to elevated temperatures.