A State of the Art Review on the Behavior of Reinforced Concrete (RC) Beams under Cyclic Loading

Abstract

In the last two decades, the study of reinforced concrete (RC) structures elements such as bridge deck slabs, bridge girders, or offshore installations, which are subjected to cyclic action typically induced by seismic motions has received the attention of many researchers. Furthermore, the past two decades have witnessed rapid growth in the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) confining jackets for the strengthening/retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) columns and beams. Moreover, several theoretical and empirical models have been proposed for evaluating the shear strength of beams, columns and beam-to-column joints. In this paper, an overview of the models currently available in the scientific literature for evaluating the shear capacity of beams, columns and exterior beam-to-column joints is reported. Further, important practical issues which contribute in shear strengthening of structures with different element types especially RC beams with different strengthening techniques, such as steel plate and FRP laminate are discussed. Finally, directions for future research based on the existing gaps of the existing works are presented.