The effects of loading rate on the reinforced concrete (RC) beam are experimentally and numerically studied in this paper. First, the effects of strain rate on the reinforcing steel and concrete with different grades are investigated in tests at the strain rates (10 25 /s,0 . 1/s) that might be experienced during earthquakes. Then, the dynamic characteristics of RC beams are given through experiments, and the influences of loading rate on the bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness, failure mode and energy absorbing of beams are analysed. Finally, based on the Timoshenko beam theory and fibre model approach, an improved beam element model of RC member is presented, which, including the shear deformation and strain rate effect of concrete and steel, is added into the FEAPpv program. Numerical analyses are carried out with comparisons of experimental data, and it is shown that the simulation results agree well with the tested ones.