Shear Capacity of a RC Bridge Deck Slab: Comparison between Multilevel Assessment and Field Test

For reinforced concrete (RC) slabs without shear reinforcement, shear and punching can be the governing failure mode at the ultimate limit state if subjected to large concentrated loads. Shear and punching of RC slabs without shear reinforcement has been a challenging problem in assessment based on current standards. To examine a previously developed enhanced analysis approach, this study was conducted by applying a multilevel assessment strategy to a 55-year old RC bridge deck slab subjected to concentrated loads near the main girder in a field failure test. This strategy clearly provides the engineering community a framework for using successively improved structural analysis methods for enhanced assessment in a straightforward manner. The differences between analysis methods at different levels of assessment were discussed regarding one-way shear and punching shear behavior of the slab. The influences of parameters, such as boundary conditions, location of concentrated loads, and shear force distribution, were investigated.