Reliability-based expression for the shear capacity of reinforced concrete slabs under concentrated loads close to supports

My co-authors and I recently presented a paper at the 25th ESRA conference, ESREL, the European Safety and Reliability Conference. I was happy to see our work accepted for presentation at a conference that is not only civil engineering. In the paper, the reliability analysis that we used to derive a new formula for shear in slabs under loads close to supports is highlighted.

The abstract of the paper is as follows:

In bridge engineering, the effect of heavy trucks is modeled as concentrated loads, often close to the support. For slab bridges, this loading case results in large shear stresses. Typically, the code provisions for shear do not take into account the beneficial effect of transverse load redistribution in slabs. A new expression that follows the safety philosophy of the Eurocodes is based on the principles of structural reliability. Experimental results and the Eurocode 2 expression for shear are used as a starting point. The enhancement factor that describes the influence of transverse load redistribution is sought. Monte Carlo simulations are run to determine the necessary enhancement factors so that the associated reliability index is conform the safety format, i.e. the Repair Level for assessment of solid slab bridges. Finally, a formula is proposed for the shear capacity of slabs under concentrated loads close to supports.

No slides this time, as I was unable to present the work myself due to the lack of funding for my trip, and I won’t place slides online that are not my own (my colleague who presented the work also developed the presentation).