PREDICTION OF ULTIMATE SHEAR STRENGTH OF VERTICAL JOINTS IN LARGE PANEL STRUCTURES

Load-bearing precast concrete walls are designed to transmit large shear forces through the vertical joints between the reinforced concrete panels. The resistance to shear is provided by the shear strength of the in-isitu concrete of the joint and the dowel action of the reinforcement crossing the joint. In this paper the available empirical, theoretical, and shear friction design formulas for the prediction of the ultimate shear capacity of joints are compared. A modified formula for castellated and plane joints based on the Mohr-Coulomb's failure criterion is proposed and calibrated using test data available in the literature.