Shear resistance of clamped deck slabs assessed using design equations and FEM analysis

Reinforced concrete (RC) slabs without shear reinforcement are commonly used in the existing bridge structures. An ability of RC slabs to distribute the concentrated loads due to the wheel pressure in transverse direction is an important property for their verification. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of redistribution of shear forces and bending moments on the load carrying capacity of RC slabs subjected to concentrated loads. Two methods of the assessment are used: simplified analytical formulations and linear finite element analysis (LFEA). The obtained results are consequently compared with the test results taken from three experimental campaigns. The analyses show big differences among the results obtained from the simplified analytical methods that are based on the design equations introduced in the relevant standards. Improved methods, such as LFEA combined with analytical post-processing method, reflect the structural behaviour in a better way and provide more accurate load-bearing capacity prediction of the bridge deck slabs.