A new test method for investigating punching shear strength in Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) slabs

Punching shear capacity of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) slabs has been the subject of a number of studies. There is, however, only limited information available on this parameter of UHPFRC without conventional reinforcement. This is due to the complexity of punching shear behaviour within concrete and is also limited by the lack of suitable test methods currently available. Therefore, in this study, attempts to design a novel testing method to measure the punching shear capacity of the concrete was carried out. The designed test arrangement was employed to carry out an extensive experimental study on UHPFRC slabs subjected to punching shear failure. From the results obtained, the relationship between the punching shear load and the angle of the shear plane, the critical value of the basic control perimeter and failure mode were studied. The experimental study undertaken here provides significant insight into the punching shear capacity of UHPFRC slabs. The results illustrate and highlight many of the advantages of using UHPFRC compared to normal concrete in structural designs. The novel punching shear test presented here has established itself as a suitable procedure for testing UHPFRC and potentially, other fibre reinforced composites.