SOFTENED MEMBRANE MODEL FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE ELEMENTS IN SHEAR

This paper presents a rational and general theory, the softened membrane model, which is capable of predicting the entire shear behavior of membrane elements, including the postpeak response. The postpeak response is predicted by accounting for the Poisson effect. The Poisson effect of cracked reinforced concrete composites is characterized by 2 Hsu/Zhu ratios, given in a companion paper, that are determined experimentally using a unique panel testing facility with strain-control features.