• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.251-264
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• 2024

The present study pertains to the effects of variations in the location and size of drilled web openings on the behavior of fixed-fixed reinforced concrete (RC) beams. For this purpose, a reference bending beam with a transverse opening in each half span was tested to failure. Later, the same beam was modeled and analyzed with the help of finite element software using ABAQUS. Upon achieving close agreement between the experimental and numerical results, the location and size of the web opening were altered to uncover the effects of these factors on the shear strength and load-deflection behavior of RC beams. The experimental failure mode of the tested beam and the numerical results were also verified by theoretical calculations. In numerical analysis, when compared to the reference (D0) specimen, if the distance of the opening center from the support is 0 or h or 2h, reduction in load-bearing capacity of 1.5%-22.8% or 2.0%-11.3% or is 4.1%-40.7%. In other words, both the numerical analyses and theoretical calculations indicated that the beam behavior shifted from shear-controlled to flexure-controlled as the openings approached the supports. Furthermore, the deformation capacities, energy absorption values, and the ductilities of the beams with different opening diameters also increased with the decreasing distance of the opening from supports. Web compression failure was shown to be the predominant mode of failure of beams with large diameters due to the lack of sufficient material in the diagonal compression strut of the beam. The present study indicated that transverse openings with diameters, not exceeding about 1/3 of the entire beam depth, do not cause the premature shear failure of RC beams. Finally, shear damage should be prevented by placing special reinforcements in the areas where such gaps are opened.