Shear and flexural behaviour of lightweight self-consolidating concrete beams

Shear and flexural behaviour of lightweight self-consolidating concrete (LWSCC) beams made of slag aggregates were investigated. Shear reinforced LWSCC beams showed similar shear behaviour compared to their non-shear reinforced counterparts until the formation of diagonal cracks but higher ultimate shear resistance and ductility. Compared to normal weight self-consolidating concrete (SCC) ones, non-shear reinforced LWSCC beams showed lower post-cracking shear resistance. Shear strength of LWSCC/SCC beams increased with the decrease of shear span to depth ratio. LWSCC beams showed higher number of cracks and wider crack width at failure than their SCC counterparts. LWSCC beams developed higher number of cracks with wider crack width at failure compared with their SCC counterparts. American, Canadian and British Codes were conservative in predicting shear strength of shear/non-shear reinforced LWSCC beams. LWSCC beams (with slag aggregate) showed good shear resistance compared with those made of other types of aggregates besides satisfactory flexural performance.