• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.143-150
• /
• 2014

To avoid abrupt torsional failure due to concrete crushing before yielding of torsional reinforcement and control the diagonal crack width, design codes specify the limitations on the yield strength of torsional reinforcement of RC members. In 2012, Korean Concrete Institute design code increased the allowable maximum yield strength of torsional reinforcement from 400 MPa to 500 MPa based on the analytical and experimental research results. Although there are many studies regarding the shear behavior of RC members with high strength stirrups, limited studies of the RC members regarding the yield strength of torsional reinforcement are available. In this study, twelve RC beams having different yield strength of torsional reinforcement and compressive strength of concrete were tested. The experimental test results indicated that the torsional failure modes of RC beams were influenced by the yield strength of torsional reinforcement and the compressive strength of concrete. The test beams with normal strength torsional reinforcement showed torsional tension failure, while the test beams with high strength torsional reinforcement greater than 480 MPa showed torsional compression failure. Therefore, additional analytical and experimental works on the RC members subjected to torsion, especially the beams with high strength torsional reinforcement, are needed to find an allowable maximum yield strength of torsional reinforcement.