Enhanced contact model for shear friction of normal and high-strength concrete

The aim of this paper is to suggest a rational, yet simple, methodology for obtaining shear friction capacity of both normal and high-strength concret e (HSC). The approach considers the following factors: interface morphology (roughness), concrete strength, amount of reinforcement crossing the inter face, and normal stress applied to the interface. The interface roughness i s probabilistically idealized according to the contact density model develo ped by Li and Maekawa.(1) The relation between interface roughness and conc rete strength is established based on a fracture energy approach. Finally, the suggested methodology is compared with ACI 318-95,(2) Mau and Hsu,(3) a nd the Canadian Code.(4)