Numerical study for the effect of hairpin shaped shear reinforcement on one-way shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams

This study investigates the effectiveness of using Hairpin shaped stirrups to increase the shear capacity of beams and slabs. The hairpin system consists of inverted U-shape stirrups welded to flexural corner rebar. Previous research works proved the increase of the hairpin system in increasing the two-way shear capacity compared to conventional punching reinforcement. However, the system’s ability to increase the shear capacity of beams has not been explored. This paper presents the results of Finite Element simulation of two beams performed using ABAQUS Software; one beam is reinforced with conventional shear stirrups, and the other is reinforced with hairpin stirrups. The load capacity, deflection and damage pattern of the two beams were compared. Results showed that beams reinforced with hairpin stirrups have higher load capacity and ductility compared to beams with conventional stirrups. However, the reinforcement type had little effect on the shear damage pattern