Load capacity and stiffness of angular cross section reinforced concrete beams under torsion

The paper presents the results of tests, numerical analyses and theoretical analyses of reinforced concrete beams loaded with a torsional moment as well as a shearing force and a bending moment, carried out in the Research Laboratory of the Institute of Building Engineering at Wrocław University of Technology. The research focused on the load capacity and stiffness of such elements. Beams angular (in the shape of the inverted letter L) and rectangular in cross section were investigated. The tests were carried out in two series. In the first test series the elements were loaded with solely a torsional moment. In the second test series the beams were subjected to the combined load of a torsional moment, a shearing force and a bending moment. The behaviour of the beams with the different cross sectional shapes was compared. The experimental results and the ones yielded by numerical analyses were compared with theoretical and standard results.