Session: CS-07-03: Recent Developments in ASME Codes and Standards - 3

Paper Number: 85013

85013 - History of Shear Design Provisions in Asme/aci Code for Concrete Reactor Vessels and Containments 

Concrete containments are required to be designed for a combination of internal pressure and seismic loads, which produce a combination of membrane tension and shear. Initial editions of the ASME/ACI Code for Concrete Reactor Vessels and Containments (also known as ACI 359) contained design provisions for combined shear and membrane tension that were overly conservative and led to reinforcement congestion and associated construction problems. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the U. S. NRC established a research program to investigate shear behavior in containment walls. In the 1980’s, a Task Group on Shear formed within the ACI-ASME Joint Technical Committee, Subgroup on Design updated shear design provisions for tangential, peripheral, and radial shear based on this research. Design provisions revised and added in the 1980’s are essentially the design provisions that are in the current ASME/ACI Code. The focus of this paper is the history of the shear design provisions in the ASME/ACI Code. This paper describes the relatively unique format and discusses the general design philosophy of the ASME/ACI Code. This paper provides the background on each of the current design provisions for tangential, peripheral, and radial shear. The paper concludes with discussion of subjects for further research.

Presenting Author: Ahmed Elremaily Sargent & Lundy

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Elremaily is a structural engineer with over 30 years of experience specialized in the design of new as well as structural modifications to nuclear and fossil-fueled power generating stations including concrete containment structures. Experienced in all aspects of the engineering design of structural systems such as structural steel, reinforced concrete and structural supports for electrical and mechanical components. He has extensive experience in advanced structural engineering nonlinear analysis and computer modeling. Dr. Elremaily earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska and is licensed Professional and Structural Engineer. He is an active voting member in several ACI committees.

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