ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the basic principles for the calculation of the shearing and torsional forces on beams and the provision of reinforcement to resist such forces. For the basis of the calculation of the shearing forces to be the same as that adopted for the bending moments, some modification would appear to be necessary to the elastic shearing forces if the bending moments are redistributed within the limits permitted by BS8110. In special beams that support irregular loading or continuous-beam systems with widely differing spans, where bending-moment diagrams are drawn out, the theoretical shearing force at any section can be obtained directly from these diagrams by determining the slope of the tangent to the bending-moment diagram at the section considered. The principle adopted to consider the action of inclined bars according to BS8110 is that they form the tensile members of an imaginary lattice girder of which the concrete forms the compression members.
