ABSTRACT
A brief review of various features of shear mechanisms in reinforced concrete building structures, to be utilized when ductile response resulting from earthquake actions is to be expected, is presented. With few exceptions, shear mechanisms are not considered to be suitable for energy dissipation in a seismic environment. For this reason, elastic response in shear is desirable. An outline of a deterministic design philosophy and some examples of its application to potentially plastic regions in beams, walls and joints, to preserve adequate shear resistance under extremely adverse conditions, is also given.
