ABSTRACT
Previous studies have shown a decrease in the model uncertainty with increased beam depth d for Model Code 2010 shear level of approximation III design formulation (MC-10 III). This motivated the need to confirm the adequacy of the reliability of deep beams designed according to MC-10 (III). The reliability performance of MC-10 (III) shear design formulation was assessed at practical ranges of main shear parameters (i.e. shear reinforcement, concrete strength and beam depth). The First Order Reliability Method (FORM) was used to estimate the reliability index for specific beam configurations. The reliability levels of MC-10 (III) decrease as the amount of shear reinforcement increases and increase as the concrete strength increases. MC-10 (III) reliabilities drastically decrease with increasing beam depth. Deep beams with low concrete strengths designed according to MC-10 (III) have consistently low reliability level for the design range considered. However, small (shallow) beams have adequate reliabilities. MC-10 (III) reliability is inconsistent over the range of beam depths.
