Deflection prediction for reinforced concrete deep beams

A simplified method, developed from the softened strut-and-tie model, for determining the mid-span deflection of deep beams at ultimate state is proposed. The mid-span deflection and shear strength predictions of the proposed model are compared with the experimental data collected from 70 simply supported reinforced concrete deep beams, loaded with concentrated loads located at a distance a from an end reaction. The comparison shows that the proposed model can accurately predict the mid-span deflection and shear strength of deep beams with different shear span-to-depth ratios, different concrete strengths, and different horizontal and vertical hoops.