Shearband System (marketed by ERICO as

LENTON STEEL FORTRESS)

The most innovative and effective solution to Punching Shear ever devised

Shearband System

The Shearband system is a high tensile and high ductility thin metal strip and differs
from all existing systems. The system can be placed on top of all other reinforcement,
with minimal loss of cover. This has huge benefits such as:

simple and efficient placement of reinforcement

anchors to the uppermost layer of reinforcement

it acts over the entire concrete core

it is an adaptable system that can accommodate greater tolerances in placement

and simply and uniquely enables quick addition of extra reinforcement where
required

Placement of Shearband
around column

In addition:

it can be designed by using the existing design codes

it can be used in addition to other systems

it is light, requires only man-handling

it is easy to store on or off site

it can allow for the design of thinner slabs with all the added benefits

all the reinforcement placed is useful

there is no undesirable increase in the slabs flexural capacity

Hence, the Shearband system provides:

SPEED, ECONOMY, EFFICIENCY, RELIABILITY, SIMPLICITY, ELEGANCE
For more information, please contact Professor Kypros Pilakoutas, Tel +44 114
2225065
email : k.pilakoutas@sheffield.ac.uk

Shearband Background Information

"Concrete flat slab floors provide an elegant form of construction, which simplifies and
speeds up site operations, allows easy and flexible partition of space and reduces the
overall height of buildings."
Problem of Punching Shear
Flat slab construction is not ideal from the structural point of view, due to stress
concentration at points of support, such as columns. In reinforced concrete design, the
problem is a matter of preventing brittle punching shear failure.
Reinforcing against shear failure is traditionally accomplished by providing
reinforcement either at an angle or laterally to the main flexural reinforcement.
In thin structural elements, such as slabs, anchoring short lengths of shear
reinforcement can not be placed above the top layer of flexural reinforcement without
reducing either the durability, or efficiency of the flexural reinforcement. In addition,
there is the practical problem of supporting shear reinforcement during the construction
stages.
Experimental Proof

Puncing shear failure of flat slab

(without Shearband - PSSA)
The Shearband has been developed after extensive research at the Centre for Cement
and Concrete of the University of Sheffield. Tests were carried out in two Phases on
eight RC slabs subjected to 8 point loads equidistant from the column.
Following the initial phase of testing, independent assessment of the experimental work
was performed.
The results showed that Shearband may change the mode of failure to a ductile flexural
mode. Measured strains developed in the flexural reinforcement exceeded 2%. Further
tests were carried out on beams to determine the effectiveness of Shearband on more
isolated situations.
One test was also carried out on a slab with large openings adjacent to the column. This
slab was also reinforced with the Shearband and, despite code predictions, failed in a
flexural manner at the predicted load by the yield line method.

Experimental results obtained for

flat slabs