The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a model study of the basic mechanism of failure in shear of reinforced concrete footings through the use of plaster models.
Sixty-nine models were constructed and loaded to failure on a foundation of sand using various combinations of size and depth of model and column size. Load - deformation data and failure loads were recorded.
It was determined that model studies are a feasible procedure to analyse the mechanism of failure in footings. The perimeter of the loaded area was found to be the critical section in determining the ultimate shearing strength of footings rather than some arbitrary distance out from the face of the column. A dimensionless plot was developed to correlate all the data and an equation is proposed to predict ultimate loads --Abstract, page ii
