Showing papers on "Slab published in 2008"

Punching shear strength of reinforced concrete slabs without transverse reinforcement

Abstract: A mechanical explanation of the phenomenon of punching shear in slabs without transverse reinforcement is presented on the basis of the opening of a critical shear crack. It leads to the formulation of a new failure criterion for punching shear based on the rotation of a slab. This criterion correctly describes punching shear failures observed in experimental testing, even in slabs with low reinforcement ratios. Its application requires the knowledge of the load-rotation relationship of the slab, for which a simple mechanical model is proposed. The resulting approach is shown to give better results than current design codes, with a very low coefficient of variation (COV). Parametric studies demonstrate that it correctly predicts several aspects of punching shear previously observed in testing as size effect (decreasing nominal shear strength with increasing size of the member). Accounting for the proposed failure criterion and load-rotation relationship of the slab, the punching shear strength of a flat slab is shown to depend on the span of the slab, rather than on its thickness as often proposed.

H2O subduction beyond arcs

Abstract: [1] The amount of H2O subducted to postarc depths dictates such disparate factors as the generation of arc and back-arc magmas, the rheology of the mantle wedge and slab, and the global circulation of H2O. Perple_X was used to calculate phase diagrams and rock physical properties for pressures of 0.5–4.0 GPa and temperatures of 300–900°C for a range of bulk compositions appropriate to subduction zones. These data were merged with global subduction zone rock fluxes to generate a model for global H2O flux to postarc depths. For metasomatized igneous rocks, subducted H2O scales with bulk rock K2O in hot slabs. Metasomatized ultramafic rocks behave similarly in cold slabs, but in hot slabs carry no H2O to magma generation depths because they lack K2O. Chert and carbonate are responsible for minimal H2O subduction, whereas clay-rich and terrigenous sediments stabilize several hydrous phases at low temperature, resulting in significant postarc slab H2O flux in cold and hot slabs. Continental crust also subducts much H2O in cold slabs because of the stability of lawsonite and phengite; in hot slabs it is phengite that carries the bulk of this H2O to postarc depth. All told, the postarc flux of H2O in cold slabs is dominated by terrigenous sediment and the igneous lower crust and mantle and is proportional to bulk rock H2O. In contrast, in hot slabs the major contributors of postarc slab H2O are metasomatized volcanic rocks and subducted continental crust, with the amount of postarc slab H2O scaling with K2O. The Andes and Java-Sumatra-Andaman slabs are the principal suppliers of pelagic and terrigenous sediment hosted H2O to postarc depths, respectively. The Chile and Solomon arcs contribute the greatest H2O flux from subducted continental and oceanic forearc, respectively. The Andean arc has the greatest H2O flux provided through subduction of hydrated ocean crust and mantle. No correlation was observed between postarc slab H2O flux and slab seismicity.

Three-dimensional seismic velocity structure and configuration of the Philippine Sea slab in southwestern Japan estimated by double-difference tomography

Abstract: [1] Three-dimensional seismic velocity structure in and around the Philippine Sea plate subducting beneath southwestern (SW) Japan is determined by applying double-difference tomography method to arrival time data for earthquakes obtained by a dense nationwide seismic network in Japan. A region of low S wave velocity and high Vp/Vs of several kilometers in thickness is recognized immediately above the region of intraslab seismicity in a wide area from Tokai to Kyushu. This characteristic layer dips shallowly in the direction of slab subduction. Compared with the upper surface of the Philippine Sea slab based on seismic reflection and refraction surveys on seven survey lines, we interpret that the low-Vs and high-Vp/Vs layer corresponds to the oceanic crust of the Philippine Sea slab. On the basis of the position of the low-Vs and high-Vp/Vs layer and the precisely relocated hypocenter distribution of intraslab earthquakes, the upper surface of the Philippine Sea slab is reliably determined for the entire area of SW Japan. Nonvolcanic deep low-frequency earthquakes that occurred associated with the subduction of the Philippine Sea slab are distributed along the isodepth contour of 30 km in SW Japan, except for the Tokai district where the depth of deep low-frequency earthquakes becomes gradually deeper toward northeast.

Modeling the Dynamics of Subducting Slabs

Abstract: Cold, dense subducting lithosphere provides the primary force driving tectonic plates at Earth’s surface. The force available to drive the plates depends on a balance between the buoyancy forces driving subduction and the mechanical and buoyancy forces resisting subduction. Because both the buoyancy and rheology of the slab and mantle depend on temperature, composition, grain size, water content, and melt fraction, unraveling which of these processes exert a first-order control on slab dynamics and under what circumstances other processes become first-order effects can be challenging. Laboratory and numerical models of slab dynamics provide a powerful method for testing the combined effects of buoyancy and strength changes that accompany the slab evolution in the upper mantle, transition zone, and lower mantle. Recent studies have focused on understanding how rheologic variations (Newtonian versus non-Newtonian viscosity or water content), geometry (2D versus 3D), and plate motions (trench roll-back or advance) influence the evolution of slabs in the upper mantle and how they sink into the lower mantle. These models suggest that spatial and temporal variations in slab strength and the history of subduction determine whether slabs sink directly into the lower mantle or are trapped in the transition zone.

Weakening of the subduction interface and its effects on surface heat flow, slab dehydration, and mantle wedge serpentinization

Abstract: [1] The shallow part of the interface between the subducting slab and the overriding mantle wedge is evidently weakened by the presence of hydrous minerals and high fluid pressure. We use a two-dimensional finite element model, with a thin layer of uniform viscosity along the slab surface to represent the strength of the interface and a dislocation-creep rheology for the mantle wedge, to investigate the effect of this interface “decoupling.” Decoupling occurs when the temperature-dependent viscous strength of the mantle wedge is greater than that of the interface layer. We find that the maximum depth of decoupling is the key to most primary thermal and petrological processes in subduction zone forearcs. The forearc mantle wedge above a weakened subduction interface always becomes stagnant (<0.2% slab velocity), providing a stable thermal environment for the formation of serpentinite. The degree of mantle wedge serpentinization depends on the availability of aqueous fluids from slab dehydration. A very young and warm slab releases most of its bound H2O in the forearc, leading to a high degree of mantle wedge serpentinization. A very old and cold slab retains most of its H2O until farther landward, leading to a lower degree of serpentinization. Our preferred model for northern Cascadia has a maximum decoupling depth of about 70–80 km, which provides a good fit to surface heat flow data, predicts conditions for a high degree of serpentinization of the forearc mantle wedge, and is consistent with the observed shallow intraslab seismicity and low volume of arc volcanism.

Why is terrestrial subduction one-sided?

Abstract: Subduction of the lithosphere at convergent-plate boundaries takes place asymmetrically—the subducted slab sinks downward, while the overriding plate moves horizontally (one-sided subduction). In contrast, global mantle convection models generally predict downwelling of both plates at convergent margins (two-sided subduction). We carried out two-dimensional (2-D) numerical experiments with a mineralogical-thermomechanical viscoelastic-plastic model to elucidate the cause of one-sided subduction. Our experiments show that the stability, intensity, and mode of subduction depend mainly on slab strength and the amount of weak hydrated rocks present above the slab. Two-sided subduction occurs at low slab strength (sin[φ] 0.15). The weak interface is maintained by the release of fluids from the subducted oceanic crust as a consequence of metamorphism. The resulting weak interplate zone localizes deformation at the interface and decouples the strong plates, facilitating asymmetric plate movement. Our work suggests that high plate strength and the presence of water are major factors controlling the style of plate tectonics driven by self-sustaining one-sided subduction processes.

Flat subduction dynamics and deformation of the South American plate: Insights from analog modeling

Abstract: Received 14 June 2007; revised 13 January 2008; accepted 12 March 2008; published 21 June 2008. [1] We present lithospheric-scale analog models, investigating how the absolute plates’ motion and subduction of buoyant oceanic plateaus can affect both the kinematics and the geometry of subduction, possibly resulting in the appearance of flat slab segments, and how it changes the overriding plate tectonic regime. Experiments suggest that flat subductions only occur if a large amount of a buoyant slab segment is forced into subduction by kinematic boundary conditions, part of the buoyant plateau being incorporated in the steep part of the slab to balance the negative buoyancy of the dense oceanic slab. Slab flattening is a long-term process (� 10 Ma), which requires the subduction of hundreds of kilometers of buoyant plateau. The overriding plate shortening rate increases if the oceanic plateau is large enough to decrease the slab pull effect. Slab flattening increases the interplate friction force and results in migration of the shortening zone within the interior of the overriding plate. The increase of the overriding plate topography close to the trench results from (1) the buoyancy of the plate subducting at trench and (2) the overriding plate shortening. Experiments are compared to the South American active margin, where two major horizontal slab segments had formed since the Pliocene. Along the South American subduction zone, flat slab segments below Peru and central Chile/NW Argentina appeared at � 7 Ma following the beginning of buoyant slab segments’ subduction. In northern Ecuador and northern Chile, the process of slab flattening resulting from the Carnegie and Iquique ridges’ subductions, respectively, seems to be active but not completed. The formation of flat slab segments below South America from the Pliocene may explain the deceleration of the Nazca plate trenchward velocity. Citation: Espurt, N., F. Funiciello, J. Martinod, B. Guillaume, V. Regard, C. Faccenna, and S. Brusset (2008), Flat subduction dynamics and deformation of the South American plate: Insights

Mantle lithosphere delamination driving plateau uplift and synconvergent extension in eastern Anatolia

Abstract: Eastern Anatolia is the site of lithospheric thinning, plateau uplift, heating, and synconvergent extension. Using numerical geodynamic experiments, we test the hypothesis that these tectonic anomalies are all related and the consequence of delamination of the mantle lithosphere. Our findings indicate that delamination during plate convergence results in ~2-km-high plateau uplift. The removal of mantle lithosphere induces distinct regions of contraction and thickening, as well as extension and thinning of the crust. The latter occurs even within a regime of plate shortening, although it is muted with increasing plate convergence. Detachment of the delaminating slab results in minor surface topographic perturbation, but only above the delamination hinge. The plateau uplift and pattern of surface contraction and/or extension are consistent with a topographic profile at 42°E and geologically interpreted zone of synconvergent extension at eastern Anatolia.

Toroidal mantle flow through the western U.S. slab window

Abstract: The circular pattern of anisotropic fast-axis orientations of split SKS arrivals observed in the western US cannot be attributed reasonably to either preexisting lithospheric fabric or to asthenospheric strain related to global-scale plate motion A plume origin for this pattern accounts more successfully for the anisotropy field, but little evidence exists for an active plume beneath central Nevada We suggest that mantle flow around the edge of the sinking Gorda–Juan de Fuca slab is responsible for creating the observed anisotropy Seismic images and kinematic reconstructions of Gorda–Juan de Fuca plate subduction have the southern edge of this plate extending from the Mendocino triple junction to beneath central Nevada, and flow models of narrow subducted slabs produce a strong toroidal flow field around the edge of the slab, consistent with the observed pattern of anisotropy This flow may enhance uplift, extension, and magmatism of the northern Basin and Range while inhibiting extension of the southern Basin and Range

Performance of connections for prefabricated timber-concrete composite floors

Abstract: Timber–concrete composite beams and slabs require interlayer connectors, which provide composite action in the cross-section. A range of mechanical connectors is available on the market with an extensive variety of stiffness and strength properties, which are fundamental design parameters for the composite structure. Another crucial parameter is the cost of the connector, including the labour cost, that if too high may prevent the use of the composite system. In order to reduce the construction cost and make timber–concrete structures more widespread on the market, it is believed that a high degree of prefabrication should be achieved. For a simple and cost effective construction process, the use of “dry” connections, which do not require the pouring and curing of concrete on site, may represent a possible solution. This paper reports the outcomes of an experimental programme aimed to investigate a number of different mechanical “dry–dry” connectors previously embedded into a prefabricated concrete slab. Direct shear tests on small blocks made of a glulam segment connected with a prefabricated concrete slab were performed. The shear force-relative slip relationships were measured and all the relevant mechanical properties such as slip moduli and shear strengths were calculated. It was found that some of the new developed connection systems for prefabricated concrete slab can perform as satisfactorily as those for cast-in-situ slabs, with the additional benefit of being relatively inexpensive.

Kinematics and flow patterns in deep mantle and upper mantle subduction models: Influence of the mantle depth and slab to mantle viscosity ratio

Abstract: [1] Three-dimensional fluid dynamic laboratory simulations are presented that investigate the subduction process in two mantle models, an upper mantle model and a deep mantle model, and for various subducting plate/mantle viscosity ratios (ηSP/ηM = 59–1375). The models investigate the mantle flow field, geometrical evolution of the slab, sinking kinematics, and relative contributions of subducting plate motion and trench migration to the total rate of subduction. All models show that the subducting plate is always moving trenchward resulting from slab pull. Furthermore, all deep mantle models show trench retreat, as do upper mantle models in the initial stage of subduction before slab tip-transition zone interaction. Upper mantle models with a low ηSP/ηM (66, 217) continue to show trench retreat after interaction. Upper mantle models with a high ηSP/ηM (378, 709) show a period of trench advance after interaction followed by trench retreat. Upper mantle models with a very high ηSP/ηM (1375) show continued trench advance after interaction. The difference in trench migration behavior and associated slab geometries is attributed to both ηSP/ηM and the mantle depth to plate thickness ratio TM/TSP, which both affect the slab bending radius to mantle thickness ratio rB/TM. Four subduction regimes can be defined: Regime I with rB/TM ≤ ∼0.3, trench retreat, slab draping, and a concave trench; Regime II with ∼0.3 < rB/TM < ∼0.5, episodic trench migration, slab folding, and a concave trench; Regime III with rB/TM ≈ 0.5, trench advance, slab rollover geometries, and minor trench curvature; and Regime IV with rB/TM ≥ ∼0.8, trench retreat, slab draping, and a rectilinear trench. In all models, slab-parallel downdip motion induces poloidal mantle flow structures. In addition, trench retreat and rollback motion of the slab induce quasi-toroidal return flow around the lateral slab edges toward the mantle wedge. Rollback-induced poloidal flow around the slab tip is not observed in any of the experiments. Finally, comparison between the slab geometries observed in the upper mantle models and slab geometries observed in nature imply that the effective viscosity ratio between slab and ambient upper mantle in nature is less than 103 and of the order 1–7 × 102, with a best estimate of 1–3 × 102.

Anticrack Nucleation as Triggering Mechanism for Snow Slab Avalanches

Abstract: Snow slab avalanches are believed to begin by the gravity-driven shear failure of weak layers in stratified snow. The critical crack length for shear crack propagation along such layers should increase without bound as the slope decreases. However, recent experiments show that the critical length of artificially introduced cracks remains constant or, if anything, slightly decreases with decreasing slope. This surprising observation can be understood in terms of volumetric collapse of the weak layer during failure, resulting in the formation and propagation of mixed-mode anticracks, which are driven simultaneously by slope-parallel and slope-normal components of gravity. Such fractures may propagate even if crack-face friction impedes downhill sliding of the snowpack, indicating a scenario in which two separate conditions have to be met for slab avalanche release.

Connections for composite concrete slab and LVL flooring systems

Abstract: Composite concrete slab and timber flooring systems are commonly used in many parts of the world to exploit the high strength-to-weight ratio of timber and the good acoustic separation provided by concrete floor slabs. This paper describes the results of an experimental programme that investigated the suitability of a range of connectors to transfer shear between a concrete slab and a laminated veneer lumber (LVL) beam. Shear tests on reduced scale specimens were performed with the aim of comparing the strength, stiffness, and post-peak performance of different connectors such as round and rectangular concrete plugs with and without screw and steel pipe reinforcement, proprietary (SFS) screws, coach screws with different diameters, sheet brace anchors, and framing brackets. The rectangular concrete plug reinforced with a coach screw was found to provide the greatest stiffness and strength, as well as favourable post-peak behaviour. Such a system can be used for cost-effective composite floor systems due to its efficient cost-to-capacity ratio, which reduces the number of connectors needed along the beam axis to achieve the composite action.

Shear wave splitting and mantle flow associated with the deflected Pacific slab beneath northeast Asia

Abstract: [1] A total of 361 SKS and five local S wave splitting measurements obtained at global and regional seismic network stations in NE China and Mongolia are used to infer the characteristics of mantle fabrics beneath northeast Asia. Fast polarization directions at most of the stations in the western part of the study area are found to be consistent with the strike of local geological features. The dominant fast directions at the eastern part, beneath which seismic tomography and receiver function studies revealed a deflected slab in the mantle transition zone (MTZ), are about 100 from north, which are almost exactly the same as the motion direction of the Eurasian plate relative to the Pacific plate, and are independent of the direction of local geological features. The splitting times at those stations are about 1 s which correspond to a layer of about 150 km thickness with a 3% anisotropy. The shear wave splitting observations, complemented by the well-established observation that most of the eastern part of the study area is underlain by a lithosphere thinned by delamination in the Paleozoic era, can be best explained by the preferred alignment of metastable olivine associated with the subduction of the deflected Pacific slab in the MTZ, or by back-arc asthenospheric flow in the mantle wedge above the slab.

Tomographic evidence for hydrated oceanic crust of the Pacific slab beneath northeastern Japan: Implications for water transportation in subduction zones

Abstract: [1] We estimate detailed seismic-velocity structure around the Pacific slab beneath northeastern Japan by double-difference tomography. A remarkable low-velocity zone with a thickness of ∼10 km, which corresponds to much hydrated oceanic crust, is imaged coherently along the arc at the uppermost part of the slab. The zone gradually disappears at depths of 70–90 km, suggesting the occurrence of intensive dehydration reactions there. The concentration of intraslab earthquakes at these depths supports dehydration-embrittlement hypothesis as a mechanism for generating intraslab earthquakes. A low-velocity zone imaged immediately above the slab at depths >70 km probably reflects a hydrous layer that absorbs water expelled from the slab and carries it to deeper depths along the slab. Our observations suggest that an along-arc variation in arc volcanism might be related to that in the development of the hydrous layer above the slab.

Overriding plate shortening and extension above subduction zones: A parametric study to explain formation of the Andes Mountains

Abstract: Mountain building above subduction zones, such as observed in the Andes, is enigmatic, and the key parameter controlling the underlying dynamics remains a matter of considerable debate. A global survey of subduction zones is presented here, illustrating the correlation between overriding plate deformation rate and twelve physical parameters: overriding plate velocity, subducting plate velocity, trench velocity, convergence velocity, subduction velocity, subduction zone accretion rate, subducting plate age, subduction polarity, shallow slab dip, deep slab dip, lateral slab edge proximity, and subducting ridge proximity. All correlation coefficients are low (| R | ≤ 0.39), irrespective of the global reference frame, relative plate motion model, or overriding plate deformation model, except for the trench velocity (0.33–0.68, exact value depends on adopted global reference frame) and subduction velocity, which shows an anticorrelation (0.55–0.57). This implies that no individual parameter can explain overriding plate deformation, except that trench retreat generally corresponds to extension while an approximately stable trench or trench advance generally corresponds to shortening. Understanding of the variety of strain patterns is obtained when slab edge proximity and overriding plate velocity are combined. Orogenesis occurs in overriding plates bordering central regions of wide subduction zones (≥~4000 km) when the overriding plate is moving trenchward at 0–2 cm/yr (e.g., Andes, Japan). Because the center of a wide slab offers large resistance to lateral migration, the overriding plate effectively collides with the subduction hinge, forcing the slab to attain a shallow dip angle (e.g., Nazca and Japan slabs). Overriding plate extension is only found close to lateral slab edges or during overriding plate motion away from the center of a wide subduction zone, but in the latter scenario, maximum extension velocities are much lower than in the former scenario. For subduction settings close to lateral slab edges, overriding plate motion plays no significant role in overriding plate deformation. Thus, for rapid overriding plate extension, the key ingredient is rapid trench retreat, which only occurs close to lateral slab edges, while for overriding plate shortening, the key ingredients are (1) the resistance to rapid trench and hinge retreat, which occurs far from lateral slab edges, and (2) trenchward overriding plate motion.

Slab stiffness control of trench motion: Insights from numerical models

Abstract: [1] Subduction zones are not static features, but trenches retreat (roll back) or advance. Here, we investigate the dominant dynamic controls on trench migration by means of two- and three-dimensional numerical modeling of subduction. This investigation has been carried out by systematically varying the geometrical and rheological model parameters. Our viscoplastic models illustrate that advancing style subduction is promoted by a thick plate, a large viscosity ratio between plate and mantle, and a small density contrast between plate and mantle or an intermediate width (w ∼ 1300 km). Advancing slabs dissipate ∼45% to ∼50% of the energy in the system. Thin plates with relatively low viscosity or relatively high density, or wide slabs (w ∼ 2300 km), on the other hand, promote subduction in the retreating style (i.e., slab roll-back). The energy dissipated by a retreating slab is ∼35% to ∼40% of the total dissipated energy. Most of the energy dissipation occurs in the mantle to accommodate the slab motion, whereas the lithosphere dissipates the remaining part to bend and “unbend.” With a simple scaling law we illustrate that this complex combination of model parameters influencing trench migration can be reduced to a single one: plate stiffness. Stiffer slabs cause the trench to advance, whereas more flexible slabs lead to trench retreat. The reason for this is that all slabs will bend into the subduction zone because of their low plastic strength near the surface, but stiff slabs have more difficulty “unbending” at depth, when arriving at the 660-km discontinuity. Those bent slabs tend to cause the trench to advance. In a similar way, variation of the viscoplasticity parameters in the plate may change the style of subduction: a low value of friction coefficient weakens the plate and results in a retreating style, while higher values strengthen the plate and promote the advancing subduction style. Given the fact that also on Earth the oldest (and therefore probably stiffest) plates have the fastest advancing trenches, we hypothesize that the ability of slabs to unbend after subduction forms the dominant control on trench migration.

Eocene to present subduction of southern Adria mantle lithosphere beneath the Dinarides

Abstract: We modeled global positioning system measurements of crustal velocity along a N13°E profile across the southern Adria microplate and south-central Dinarides mountain belt using a one-dimensional elastic dislocation model. We assumed a N77°W fault strike orthogonal to the average azimuth of the measured velocities, but we used a constrained random search algorithm minimizing misfit to the velocities to determine all other parameters of the model. The model fault plane reaches the surface seaward of mapped SW-verging thrusts of Eocene and perhaps Neogene age along the coastal areas of southern Dalmatia, consistent with SW-migrating deformation in an active fold-and-thrust belt. P-wave tomography shows a NE-dipping high-velocity slab to ∼160 km depth, which reaches the surface as Adria, dips gently beneath the foreland, and becomes steep beneath the Dinarides topographic high. The thrust plane is located directly above the shallowly dipping part of the slab. The pattern of precisely located seismicity is broadly consistent with both the tomography and geodesy; deeper earthquakes (down to ∼70 km) correlate spatially with the slab, and shallower earthquakes are broadly clustered around the geodetically inferred thrust plane. The model fault geometry and loading rate, ages of subaerially exposed thrusts in the fold-and-thrust belt, and the length of subducted slab are all consistent with Adria-Eurasia collision involving uninterrupted subduction of southern Adria mantle lithosphere beneath Eurasia since Eocene time.

Effect of three‐dimensional slab geometry on deformation in the mantle wedge: Implications for shear wave anisotropy

Abstract: Shear-wave splitting observations from many subduction zones show complex patterns of seismic anisotropy that commonly have trench-parallel fast directions. Three-dimensional flow may give rise to trench-parallel stretching and provide an explanation for these patterns of seismic anisotropy. Along-strike variations in slab geometry produce trench-parallel pressure gradients and are therefore a possible mechanism for three-dimensional flow. In this study we quantify the effects of variable slab dip, curved slabs, oblique subduction, and slab edges on flow geometry and finite strain in the mantle wedge of subduction zones. Temperature, dynamic pressure, velocity, and strain are calculated with high-resolution three-dimensional finite element models. These models include temperature- and stress-dependent rheology and parameterized slab and trench geometry. Thick layers (20–60 km) with strong trench-parallel stretching are observed in the mantle wedge when slab geometry involves a transition to slab dip less than 15° or strong curvature in the slab. In these cases, strong trench-parallel stretching develops when flow lines have an oblique to trench-normal orientation. This suggests that trench-parallel seismically fast directions may not indicate trench-parallel flow lines in systems with large along-strike variations. An oblique component of stretching is confined to a 20–30 km layer above the slab in systems with oblique subduction. The effects of slab edges include strong toroidal flow and focusing in the mantle near slab edges and trench-parallel flow that extends 50–100 km into the core of the mantle wedge.

Influence of Slab Thickness on Punching Shear Strength

Abstract: Current ACI design code does not account for size effects in the equations for punching shear strength. Tests to study the influence of slab thickness on the punching shear strength of flat slabs show the significant effect of size on the shear stress resistance, particularly for tests without shear reinforcement. This paper presents tests in which the slab thickness varied between 160 and 300 mm (6.3 and 11.8 in.). One test series was designed to fail inside the shear reinforced zone while a second test series was designed to fail outside the shear reinforced zone. These tests and tests by others with slabs up to 500 mm (19.7 in.) thick indicate that slabs without shear reinforcement thicker than approximately 260 mm (10.2 in.) may not have a high factor of safety if designed according to ACI 318-05. Shear stress resistance provided by concrete is also reduced, but to a lesser degree, for thick slabs with shear reinforcement. An equation is proposed for the nominal shear stress resistance of concrete in slabs without shear reinforcement.