The design of reinforced concrete (RC) structures against fatigue failure due to shear loads is based on empirical approaches (refer to Eurocode 2). In particular, this unsatisfying status pertains to members without links such as bridge slabs or footings of wind energy plants. In terms of sustainability - for example, a longer service life of these structures - safe and exact calculation methods to determine their fatigue resistance are urgently needed. Therefore, the load-bearing behavior of RC elements without links under static and cyclic loads was studied theoretically, experimentally, and numerically at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH). Sixteen RC beams without shear reinforcement were tested under cyclic loads. The analysis of the time-consuming experimental investigations confirmed the EC2 approach to estimate the shear capacity of RC beams without links under fatigue loading, if the shear resistance under static loads is known from tests. The fib approach is too conservative. The specimens showed a high shear strength even after wide cracks had opened. Thus, the shear force is predominantly carried by the compression zone and not by crack friction.

The generalized stress field approach for the analysis of structural concrete beams in shear represents an equilibrium model; however, by specifically limiting the values of the inclination of the stress bands and considering the strain state in determining the effective concrete compressive strength, compatibility is incorporated A comparison of a total of 113 experimental results from beam and panel tests with calculated data proves the accuracy of the approach. Moreover, this contribution presents a consistent structured procedure: for the conception or design of a new structure, limit analysis methods can be used; for a more detailed analysis, the generalized stress field approach should be applied; and for an elaborate assessment of a structure, calculations based on the cracked membrane model may be carried out.