Abstract:The paper elucidates the inherent limitations encountered by reinforced concrete continuous walls within engineering applications. It introduces the novel research concept of multi-cavity steel reinforced concrete (MSRC) as a potential solution for structural support in deep foundation pits, followed by a meticulous investigation into its bending performance. Experimental scrutiny was conducted through pure bending tests on two distinct variants of MSRC structures, each subjected to unique manufacturing processes. Results from these tests unveil subtle discrepancies in bearing capacity and other pertinent properties between the two structures. Moreover, both variants demonstrate susceptibility to bending failure in the pure bending tests, yet exhibit commendable ductility and late-stage load-bearing capacity. A comprehensive finite element analysis delves into the intricate interaction between steel and concrete throughout the entire bending process, revealing steel’s predominant role in accounting for over 80% of the bending capacity during the mid to late stages. Conversely, concrete primarily serves to mitigate local buckling of the steel. Analyzing the influences of concrete strength, steel yield strength, and steel content on member bending load capacity and stiffness reveals a positive correlation with all three parameters, with steel content exerting the greatest impact and concrete content the least. Additionally, concrete strength and steel content positively correlate with initial bending stiffness and stiffness during operational phases, albeit with concrete strength exerting a relatively minor effect. Steel content emerges as a significant determinant of stiffness. Conversely, the yield strength of steel exhibits a negative correlation with bending stiffness, albeit within a deviation threshold of 10%. Based on the assumption of a flat cross-section, the paper proposes a calculation formula for the bending capacity of MSRC structures, which demonstrates good agreement with experimental and finite element simulation results.