Research Initiation: 3-D Response of Reinforced Concrete Beam-Column-Slab Connections

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Recently the inelastic behavior of beam to column connections interacting with monolithically cast floor slabs has received a considerable attention. In multistory reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings the poor performance of such connections caused by excessive damage during building deformations can adversely affect the stiffness and strength of the entire structure. A number of beam-column-slab connections have been tested as isolated specimens as well as within the RC test buildings. The objective of the proposed research is to complement such studies by analyzing a number of tested connections using the finite element method. For this purpose a 3-D material response model for simulating concrete behavior in the pre-cracked phase will be implemented. This will be augmented by a macroscopic (smeared) post-cracking constitutive model for concrete which will simulate the cracked material behavior including the strain softening phenomenon as well as the interaction between reinforcement and concrete. A number of parametric and sensitivity studies will be performed. Such analysis will be carried out with the aim of broadening the understanding of the internal load-resisting mechanisms and ultimate capacities in RC beam-column-slab connections. The results of this investigation may also produce valuable information for future development of simplified models capable of simulating the dominant behavior characteristics while retaining simplicity and computational efficiency.