LAUSR

Abstract Properly designed flat slab to column connections can perform satisfactorily under seismic loading. Satisfactory performance is dependent on slab column connections being able to withstand the imposed drift while continuing to resist the imposed gravity loads. Particularly at risk are pre 1970’s flat slab to column connections without integrity reinforcement passing through the column. Current design provisions for punching shear under seismic loading are largely empirical and based on laboratory tests of thin slabs not representative of practice. This paper uses nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) with ATENA and the Critical Shear Crack Theory (CSCT) to investigate the behaviour of internal slab-column connections without shear reinforcement subject to seismic loading. NLFEA is used to investigate cyclic degradation which reduces connection stiffness, unbalanced moment capacity, and ductility. As observed experimentally, cyclic degradation in the NLFEA is shown to be associated with accumulation of plastic strain in the flexural reinforcement bars which hinders concrete crack closure. Although the NLFEA produces reasonable strength and ductility predictions, it is unable to replicate the pinching effect. It is also too complex and time consuming to serve as a practical design tool. Therefore, a simple analytical design method is proposed which is based on the CSCT. The strength and limiting drift predictions of the proposed method are shown to mainly depend on slab depth (size effect) and flexural reinforcement ratio which is not reflected in available empirically-based models which appear to overestimate the drift capacity of slab-column connections with dimensions representative of practice.