Composite steel beam is commonly used element in multistory steel buildings today. The composite action between the concrete deck and the steel beam reduces both steel weight and deflection, accordingly, enhance floor economy and serviceability. Many earlier researches were carried out to optimize the design of the composite steel beams under both static loading and dynamic behavior. None of these

Abstract

In many situations, it is necessary to have a beam web opening in the plastic hinge location. However, very limited studies investigated the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beam-column joints with nearby beam web openings. A previous study was conducted for investigating the behavior of beam-column joints with unreinforced nearby web opening. In this study, the effect of adding additional reinforcing around a nearby web opening on the seismic behavior of RC exterior Beam-Column joints is being investigated. Nine full-scale beam-column joints were tested, four joints had an unreinforced opening, while five joints had reinforced opening. The behavior of the beam-column joints is described in terms of maximum resisting load, deflection, energy dissipated, and stiffness degradation. The behavior was significantly affected by the nearby opening. The increase in opening width and the reduction in the distance between the opening and the column resulted in decreasing the strength and ductility of the RC beam-column joint. However, adding additional reinforcement improved the behavior. Thus, it is recommended to provide additional reinforcement all around the opening.