Abstract
The intrinsic brittleness of concrete in tension and shear is the principal reason for the weak performance of reinforced concrete (RC) connections under seismic loads. A viable way to overcome this challenge is the replacement of concrete in the joint area by Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) which typically show pseudo strain-hardening and multiple cracking behaviours. In the present study, at first, a finite element model to analyse RC/ECC connections is developed and validated by available experimental data. Then, the efficacy of using ECC in the joint area and the end part of the beam or column is investigated. The results show that the proposed model is acceptably able to predict the initial stiffness, the ultimate strength, and the cracking pattern of RC/ECC joints. By replacing ECC in the joint zone, the connection shows 27.5% and 52.6% increase in the ultimate strength and performance factor, respectively. Moreover, replacing concrete by ECC materials only in the vicinity of the joint zone is effective in enhancing the seismic performance of the connection. Although using ECC materials can enable one to reduce transverse reinforcements in the joint area, removing all stirrups in this area is not recommended when considering the results of this study.
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