Abstract
The progressive collapse of flat plate structures due to brittle punching shear failure of reinforced concrete (RC) slab-column connections is a major concern in structural engineering. This paper proposed an innovative star-shaped steel plates (SSPs) system to achieve an effective yet practical enhancement of the punching and post-punching performance of RC slab-column connections. SSPs were fabricated from thin steel plates, welded together, and placed in the centre of the joint. Engineering cementitious composite (ECC) was also adopted to replace the joint core concrete and work with the SSPs further to improve the punching shear behaviour of the joint. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system, five large-scale RC slab-column connections with different SSPs configurations and concrete materials were tested under monotonic load. The results showed that the initial stiffness of the joint was minimally affected by the presence of SSPs, but the system significantly improved the punching shear strength, post-punching load-bearing capacity, and deformation capacity of the joint. Specimens with ECC and SSPs exhibited an even higher punching shear strength and more ductile post-punching behaviour. The study also found that the optimum enhancement of the punching shear behaviour of the slab-column joint can be realised when the SSPs yield just before the joint experiences punching shear damage. Finally, formulas were developed to reasonably predict the punching shear strength and post-punching load-carrying capacity of the SSPs reinforced slab-column connections.
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