Seismic Performance of UHPFRC-Strengthened RC Beam–Column Joints Using Damage Plasticity Model—A Numerical Study

Abstract

The present study focuses on predicting the behavior of the reinforced concrete (RC) beam–column joints when subjected to seismic loads with the newly proposed concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model for modeling the behavior of concrete. ABAQUS/CAE is used to model the behavior of beam–column joint. Input parameters for the concrete damage plasticity model are adopted from the proposed model. Parametric studies are performed for studying the influence of variation of the dilation angle and eccentricity on the behavior of the beam–column joint when subjected to seismic loads. Ultra High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) strip is used for strengthening the beam–column joint against seismic loads. The UHPFRC material is wrapped all along the beam–column joint as a layer for strengthening purposes. Three different thicknesses of UHPFRC strips are used for strengthening the beam–column joint to assess the maximum load-carrying capacity. Results indicated that the proposed CDP model is accurately predicting the behavior of the RC beam–column joint. It is observed that as the thickness of the strip increases, the resistance of the beam–column joint against seismic loads is also increased. It is also observed that the UHPFRC material is more ductile when compared with normal concrete.