Beam-To-Column Joints in Rc Frames : Capacity Models and Behaviour Under Seismic Actions

Existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures are often vulnerable to seismic events. The reports of damage observed pointed out the key importance of beam-to-column joints on the global performance of RC frames. Several theoretical and analytical formulations have been proposed for evaluating the shear strength of beam-to-column joints. The present work deals with the formulations for evaluating the shear strength of exterior and interior connections currently available in both the scientific literature and the main seismic codes. The comparison between the experimental results collected in a wide database and the theoretical shear strength is made for assessing the presented models. The models have been recalibrated and the relevant coefficients describing the average error and the dispersion of the models have been evaluated. Furthermore, the behaviour of reinforced concrete beam-to-column joints under cyclic loading is analysed and a simple model for dynamic non-linear analyses is proposed.