An Experimental Study on Shear Failure Mechanism of RC Interior Beam-Column Joints

Reinforced concrete earthquake-resistant frames are generally designed on the basis of “strong-column weak-beam”concept. Besides, shear failure of beam-column joints should be avoided in order that the frames exhibit adequate ductile performance. Joint shear failure occurs when the shear stress level is enough large, but the shear failure mechanism is different between the conditions with and without adjacent beam yielding. The experimental study shows that the joint shear failure results from the compressive fracture of joint concrete in which the compressive strength deterioration occurs due to shear cracking. And joint reinforcement makes a large influence on the joint shear strength when adjacent beams yield, because the joint reinforcement becomes the principal confinement for the joint concrete.