Impact of Column Rectangularity on Punching Shear Strength: Code Predictions versus Finite Element Analysis

AbstractIn this paper, the punching shear behavior of interior slab-rectangular column connections without shear reinforcement under static concentric loading is studied using a three-dimensional, nonlinear, finite element model (FEM) in ABAQUS version 6.12 based on the concrete damaged plasticity model. The FEM was calibrated based on seven experimental tests selected from literature. The predicted shear capacities were compared to punching and one-way shear predictions according to published standards and the critical shear crack theory (CSCT). The finite element analysis results show that the impact of column rectangularity on punching shear capacity is not only dependent on the column aspect ratio but becomes more severe as the ratio of the minimum column dimension to the effective depth of the slab increases. This behavior was found to be implicitly accounted for in some published European standards and the CSCT.