Numerical investigation of punching shear failure at slab column connections

One of the principal problems of flat slab deals the punching shear failure of slab column connection. This form of failure must be avoided, providing flat slab with the best conditions for the progress of yielding mechanisms of the flexural reinforcement before the occurrence of shear failure. Experimental studies were available for square specimens under axial loads only (pure punching). Effect of variables such as amount of main reinforcement ratio, and types of common shear reinforcement was studied. Common shear reinforcement types were used to compare the difference between these types of shear reinforcement like shear studs, shear bands and stirrups and steel fiber. In the present study, the punching shear forces obtained from previous test results were compared with the calculated values based on some available codes. The (ANSYS Workbench 14.0) finite element software program was used in the numerical analysis. The experimental results were compared with the results obtained from the finite element analysis. A new numerical model was proposed to predict the punching shear strength of reinforced concrete. The proposed model would be very helpful to be used for engineering practical works. Keywords: Punching Shear stress, Finite element method, Numerical modeling, Slab Column connection