Finite Element Analysis of Punching Shear of Reinforced Concrete Slab–Column Connections with Shear Reinforcement

Shear reinforcement is one of the common measures used to strengthen slab–column connections. It can make the joint’s load capacity increase. However, when the connection is subjected to an unbalanced bending moment, the reduction effect of the shear reinforcement on the bending moment is worth investigating. Nonlinear finite element analysis was performed on reinforced concrete slabs with shear reinforcement for various moment-to-shear (M/V) ratios. The effects of the number and diameter of shear reinforcement and different loading methods on the slab were investigated, as along with a correction to the ACI-318 and China Concrete Structure Design code GB50010 formula for the moment transfer coefficient. The 3D finite element modeling was performed using appropriate element types and a constitutive model for concrete. The concrete damage plasticity model parameters were calibrated using the experimental results of a specimen. The amount of shear reinforcement had a certain contribution to the strength of the slab, but the diameter of the shear reinforcement had little effect. The plate’s bearing capacity decreased as the M/V increased. The corrected moment transfer coefficient formula demonstrates that M/V is positively correlated with the coefficient and that the calculated values specified in ACI-318 and GB50010 are overly conservative.