Cyclic behavior of high strength lightweight concrete slab-edge column connections with and without openings

In this study, the seismic behavior of nine full-scale slab-edge column connections with and without openings constructed from Normal-Strength Concrete (NSC with fc` = 28 MPa) and High-Strength Lightweight Concrete (HSLWC with fc` = 49 MPa) is investigated experimentally and analytically. The nine specimens included five specimens from NSC and four specimens from HSLWC. The punching strength provisions used by international codes, such as the International Building Code (International Code Council 2021), the American Concrete Institute (ACI Committee 318 2019), the New Zealand Code (New Zealand Standard NZS 3101: Part 1 2006), the Japan Society of Civil Engineering (JSCE 2007), and the Eurocode 2 (Eurocode 2 2008), are investigated when applied to HSLWC slab-edge column connections with openings. The most significant factors to consider are the effect of using HSLWC, the location and size of the openings. The investigation was widened by performing a nonlinear finite element analysis with the computer application ABAQUS. According to the test results, the punching shear strength estimated using the equations of the (International Code Council 2021), (ACI Committee 318 2019), (New Zealand Standard NZS 3101: Part 1 2006), and (Eurocode 2 2008) is safe for HSLWC. For both NSC and HSLWC, the punching shear strength estimated using the JSCE-2007 is either on the borderline or unsafe. The ultimate punching load of HSLWC with fc` = 49 MPa is increased by about 72% than that of NSC with fc` = 28 MPa for slab-edge column connections without openings and by approximately 81% for connections with opening size equals to one-eighth of the column strip width and positioned next to the face of the column. The finite element program ABAQUS can be used successfully to forecast the behavior of normal strength concrete and high strength lightweight concrete slab-edge column connections under seismic loadings, both with and without opening.