DEFORMATION LIMITS FOR RC AND PT SLAB-COLUMN FRAMES SUBJECTED TO CYCLIC LOADING

Equations to determine deformation limits of RC and PT slab-column frame connections with and without shear reinforcement are proposed in this paper. The research began by reviewing the test results of the RC and PT slab-column frame connection specimens subjected to both gravity and cyclic lateral loading from a number of previous studies. The reviewed specimens covered a wide range of properties and conditions, such as dimensions, the strength of materials, the testing methods, the punching shear reinforcement types and amount, and the gravity shear ratio values. Then, certain criteria were applied to categorize the specimens and to identify significant parameters that affect the deformation capacity. Equations were then developed to provide lower-bound estimates of 1the deformation limits. The calculated deformation limit values obtained from the proposed empirical equations show satisfying and reasonably conservative results compared to those from the limiting cases obtained from previous research and the ACI code. However, the equations include effects of parameters previously unaccounted for in the current code.