Damage and deformation assessment of earthquake-resistant RC slotted beam-column connections using digital image correlation technique. (15th July 2020) - Oudah, Fadi
Highlights: The damage of 6 slotted concrete connections under cyclic load was assessed. Design values for ductility and equivalent viscous damping were recommended. The connection deformability was analyzed using Digital Image Correlation Technique. The slotted connections were effective in relocating the plastic hinge. The slotted connections were effective in reducing joint yield penetration. Abstract: Slotted-beam concrete connections with relocated plastic hinges mitigate yield penetration into the joint, result in minimal beam elongation, and achieve a non-tearing action to the attached slab when subjected to seismic excitation. Slotted-beam connections can have a single slot made at the bottom face of the beam member or double slots made at the top and bottom faces of the beam member. The former configuration is referred to as the Single Slotted Beam system (SSB), while the latter configuration is referred to as the Double Slotted Beam system (DSB). In this research, the damage evolution and deformation mechanisms of large-scale experimentally tested SSB and DSB connections with and without relocated vertical slots were investigated. The damage evolution was studied using ductility-based damage indices, energy–based damage indices, and other forms of damage assessment methods. The contribution of the beam deformation, column deformation, and joint deformation to the overall drift was assessed using the Digital Image Correlation Technique (DICT). The damage assessment indicated that relocating the vertical slots away from the face of the column resulted in decreasing the ductility capacity of the SSB system while it resulted in insignificant change up to a relocation distance equivalent to the beam effective shear depth in the DSB system. The deformation assessment indicated that increasing the relocation distance in the SSB system results in reducing the effectiveness of the system in relocating the center of rotation, while the relocation distance of the vertical slot has negligible influence on the effectiveness of relocating the center of rotation in the DSB system.