Static behavior of novel RCS through-column-type joint: Experimental and numerical study

This paper deals with experimental investigation and modeling of the static behavior of a novel RCS beam-column exterior joint. The studied joint detail is a through-column type in which an H steel profile totally embedded inside RC column is directly welded to the steel beam. The H steel profile was covered by two supplementary plates in the joint area in order to avoid the stirrups resisting shear in the joint area. Two full-scale through-column-type RCS joints were tested under static loading. The objectives of the tests were to examine the connection performance and to highlight the contribution of two supplementary plates on the shear resistance of the joint. A reliable nonlinear 3D finite element model was developed using ABAQUS software to predict the response and behavior of the studied RCS joint. An extensive parametric study was performed to investigate the influences of the stirrups, the encased profile length and supplementary plate length on the behavior of the studied RCS joint.